Direct mail still has an impact in a digital world

Over recent years, businesses and marketers have adopted digital means of marketing, choosing email marketing over direct mail because of its perceived benefits.

This has meant that prospects are no longer being bombarded with junk mail, and has made way for those who still understand the benefits of direct mail to make an impression.

Direct mail is more expensive than sending an HTML e-mail, but people like something to hold in their hands and that is something that an e-mail campaign can’t deliver.

DM can be anything from a well written sales letter through to imaginative and fun pop-up mailers, but adding a promotional item to the equation can provide an even bigger impact.

“Lumpy mail” has a much higher open rate than flat mail; people are curious by nature and want
to know what’s inside. Including a promotional product can increase response rates by up to 50% and thus reduces the cost per response.

You can’t stuff a promotional water bottle into an envelope; however there are many effective promotional products that can work alongside your direct mail piece.

Choose something creative to arouse their interest, as remember; you need to get a reaction before you can achieve a response.

Why not use a promotional product as an incentive for recipients to respond to your DM or to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter or blog? Perhaps offer a promotional product as a prize for the first several responders?

DM and promotional products can work particularly well for service businesses too as the tangibility factor of an item of merchandise works on a number of levels and undoubtedly has far more of an immediate impact than a plain, or even HTML e-mail can ever have.

Good marketing is about repetition though, and not just relying on that one initial mailer. This is another area where merchandise can be really effective. An initial mailer, followed by another with a piece of merchandise, followed by a phone call: perfect!

Yes DM can be perceived as quite costly, especially due to digital comparisons, but the ROI is there to be had, and now more than ever you need to keep your business or service offering firmly in front of your prospective clients.

Set clear objectives, repeat the activity regularly and it will generate a valuable return on investment.

Danielle Crowther
Director
Love to Brand