May 2019

Direct mail has proven the test of time and still has proven itself to be one of the most effective tools that any company can have at their marketing department’s disposal. In the digital age direct mail, especially business to business direct mail, is a proven way to get past some of the digital gatekeepers that can relegate your emails to the spam filter. So, with the fact that direct mail still stands strong after centuries of use, here are five reasons your company should use direct mail for its direct marketing campaign.

Direct Mail Gets Your Email Noticed.

A well designed, eye-catching, direct mail piece can bring about name recognition and will begin to linger in your prospective customer’s memory. After receiving a  few direct mail pieces, your target recipient may become curious about your company and notice your email in their inbox. In this way, you are overcoming a common problem in the digital age known as “fragmentation of attention.” Fragmentation of attention is the decline in how long someone can focus on one thing. Recent studies show that the average amount of time someone can stay focused on any one thing is between eight to twelve seconds.  A vibrant direct mail piece can grab and keep hold of someone’s attention and therefore build brand and name recognition, thus making more likely your email will be opened when they recognize your company’s name.

Direct Mail Helps Build Your Brand Locally.

Selling to your local market is often more convenient than selling to an out of state or out of the country market. Local customers may already be somewhat aware of your brand, through print or broadcast ad campaigns, or simply may have seen your company as they traveled past it. So, your company already has a brand foundation locally from which to build. Direct mail marketing helps you to tailor your message to those potential local customers who are likely to purchase your product. Direct mail sent locally helps your company to capitalize on the organic relationship between your company and potential customers that already exists.

Direct Mail Gets Better Responses than Email, Social Media, or Internet Marketing.

Studies show that emails only have a 1% response rate; social media also only boasts a 1% response rate. Internet marketing produces less than 1% in responses. Direct mail, however, garners a response rate of 3.7%. Since customers are more likely to convert from direct mail recipients to paying customer’s your company is much more likely to see a higher ROI from direct mail than an email blast, a Search Engine Optimization campaign, or a Pay Per Click campaign.

Direct Mail can Drive Traffic to Your Company’s Website.

Adding your company’s webs address to a direct mailer is a simple way to drive traffic to your company’s site. Use your direct mail piece to describe your company, products, and any sales you may have. After the piece has served its primary purpose use your company’s web address in combination with a free offer such as a digital download or a coupon. You can require the customer to fill out a brief survey before they get the download or coupon to gather customer demographics. Use the customer demographics you collect to tailor your next direct mail campaign.

Customer’s Don’t Consider Direct Mail Spam.

Due to its personal appeal and physical properties studies have shown that a customer will open an email at a staggering 90% rate. Because direct mail requires 21% less cognitive effort; which means that messages are absorbed quickly and will be embedded in the customer’s memory, these facts underscore why direct has been and remains such an effective means of communication with customers.