Direct mail is far from dead, and that’s a good thing. It remains a very powerful part of any marketing campaign, and its close association with digital marketing and consumer data collection make it vital for any business that wants to reach customers in an individualized manner.
Much like email marketing or social media marketing, direct mail marketing is just one part of an integrated marketing campaign. And it is a powerful closer, with the highest response rates of any medium. The information you learn about your consumers through digital marketing should be directly applied to your direct marketing efforts. At the same time, direct mail can feed your other channels; a purchase triggered by direct mail enables you to use other marketing avenues to sell additional products to a satisfied consumer.
Although the world is becoming more digital by the day, the decreased clutter in physical mailboxes, as well as the attention paid to individualized marketing, makes direct mail a great way to drive a one-on-one conversation with your consumers.
Direct mail hasn’t just been limping along, merely surviving the digital revolution. The truth is direct mail is thriving. As more companies embrace online forms of communication, the average home receives fewer communications via traditional mail, which means your direct mail pieces have a better chance of standing out among the reduced clutter if you provide the customer with value, addressing their needs, desires and pain points.
Consider these facts:- Between 70 and 80 percent of mail recipients review all of their mail — even mail they don’t necessarily care about.
- Nearly 80 percent of direct mail recipients will take action on the mail they receive immediately. On the other hand, only 45 percent of email recipients do the same.
- The average direct mail campaign sent to existing customers yields a 3.4 percent response rate. Meanwhile, similar email campaigns have a response rate of just one-eighth of one percent.
The numbers don’t lie. Direct mail is alive and well and can be used effectively to reach new prospects and existing customers. Direct mail is both intrusive and tactile, two very powerful attributes for an advertising medium.