There are many businesses that are not especially interested in direct mail as a marketing strategy and would rather spend time and money on digital marketing. However, there is evidence to show that direct mail campaigns still work and bring in a high return on the investment required.
One of the major strengths of direct mail is it can enable you to build a localised brand presence while being a part of an overall larger campaign. Successful and effective direct mail plans are still able to attract customers and engage with them.
Should you consider trying a direct mail campaign as we move into 2020? When you consider some of the reasons why this is still an effective form of marketing, along with some hard evidence to back these reasons up, we are sure you will understand why you should.
Able to Attract and Engage with People
Whenever you put an advertisement or post out on social media or another digital platform, you’ve probably wondered whether the people who view it will actually remember your company name. According to the 2018 Direct Mail Facts and Figures report, around 57% of people who received addressed direct mail opened it, and even more impressively around 48.5% of people glanced it.
Direct mail is very simple and communicated directly, as the use of the word direct in the name suggests without notifications, comparisons or distractions.
Businesses Can Make a Significant Profit From Direct Mail
It could seem like direct mail campaigns were more expensive and not as cost-effective compared to digital offerings. However, when you compare a variety of different methods of marketing, direct mailers sit comfortably at a happy medium, and offer the third-highest return on the investment made in them.
The only marketing strategies that offer a higher return on investment are social media and email marketing. If you want to benefit from a steady return on your investment, it is worth making direct mail a priority along with these other strands of marketing.
Direct Mail Is Actually Looked At!
When compared to its closest rival, email, direct mail is more likely to be opened. According to data found by Fast Map, a research company, an average of 9 out of 10 people will actually open direct mail. Email is thought to only be opened around 14.05 to 28.8% of the time. That’s three-times less likely than direct mail.
Direct Mail is Actionable
Despite the digital age we live in, direct mail is still one of the most effective forms of communication that businesses can use to make their customers act. Whether it’s through a handwritten letter or personalised in some other way, people are more likely to respond to those because they can feel a more tangible and emotional connection.
Compare that to emails, which unless you make completely customized to individual customers, can feel a little dry and emotionless.
Email is Much Easier to Just Delete
Although you can always just shove the latest direct mail you receive through your door into the bin, it is not as easy to get rid of than email. If a customer is particularly tech- and email-savvy, and anything promotional comes into their inbox, they will often just select to delete it, and that’s if it doesn’t get sent to the spam folder.
With direct mail, your customers have something in their hands that could potentially grab their attention and unless they are extremely well disciplined may take a moment to look at it or put it the side for another time rather than just blindly throwing it in the bin. Ultimately, direct mail repeats itself.
So, Start Considering Direct Mail
There are no signs of direct mail being used less even as we move into 2020. So, if you are looking for truly effective ways to connect with your customers, you should give serious consideration to the benefits of direct mail we’ve outlined above.