Direct Mail Marketing is Alive and Well

direct mailHopefully, you haven’t fallen victim to the popular misconception that direct mail is dead. In the past, some marketers said the same thing about SEO, display advertising and any number of other marketing tactics.

To paraphrase Mark Twain – The reports of direct mail’s death have been greatly exaggerated. The fact of the matter is that direct mail is not dead; it’s alive and kicking.

Direct Mail’s Effectiveness

Yes, some marketers have stopped using it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. Data from the Direct Marketing Association shows that consumers who receive direct mail respond to the calls to action 80 to 90 percent of the time.  Compared to the 2 percent response rates for emails, that’s absolutely fantastic!

And it doesn’t end there. According to the Direct Marketing Association, it’s cheaper to acquire customers through direct mail than through most other marketing tactics. At the moment, customer acquisition cost for direct mail is $19. This is slightly more than email ($11 to $15) and social media ($16 to $18), but far lower than both paid search ($21 to $30) and other forms of internet marketing ($41 to $50).

There are also studies showing that direct mail is shared at a higher rate than most other marketing methods. On average, people who receive video in print share it with 9 to 12 colleagues. These people usually spend 10 minutes on average reviewing the material. Again, compared to the two minutes people spend reading emails, you can see that direct mail performs much better.

This bottom line is, you can gain serious visibility with carefully crafted, highly-targeted direct mail.

It could be that direct mail is the missing link in your marketing strategy.

3 Tips to Make Direct Mail Work for Your Business

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind to improve response and conversion rates from direct mail;

  • Start off with a highly-targeted list

Poor performance of direct mail marketing is usually the result of poor targeting. Deliver your direct mail to the right audience can dramatically increase your response rate.

  • Consider additions that stick in their mind

Start by using large envelopes with graphics and colors that people can easily remember. Then complement that with free samples such as pens, calendars, or recipes that feature your company logo.

  • Be patient

Rarely will you get an overwhelming response from the first mail-out. But don’t get discouraged. Studies show that most recipients tend to respond at around the fourth mailing.

Want to learn more?  Call us at 817-336-5551 or email us to learn more about our direct mail marketing and other printing solutions for businesses in the DFW area.

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