First Move Direct Marketing

35 Years of Delivering Direct Marketing Success

35 Years of Delivering Direct Marketing Success

5 Reasons Why Direct Mail is Better than Email

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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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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.

 

  1. 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

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