Digital marketing tactics — email campaigns, social media, SEO, and the like — are highly sought after in the business world. But digital marketing isn’t the only option. Direct mail also plays a role in reaching your organization’s promotional and sales goals.
Direct mail is any printed marketing or advertising material that is sent to a physical mailing address. This includes flyers, postcards, catalogs, brochures, and much more. Direct mail probably also made up much of the mail you received during the election season and even now before Christmas.
Marketing through mail pieces will place your brand in front of current and prospective customers in a different way than an email or a social media post. The following are some benefits of using direct mail:
Higher Response Rates
It’s easy to delete an email you know is a marketing email from an organization, but it’s not as common to throw away your mail before you look through it. Direct mail receives at least one set of eyes scanning the material.
The stats are telling — response rates to direct mail are about nine percent for current customers and five percent for new audiences compared to the one percent average click rates on marketing emails.
When sending an advertisement or postcard to a household, your business is more than likely to reach more than one person. Children, spouses, and even roommates of the addressee might lay eyes on your material as well.
Those numbers make a difference. Data suggests that about 40% of people visit a brand’s website after receiving direct mail, and 35% make a purchase.
Familiarity
Some say that the feel of a physical book can’t be achieved by a Kindle. The same goes for mail. Customers can physically touch and interact with a mail piece. Studies suggest that 95% of people read and interact with their mail the day they receive it.
The familiarity people have with receiving mail is one of direct mail’s greatest benefits. Many feel mail is safer than email, considering the number of spam emails out there. When an audience feels your brand is safe, members are more likely to trust your organization, which can turn into sales and loyalty.
Customization and Creativity
When a letter is addressed directly to you, you’re more likely to read it. Personalization in company direct mail can increase response rates by 10 times or more. Programs exist that help businesses get creative with their mail pieces, from colors and designs to photos and text. The more creative and personal the mail feels, the more memorable it is.
Intersection with the Digital World
Direct mail should not replace your digital efforts; it should complement them. QR codes are a great example. You can place one on any physical mail piece and then track the traffic to your website generated by customers scanning that code. You can send exclusive offers via direct mail and track purchases through a coupon code. Or you can launch any digital marketing campaign and follow up with a small set of customers through the mail. The two work together for your organization’s success.
RSPR can help your company design and idealize postcards, newsletters, new product announcements, and other mail pieces. Contact us today to get started.