There has been a massive shift towards digital advertising in recent years, with many people using social media platforms to promote their business and services. With that in mind, you might be wondering if direct mail marketing is still effective for advertising. According to Full Tilt Direct, the experts when it comes to marketing with direct mail, this traditional method is still as effective as ever. And there are many reasons for this.
Direct Mail Marketing is Targeted
Unlike with digital marketing, direct mail marketing is targeted at a specific audience determined by a collection of data, such as gender, income, spending habits, location, age, etc. Direct mail can be personalized with the intended target in mind, making it much more likely to be read by the intended recipient.
Direct mail can be much more personal, with businesses able to use a variety of tools to attract potential customers. With something tangible in their hands, many people are more likely to take the time to read a direct mail message than they would an email that is quickly deleted and sent to the junk folder without ever having been read.
A Cost-Effective Option
Direct mail marketing is one of the most efficient ways to promote a business. When compared with digital marketing and advertising, the cost of printing materials and sending to a targeted audience is much more cost-effective, reaching a wider audience at a cheaper price.
Higher Response Rates
People are much more likely to engage with a direct mail marketing campaign than they are with social media or email marketing. In fact, the response rate for house lists is 9% and for prospect lists its 5%. Paid search response rates are 0.6%, social media 0.4%, and email 0.1%.
High Return on Investment
The high ROI on direct mail marketing makes it one of the most profitable forms of advertising for a business. It performs better than almost every other type of marketing apart from email (but remember, there are practically no expenses with email marketing).
It is worth noting, however, that email marketing is heavily saturated and even with the best will in the world and a huge amount of effort on your part to create the most eye-catching message with in your email, there is a high chance of it never being read. With direct mail, you have a much higher chance of engaging your intended target.
People Love Free Gifts
An effective direct mail campaign will include something that the target wants or will at the very least find useful. It might be a discount code for a product or service they didn’t even know they needed, or it could be a novelty branded item that can be used around the office, such as a pen, notepad or even a mug. The tactile nature of direct mail helps to engage the recipient and keep the sender in mind.
Direct Mail Works Well Alongside Other Forms of Marketing
If you really want to get the most from a direct mail marketing campaign, you can use it with other forms of advertising. Digital marketing combined with direct mail marketing means you are increasing brand recognition. For example, you can send out a direct mail postcard that has a QR code which the customer will need to use to access discounts on your company’s website.
You might think that there is no way to track response rates to your direct mail campaign, but you can use unique landing pages on your marketing materials or special codes that will allow you to easily track the effectiveness of the campaign.
