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Targeted direct mail efforts can bring success
Using the postal service to send marketing materials to consumers may seem like an outdated marketing tactic, but that isn't the case. Direct mail is still viable way to advertise goods and services to potential customers. Even though technological advancements have streamlined the way marketing efforts are conducted, that doesn't change the fact that time-tested methods, like sending items through the postal service, are still effective today.
According to My Print Resource, citing data from the Direct Marketing Association, email has a response rate of 0.12 percent compared to direct mail, which is significantly higher at 4.4 percent.
"All of us are bombarded by marketing messages, an average of 3,000 times a day, the majority coming in through email. Yet we only remember four," Shelley Sweeney, general manager and vice president of Xerox's Data Processing Service Bureau, told the website. "Direct mail is permanent, you get it out of your mailbox; it has physicality and longevity to it. Direct mail works because people use data and make direct mail relevant. It delivers business results."
Citing another DMA study, Debbie Simpson, president of marketing firm Multi-Craft, told My Print Resource that 69 percent of the consumers participating in the survey stated that they would prefer to be contacted by businesses through the mail. This highlights the fact that communication with potential customers through the mail is still an effective technique.
Direct mail software has made creation of marketing materials easier and faster. A number of marketers that generate their own mailers have already integrated this technology into their advertising efforts. However, development of materials that will be sent through the postal services is only half the job. Who they will be sent to also needs to be determined, and this is the first step in the process.
Using direct mail targeting whenever possible
Some people will be more inclined to make a purchase based on a direct mailer than others. However, identifying those who may be more susceptible to spend based on receipt of a flyer or coupon can be tricky.
MarketingHelp!, a company that specializes in marketing strategy, states that to get a potential customer to respond to mailed advertisements, it could take as many as nine attempts. Because of this, the company suggests creating a list of consumers who are more likely to make purchases based on fewer advertisements.
The ideal customer is likely one who has already done business with a company before. Businesses should try and gather as much contact data on these individuals so mailers can be created and addressed to them.
Other useful suggestions from MarketingHelp! include making hard-to-refuse offers to potential customers and always tracking how well a marketing campaign did with respect to consumer responses. This can help uncover valuable data that can make direct mail marketing efforts even stronger.
Now that you know direct mail is still effective, it's time to put the strategy to use. Following these tips and others could be a great launching pad to creating successful campaigns that resonate with consumers.
