We’re sure you’ll agree: as experts at direct mail we should be celebrating it, but too often we find ourselves defending it. In fact, direct mail is one of the most powerful, versatile and cost-effective ways of marketing your business, brand or product. Here are 5 reasons that prove why direct mail needs no defence.
- Direct mail is physical
There is something far more compelling about what can be held in the hand: the tactile connection, the little touches that can be added to the printed page – these ensure a deeper sense of connection and trust for every potential customer.
An email will be lucky to get through your prospect’s spam folder and into their inbox, but a physical piece of mail will make it into your prospect’s hand, into their home or business – and won’t be deleted as soon as it’s opened.
- Direct mail makes an emotional connection
Another proven benefit of real physical marketing is its power to stir customers’ emotions and create a connection with the brand and the offer.
In fact, research by Bangor University that compared responses to physical and virtual material showed that physical messages trigger a much deeper emotional response than virtual messages. This stronger emotional connection means that physical messages fix deeper in prospects’ memories and generate more positive, powerful brand associations.
- Direct mail has a greater response rate
Ideas and branding are important when it comes to marketing, but the bottom line is always the response rate: in other words, how many prospects who received your marketing actually went on to become paying customers. And it’s here that direct marketing really leaves email for dead. Compare a response rate of just over 1 in 1000 for email, to a response rate of around 1 in 25 for direct mail; that’a more than enough of a difference to translate the greater investment needed for direct mail into a very worthwhile return.
- Direct mail adds a personal touch
We all respond better to a personal touch. Whether it’s a handwritten address, a personal message, or a novel inclusion in a parcel, it’s personalisation that puts you right in the room with your prospect and opens up a one-to-one conversation. Combined with the added power of making a physical connection with your customer, the possibilities of personalisation in direct mail are almost limitless.
- Direct mail tells you more about your prospects – and your success
There’s no point screaming into the digital ether, not knowing if you’re getting a response. With direct mail, an inbuilt feedback system allows you to monitor the results of your campaign with ease.
Take, for example, an approach which A/B tests different campaigns to determine the most successful approach. Begin small, and if the testing shows one campaign is succeeding, go big. Later, use testing to fine-tune your campaign, ensuring minimum investment for maximum return.
Less we forget – – A virus can’t piggy back on your direct mail either…
You might also be interested in the following articles:
Achieving better direct mail response rates in the digital space
Harness the power of digital to execute your direct mail campaigns
