by Brittany Kiernan on Jun 11, 2018
When it comes to marketing, it seems the old methods are still as effective as before; from direct mail marketing to banners, flyers and more, you’ll see that they are still going strong, which is why most marketing companies utilize them to reach their target demographic market. If you still need more convincing, then consider this – studies have shown that direct mail marketing strategies account for a higher response rate than online ads, including social media platforms such as Facebook. If you are in the process of enhancing your marketing strategy, then you may want to read on to learn more about why direct mail marketing still matters even in 2018.
Why direct mail marketing works better
It’s probably been a while since you used your mailbox right? With online mailboxes picking up the role of a real one, most people prefer to use emails over printed matter. Granted, that direct mail marketing is part of offline marketing, but one that seems to gain more traction than various online tactics. And here’s why –
One of the reasons why direct mail campaigns often get a better response rate than emails is mainly because people in general trust printed matter more than they do virtual ads. With effective Anti-Spam regulations in place, such as CAN-SPAM, it is now a federal crime to spam others with both online and offline material without their consent in one form or another. One of the direct benefits of the anti-spam bill happens to be direct mail campaigns with most users responding to these mails. And when users receive flyers and other printed material to their inbox, they realize that this mail can be trusted and therefore the rate of interaction and response rate is quite high. Another reason that most people trust direct mail more than they do with any online medium is the fact that the human brain is designed to respond more to personal cues, and the fact that these direct mailpieces are personalized is why they rank higher when it comes to response rate.
While initially most marketers used the ‘tag and blast’ approach when shooting off the same emails to all, the impact if any, was negligible. However, now with marketers sourcing direct mail respondents directly from mail list vendors who specialize in providing curated and verified addresses, categorized by niche, it makes it easy for companies to use the same to market specific offers to those who are more likely to respond to them and even purchase the product. This is yet another reason why direct mail marketing nets a higher response rate than others.
Yet another reason why some of the top companies are opting for offline marketing strategies such as direct mail marketing, is that most people tend to remember their personalized letters for a longer time than any online ad. After all, there is no point in marketing specialized products or services to an end user if he or she forgets it after a few minutes of browsing. Put it to the test! Ask someone to recall the last online ad or a letter he or she received recently – you’ll find that he is able to recall the letter to perfection but cannot remember more than a few hazy details regarding the online ad. This is not to imply that online marketing strategies are not effective, but that offline marketing strategies such as direct mail marketing comes with a much higher retention rate.
These are some of the reasons why you should consider direct mail marketing. But keep in mind that this process is not the same as cold calling or shooting off random letters to all the verified and vetted addresses. There are a few things that you would need to do In order to optimize your direct mail marketing strategy.
Shooting off an ordinary, run-of-the mill letter may not result in much, which is why you need to get creative to make the recipient sit up and take note. You can include a special offer or get them to handle a specialized task so as to reveal the contents of their letter. You could also go for innovative designs that will get a customer to sit up and take note.
This is direct mail marketing 101; you need to personalize your letter so you don’t shoot off the same exact letter to all the recipients. It’s one thing to send the same letter announcing a meeting at the community hall, but since you are marketing specialized products to the recipient, it is important that you take the time to research the subjects and personalize your letter accordingly, for a better response rate.
You can use the direct mail marketing campaign to test your letters and see which one has a better response rate. As the letters would be addressed towards the same consumer group, running an A/B test will not only prove effective in the long run, but also help you focus the content in your letters so that they gain more traction among the targeted consumer group.
Direct mailers are not all about discounts or freebies; you need to let the customer know what he or she is missing out on, and why a specific product or service may just be what he or she needs; remember, this is not a sales pitch, but you need to provide the recipients with all the information so that they can make an informed decision on the same. The key to snagging prospective leads and transforming them into customers is making sure they have all the information required to help make up their minds.
Even getting the spelling of the name wrong can turn off a prospective customer. You need to ensure that you do not make mistakes like these and double-check, and even triple-check, before you shoot off that letter to make sure that everything is correct.
These are some of the reasons as to why you need to consider direct mail marketing strategies and even integrate it as part of your mainstream marketing strategy. It is vital that you design the letter so that the recipient opens and reads it. The more creative you are, the better off you would be. At the end of the day, you are trying to market your products and services through direct mail marketing, and at AmeriList, we have just what it takes to make your marketing strategy a complete success. Give us a call and let us know what you need and we’ll help you achieve your target objective within a short time frame.
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