Contrary to popular belief, millennials can be marketed to through channels that aren’t digital. That’s not to say that digital advertising is worthless, though. After all, Facebook marketing has a very high ROI and display advertising can be a great way to keep getting your product in front of your customers. That being said, direct mail still deserves a place in your marketing mix. Even though it ranks third in ROI behind email and social, the difference between third place and second place is usually pretty negligible.
Is junk email the same as junk mail?
Yesterday’s junk mail is today’s spam email. While customers delete emails without ever opening them, psychologically, customers are far more likely to open a piece of mail addressed to them before throwing it away. This means that consumers are spending several more seconds with your mailpieces, which can be a huge benefit in multi touch marketing campaigns. As more companies have switched to marketing their credit card offers and restaurant coupons to consumers via email, this has created an opening for targeted direct mail pieces. The keyword there is “targeted,” since you want to make sure that the customers who receive your mailings are within the demographic you’re trying to reach. There are a variety of direct mail services that can help you achieve your marketing goals, and will assist you with list curation and even mailing tips. This enables you to maximize your campaigns by using a mix of successful strategies and reach your audience multiple ways.
You have a more captive audience
A typical rule of thumb in the marketing industry is that someone needs to see your marketing materials at least seven times before they convert, but in an increasingly cluttered space, it may take more than seven touches to get a sale. While social media is a great way to get in front of your customers multiple times a day, sometimes consumers tune out an ad that they’ve seen before, particularly if it’s their third or fourth time seeing the piece. While switching your assets and collateral from video to images and vice versa can help address this, sending a piece of mail to a customer provides a unique, tactile experience that social channels fail to deliver.
How mail sets your impressions apart
Beyond making an impression on your audience for a longer amount of time, direct mail also has a much higher response rate. While it might seem shocking considering how many lead generation ads get run on social media every day, according to a study from the Data and Marketing Association, a direct mail piece is likely to generate almost five times as many responses than online display ads. In addition to a higher response rate by household for direct mail, the study also revealed that direct mail was king when it came to targeting new prospects. The only other potential contender, email marketing, ranked 2.6 percentage points lower than mail.
Mail doesn’t always have to be designed as a postcard, either. From utilizing subtle textures to increase tactile feedback to creative uses of diecutting and other printing techniques, there’s more than one way to design your direct mail pieces. Pop outs and pop ups are other features you can add to create mailpieces that are as dynamic as they are effective. When you think creatively, you can find ways to really impress and engage with your consumers through the mail.
Even though it’s 2019, if you aren’t using direct mail as a component of your marketing campaigns, you are making a mistake. Direct marketing still puts up impressive numbers and returns compared to inbound marketing, and mail is an effective way to improve your ROI. From making an impression to increasing your response rate, there are plenty of reasons to use direct mail in your campaigns.
