If you think direct mail marketing is a dinosaur, you may be right – but it’s a dinosaur that is roaring back to life and proving itself more effective than ever.
Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Sarah A. Jolie, president of the Hensley Company, a mail service firm based in Chicago. She shared these key reasons why the time is right to make direct mail part of your marketing strategy:
Paper mail has a longer life than email. As the volume of email increases exponentially, so does the amount of electronic messages that are being deleted unopened. People often have good intentions of going back and reading an email, but most of the time don’t get around to it. But they can set paper mail aside to be read later and it’s more likely that they will actually go through that pile of mail rather than dumping it all in the trash.
Paper mail is tangible. Paper is tactile as well as visual and appeals to a different set of senses than email. It’s a way for you to literally put your message in the hands of your customers and prospects.
Direct mail can be targeted to very specific markets. The options for buying mailing lists are greater than ever. You can buy lists of just about any size targeted to people who fit your customer demographics down to an amazing amount of detail.
Postal automation delivers predictable service and significant discounts. It’s easier than ever to meet the deadlines of your campaign and save money in the process.
The Postal Service will help you reduce undeliverable mail and keep your lists up-to-date. The USPS offers a number of services that prevent poorly-addressed mail from being sent, which means your message is more likely to reach your target market and you won’t waste money on printing, processing and postage for pieces that can’t be delivered.
Direct mail works in conjunction with other advertising media. When you coordinate email and direct mail with your other online, print and broadcast advertising, you maximize the impact of your campaigns.
Update: You can read my full conversation with Sarah A. Jolie in my ebook, The Time is Right for Direct Mail: How Any Business or Nonprofit Can Use Direct Mail to Increase Revenue & strengthen Customer/Donor Relationships. It's available for immediate download for just $2.99. Click here to get your copy now.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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I am constantly reading the latest on Direct Mail. This is right on. Working for a non-profit I have found it to be a good return on investment. The cost of postage though is affecting us.
Thanks for your comment, Jackie. It’s true that even at the nonprofit discount, direct mail can be expensive, but if it produces the results you want, it’s worth it.