These days, a lot of emphasis is placed on leveraging digital and social media marketing. And while we agree those two disciplines should be part of every company’s marketing mix, there’s one discipline that tends to get overlooked and left behind in today’s tech-focused world: Direct mail.
You read that right. Direct mail.
It’s not your father’s marketing. In fact, using direct mail in an age when everyone’s focused only on digital, can actually give your company a leg up.
Here are six reasons to consider adding direct mail to your marketing mix:
1) 90% of Millennials think direct mail advertising is reliable.
Millennials typically prefer a low-tech marketing approach, and direct mail fits the bill. In fact:
- 84% of Millennials take time to look through their mail.
- 64% would rather scan for useful info in the mail than email.
- 57% have made purchases based on direct mail offers.
2) Personalization makes a difference.
We like hearing and reading our names. There’s something about it that draws us in, and immediately makes the interaction feel more personal.
The same thing holds true with direct mail. Adding a person’s name and using full color in direct mail can increase response rates by 135%!
3) Use a cross-platform approach for better results.
Each of us learn differently, as we just shared in a recent blog post – some are visual learners, others auditory and still others tactile (or kinesthetic) learners.
Why is this important?
It means it’s crucial for your marketing mix to take that into account – and promote on various channels and different types of media to ‘hit’ your audience where they live, and reach them in the way they learn/absorb information.
One way to do this is to combine direct mail (visual and tactile) with digital ads (could be visual, auditory or tactile), which according to the DMA yields a 28% higher conversion rate.
And, according to Merkle, marketing campaigns that used direct mail and at least one form of digital marketing media experienced a 118% lift in response rate compared to using direct mail alone.
4) 18.4% of former customers respond to direct mail.
Interestingly, direct mail is a great way to reconnect with former clients. It helps you stay top of mind, which means when they have a need for your product or service again, they’ll think of you first.
5) Would you like that supersized?
In this case – unlike for fast food – the answer is: Yes! Oversized envelopes, postcards and letters attract 6.6%, 5.7% and 4.3% of household responses, respectively.
Because they’re a larger size than the standard direct mail dimensions, these pieces stand out among the crowd, er…mail. And standing out is the first step to getting noticed – and to getting your recipient to actually read the direct mail piece.
6) Direct mail impacts product trials and website visits.
Nearly 40% of customers try a product or service for the first time because of direct mail advertising, and more than 60% of direct mail advertising recipients were influenced to visit a promoted website with the heaviest influence being on first-time shoppers.
While direct mail may not be the be-all/end-all, it is a key part of any marketing mix. It prompts action. And it drives conversions.
If you’re ready to talk about how direct mail could help your business with your marketing efforts, reach out today. We’d be thrilled to help you determine the best marketing mix strategy for your business objectives.
As always stay tuned until the next time we go Off the Radar.
