Is Direct Mail Still Effective?
Looking for a way to market your business that perhaps you had overlooked? Then consider direct mail.
Direct mail simply means sending a physical post to a list of clients that will receive your messages on their doormat, rather than in an email inbox.
So, is this still an effective option? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Let’s take a look.
Benefits of Direct Mail
You might be forgiven for thinking that snail mail had lost its luster. You don’t hear about it so much anymore and it’s not something that a lot of businesses use. So presumably it can’t be all that good right?
As we’ll see, that’s not actually true. And the fact that other businesses aren’t using this form of marketing as much is really to your advantage: it makes it much easier for you to stand out!
The question you might be wondering is whether anyone actually reads snail mail any more. The good news is that the answer is yes: in fact, most people do.
When you receive a letter in an envelope, you can’t help but want to open it in case it is important. When you receive a flyer through the door on the other hand, then you’re going to see what that is as soon as it lands on your doormat. You can’t help but at least notice the brand!
This is a tangible item that your audience has to interact with. What’s more is that sending snail mail requires a little more effort and investment, which in turn shows that you value the customer and that you have the resources as a business to use this form of marketing – all of that is very good for your reputation and your reach.
Drawbacks of Direct Mail
Of course, there are also some drawbacks of direct mail, which can go some way to explaining why not every business is using this marketing technique.
The most obvious is the cost. While direct mail is not prohibitively expensive, it is more expensive than online marketing.
Another issue is that many of us receive a lot of spam mail through the post – including flyers for takeout meals etc. This means we have become in many ways trained to throw out flyers that land on our doormats.
Should these things put you off? Not at all!
The answer is simply to be smarter about how you go about your marketing. You can speak with a California agency (or an agency in your area), or you can simply think about how to overcome the limitations yourself.
For instance, one answer is to make sure that what you are marketing through snail mail is going to be a higher-ticket item. You need to make your return on investment and the easiest way to do that is simply to charge a little more for each sale.
At the same time, you should think about the brand you’ve built before you go ahead and try to market. In other words, if you have created a strong brand visibility and brand loyalty, then people will be excited to see physical mail from you and will be much more likely to open it as a result.
Likewise, think about how you can make your physical mail stand out. Perhaps with 3D elements? Maybe with certain colors? Maybe by using different materials?
Who wouldn’t be excited to receive something exclusive and premium looking in the post from their favorite brand?
As you can see then, direct mail can certainly still be effective. The problem is simply that many companies and brands have forgotten how to properly leverage it. Follow these tips and make sure that doesn’t happen to you.
