Is Direct Mail Marketing Still Effective?

With the meteoric rise of digital marketing—9% compound annual growth—some people expected email to surge forward and wipe out the direct mail marketing industry altogether. But that hasn’t happened, and direct mail remains a key marketing tool for owners and operators of plumbing, electric, HVAC, carpet cleaning and other similar companies.

In this article, we’ll discuss why direct mail marketing is still effective and what you can do to launch your own campaign.

Challenges Of Direct Mail

To start, understand that direct mail is not for a one-size-fits-all approach. Once you decide to use this strategy, keep in mind you may have to wait to see results. Be sure to time your distribution appropriately, avoiding times of the year when people receive a lot of mail, i.e., the holidays.

If you have a contact list of your own, great! If not, you may need to purchase access to a mailing list. These lists are compiled by third-party companies and mailing services and can be purchased as a one-time use or long-term.

The Power of Direct Mail Marketing

Having said that, there are many reasons why you should consider launching a direct mail marketing campaign and a good reason to be positive when you look at some sample stats.

You can expect a 9% average response rate for a direct mail campaign, and that’s just from customers who can be directly associated with getting to your business because of the mailer.

While the mailer may not directly impact someone to make a phone call to your business, 92% of those who received an item of direct mail have progressed to some form of digital or online activity, such as visiting the website. And 87% went on to make an online purchase as a result.

Why Should You Think About Direct Mail?

Direct mailers are a fantastic way to get your offer in the hands of potential customers. Here are four reasons why you should consider using direct mail.

It’s Physical

People are not so used to receiving postal mail anymore and are much more accustomed to communicating through digital mediums. Promotional emails can be ignored or miscategorized as spam, meaning your potential customers will never see your offer. Providing a piece of mail with a clear offer and call to action can help drive their purchasing decisions.

It Can Be Memorable

Did you know that B2B marketers spend around 18% of their budget on direct mail and print ads? To stand out, a direct mail marketing piece should be as personalized as possible. This is why many organizations choose to handwrite the signature or attach a note that appears to be a personal message. Again, people are not used to receiving intimate messages and are more likely to pay attention.

There May Be Less Competition

Times have changed, and many companies have scaled back their direct mail campaigns in favor of email and other solutions. Many consider email more environmentally friendly, and to some, it is a lot simpler. As your competitors may be more engaged in the digital sphere, your direct mail piece is more likely to stand out and catch the attention of your prospect.

It Allows You to Be Creative

There are many different ways to approach direct mail. You could send a simple postcard, an envelope or a package of some kind. Some organizations have found great success by adopting the “lumpy mail” approach. They will purchase a small toy or gadget and include one in each package. Few people can resist the temptation to open the package to find out exactly what that “lump” is.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, there are many ways to approach this type of marketing. But for best effect, work with companies that specialize in automated direct mail services. They’ll help you to shortcut the process as much as possible so you can begin to make those gains.

KEEP READING: Boosting Your Direct Mail Response Rates

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