Digital marketing is all the rage right now, display ads are the new television ads, and social media ads are the new billboards. With endless digital marketing possibilities in an increasingly technological world, direct mail marketing probably doesn’t sound very exciting.
In fact, it probably sounds like we’re taking a few steps back into the stone age of the pre-digital-technology world, right?
Well, we’re here to tell you that even though direct mail marketing seems like a thing of the past, it’s still effective and very much alive. Moreover, it’s probably more effective now than it has been in a long time!
Wondering why?
Well, it’s because many people in the world don’t love technology as much as we do; your grandparents, your elderly neighbor, that guy at your office who doesn’t own a cell phone. These people don’t make social media and digital technology a part of their everyday lives and are delighted to be reached the ‘old-fashioned way’.
Many individuals are not receptive to mainstream marketing efforts such as; TV ads, display ads, pay-per-click ads, social media marketing, and in-stream ads.
And that’s just one reason why direct mail marketing is still alive and thriving!
So let’s dive into the article and learn more.
Table of Contents
What is Direct Mail Marketing?
If you’ve been scratching your head trying to figure out what we’ve been talking about this whole time, here’s the gist of it; direct mail marketing is the practice of marketers sending direct mail to their target audience’s mailboxes.
Direct mail marketing constitutes newsletters, catalogs, coupons, samples, postcards, promotional brochures, pamphlets, informational booklets, pretty much anything tangible and promotes your business and/or services.
You’re probably thinking, do people still do that? And does it work? The short answer is a resounding yes!
Direct mail marketing is a powerful and highly effective marketing practice. According to research, direct mail marketing has been gaining popularity among marketers over the last decade, increasing by 190% in terms of response rate in 2015. In fact, many statistics prove that direct mail is more effective than mainstream marketing forms such as display ads. One might ask; How?
We’ve got the answer for you right here. Here are the top five ways direct marketing is still effective and can be a game-changer for marketers in 2021.
How Direct Mail Marketing is Alive and Booming
These are the five primary reasons direct mail marketing is still alive and can potentially benefit your business!
1. It Pairs The Best With Other Marketing Strategies
A good marketing strategy uses a bit of everything, using all platforms available to market a brand. Especially if you can afford it and have the resources to do so, it’s highly recommended that you approach your audience from every angle.
A well-rounded marketing strategy includes the following:
- Optimizing your advertisements
- Website
- SEO
- Paid search campaign
- Curating a lucrative social media presence
- Creating quality content across the board.
- This also includes creating an effective direct mail campaign to reach your target audience personally.
Your direct mail marketing campaign can pair well with your other marketing campaigns. For example, if you have a sale going on your website, you can always inform your consumers through direct mail.
Similarly, you can send invites and promotional offers through direct mail if you have a new store opening. You can add barcodes or hashtags that lead your consumers to your website and social media profiles on your printed mail. The possibilities are endless, and they all sound like win-win situations!
Using GoVisually To Enhance Direct Mail Marketing Process
You can use digital software and tools to enhance your direct mail marketing materials. Using design software to create compelling and aesthetically appealing design content for your mail is an excellent way to grab your customers’ attention.
To further streamline the design process to be as seamless as possible, use online proofing tools like GoVisually to eliminate errors.
The #1 online proofing tool lets design teams collectively review and edit documents and rich media for their business. It optimizes your workflow by streamlining the design process and ensuring all relevant data and edits are stored safely online.
GoVisually also helps you and your team avoid confusion and miscommunication by having real-time feedback and comment options on their online tool so that everyone can be on the same page!
Moreover, you can also integrate GoVisually with 1000+ other software to increase your efficiency.
When you make GoVisually a part of planning your direct mail campaigns, it makes your proofing process easier and offers collaborative solutions to deliver the best results.
2. Boosts Return on Investment (ROI)
This may come as a surprise to many, but direct mail marketing has a pretty high ROI rate! Direct mail marketing has an ROI of 29%, higher than paid search and paid display ads. This means that this method of marketing comes in just behind email marketing and social media marketing. Pretty impressive, right?
Moreover, direct mail marketing has a higher response rate than email marketing, which is currently termed the most lucrative form of marketing. Direct mail marketing’s response rate is 2.9%, while email marketing has a response rate of 0.6%.
The numbers speak for themselves! Direct mail marketing boosts your return on investment with its high response rate. So you’re pretty much getting more out of than you’re putting in, and who doesn’t love that?
3. It Can Give You A Competitive Edge
As we know, direct mail isn’t as standard as it used to be. You don’t see a lot of direct mail nowadays because businesses have shifted their focus to digital marketing. While many big companies like Ikea never stopped investing in direct mail, many successful companies have clocked in on this infrequency and used it to their advantage.
Picture this, you open your mailbox, and while you’re rifling through your dull and drab mail, receipts, bank statements, bills, but wait! a colorful promotional postcard grabs your attention! Wouldn’t you want to see what it has to say?
Since direct mail marketing is not that common, it can give you a considerable edge over your competitors. You can stand out from your competition by sending your customers direct mail. Direct mail allows you to reach your target audience on an individual level.
You can carefully curate how you want to reach them and, for special customers, customize individual mail to send them. By reaching your customers personally, you’ll be able to distinguish yourself from brands that only exist for them online or on TV.
Since getting mail from brands is not as common anymore, it makes direct mail more exciting. According to reports, 73% of customers surveyed preferred direct mail marketing as an advertising strategy, while 56% of them reported feeling excited and looking forward to direct mail from their favorite brands!
4. It Takes Up Space
We don’t mean this is a bad way; we mean that the tangibility of direct mail makes it more effective. As far as promotional offers, discounts, and coupons go, direct mail is where it’s at. Since direct mail is tangible, it’s less forgettable than other forms of promotions like emails and pop-up ads.
Discounts and coupons received in the mail tend to be saved in that drawer of your kitchen until they can be put to good use. In fact, you probably look forward to availing of the offer if it’s from a brand you like or are curious about!
This also means that direct mail marketing boosts your brand awareness. If you’re a small business starting in your field, you’re probably overwhelmed by all the big guns that are doing it better than you. An excellent way to stand out and boost your chances of getting noticed by your consumer base is to send direct mail!
5. It’s Creative
Since direct mail sends customers tangible mail, you can be as creative as you want with it! Many brands send their customers samples in beautifully designed packaging. You can get as creative and innovative as you want with direct mail; your promotional mail can have music, pop-ups, confetti, snacks, whatever helps your mail stand out.
The sky’s the limit!
The Key Takeaway
Direct mails pair well with your other marketing strategies, can be personalized, give you an edge over the competition, give you the chance to be creative, and ultimately has a high return on investment! Direct mail marketing is an excellent practice that is guaranteed to help your business and brand awareness.
Curate beautiful designs and proof them online on GoVisually so your customers receive the best of the best in their mailbox.
