Direct mail marketing is still highly effective for brands to reach customers. In fact, direct mail marketing is experiencing a resurgence, and several factors contributed to its comeback.
The marketing approach has predominately moved online, and technology is pushing it forward, so much so there is now such a thing as digital fatigue.
Direct mail provided a tangible and personalized alternative, standing out in a crowded digital space. Marketers and companies realize their customers expect more from them. Therefore, they need to update their strategy to achieve results.
Direct Mail Marketing Has Improved
There are many reasons why marketers have returned to direct mail marketing. For example, the advances in data analytics have allowed marketers to create highly targeted and personalized direct mail campaigns. By leveraging customer data, businesses could send relevant and customized messages to specific demographics, increasing the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Using a 3rd party provider like Postalyics with technically advanced solutions for automating direct mail marketing takes the hard work out of a time and cost-intensive strategy.
Today, with digital marketing, businesses are put off by the thought of their team spending a lot of time on direct mail marketing and failing to reach the right audience.
However, today, when a direct mail campaign is executed correctly and tracked, accurate measurement of its impact is achievable, which is appealing to businesses.
Even Kissmetrics, an inbound marketing solution, acknowledges that direct marketing is invaluable for reaching customers in the digital age.
Brands shouldn’t stop investing in direct mail marketing simply because digital marketing has taken off.
In September, Suzanne Vranica and Jack Marshall published an article in the Wall Street Journal discussing some of the challenges with digital marketing:
- Growth in the digital marketing sector is only about half what experts originally predicted.
- The market is saturated with low-quality content, hurting trust and conversions, even for the brands that try to deliver quality.
These problems aren’t likely to go away anytime soon. Fortunately, direct-mail marketing fills the void. While people used to be very annoyed with the junk mail they received in their mailboxes, they have recently become much more receptive to it. They don’t get nearly as much junk mail, so the messages they do receive stand out.
In essence, we have basically gone full circle. Demand for digital marketing has grown so fast that it had to contract a bit, revitalizing the market for direct mail advertisers.
Direct Mail Marketing Needs A Plan
Of course, this doesn’t mean direct mail marketing is a surefire way to reach customers. You must still invest the time and resources to create a direct mail marketing plan that meets your goals. The program will need to include the following:
- Identify potential customers
- Create a compelling and relevant message with a clear call to action
- Provide helpful content like tips
- Set up an incentive for new customers and referrals
Additionally, you will also need to test your messages and measure engagement.
Test and Measure
Test different messages with different markets.
The best approach is to break your list into different subgroups and send a unique message to each. Ensure your subgroups aren’t divided according to any demographic, which can bias your testing.
Measurement
One of the great things about digital advertising is that you can easily track the performance of every variable with a detailed analytics platform. You don’t have the same options with direct mail advertising. However, there is a way to measure success.
Previously, companies disregarded direct mail marketing due to the inability to gauge its impact and evaluate the outcomes.
The advent of innovative tools has revolutionized the way marketers develop and monitor these campaigns. Now, marketers can effectively utilize various metrics and KPIs, such as response rate, conversion rate, and cost per acquisition, to accurately measure the triumph of their direct mail initiatives.
Here are some things to keep in mind when engaging in direct marketing:
Last Words
In an era of increasing concern about online privacy and security, direct mail offers a new strategy and a sense of trust and credibility.
Physical mail is more authentic, and consumers often perceive it as a more legitimate form of communication.
The marketing landscape is dynamic, and new trends emerge all the time. However, there are many reasons why direct mail marketing is coming back, so give it a go for your next marketing campaign.
