What’s Direct Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is a type of marketing or advertising delivered directly to a prospect’s mailbox by either the United States Postal Service or another delivery carrier.
The most common kinds of direct mail marketing include flyers, letters, and catalogues, though businesses can get creative with the media they send.
Is direct mail marketing dead?
Email marketing may be the digital version of direct mail marketing, but that doesn’t mean that direct mail is dead, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Despite there being multiple digital channels to choose from, direct mail remains an extremely strong marketing channel, with an average response rate of 5.3%, which is higher than that for email.
Why is direct mail marketing so effective?
It can have a wider reach
Not everyone uses digital platforms such as social media or email, and so for these target demographics, direct mail marketing can have a much wider reach and turn those who would never have seen a digital advertisement into a paying customer.
It’s interactive
People choose whether to read an email based on a few words in the subject title. In contrast, with their post, they must physically handle it to make the decision, giving the advertising material more chance to grab their attention.
It can be more memorable
Because so much advertising is not conducted online, receiving a physical leaflet, or handwritten letter can be a lot more memorable and impactful. Especially in situations where the brand is trying to be very personal, direct mail marketing gets inside a person’s home.
There’s less competition
Fewer companies are using direct mail to reach their audiences, believing that digital marketing is the way to go. This makes it easier for those that do to get noticed and cuts out some of the competition.
It can be more creative
Although simple leaflets and flyers can be effective, the best direct mail marketing campaigns are unique and creative. The key to making your campaign work is getting people to engage with it, and the best way to do this is to incorporate an interactive element.
One example of this would be to send out a puzzle that, when put together, tells your message, or by including seeds within your paper to encourage people to read it and then recycle it to grow their own flowers.
How to start a direct mail marketing campaign
Direct marketing campaigns begin in much the same way as all other marketing campaigns – you need to do your customer research, define your audience, and create your material.
The bit that most people struggle with is printing their media and finding people’s addresses.
Thankfully, there are many service providers out there who specialize in helping businesses create direct marketing campaigns and will even handle the printing and processing part for you, too – Click here to find out more.
So there you have it – a quick introduction to direct mail marketing.
Have you ever tried direct mail marketing before? Do you think that it could work with your marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments.
Image Credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence
