The Power of Direct Mail Printing

In the age of social media, Netflix and the cloud, everyone is glued to electronic devices regardless of whether they’re in the home or out in public. While it is certainly true that American consumers love their smartphones and tablets, if businesses devote all of their marketing strategies to those Internet-connected customers, as soon as mobile devices leave the peripheral, brands are forgotten.

Instead, marketing teams are sticking to tried-and-true advertising strategies and methods, and are using printed materials rather than digital resources. Today’s consumers are always on mobile devices, so simply handing out flyers and hanging posters might not allow you to reach your whole audience. The solution lies with the postal service. Through direct mail marketing, you can put your advertisements in customers’ hands.

“The versatility of direct mail over the years, combined with modern technology, means that it will remain a relevant marketing channel well into the future,”  Barb Pellow, group director at InfoTrends, explained. “While based on printed sheets of paper, direct mail marketing is combining technology to bring about the future integration of offline and online marketing.”

Skeptical? You shouldn’t be. Here are just a few reasons why modern marketing demands mailed materials.

Mail marketing is successful
Email campaigns steal the thunder from physical mail marketing far too often. With emails, consumers can simply click delete or send correspondence to spam folders, to never see branded messaging again. Direct mail doesn’t have this problem.

In fact, The Small Business Chronicle cited the Direct Mail Association’s findings that demonstrated around 65 percent of customers over the age of 15 have made a purchase thanks to direct mail in the previous year, which translates to a success rate of 4.4 percent. Yory Wurmser, director at the Direct Marketing Association, told the source that that’s up to 30 times higher than email marketing rates.

Cross-media promotion is more engaging
Nowadays, multichannel marketing is the pinnacle of the customer experience mountain, as marketers struggle to keep consumers engaged at all times, whether in the store, on smartphones or relaxing on the couch. This means that brands need a consistent message across all mediums. Entrepreneur reported that direct mail not only provides another interaction, but it also allows businesses to translate designs and make them more appealing with each marketing material.

As an added note, direct mail marketing provides a great outlet for customers to transition over to different forms of media. For example, mailed brochures or posters can contain a QR code or similar interactive object that encourages consumers to check out social media sites or landing pages.

Everyone is competing for online space, but the battle for mailboxes is rare
As the digital marketing sector heats up, every brand from Coca-Cola and Ubisoft to Bank of America and Fidelity places ads on websites for every demographic and in every vertical. Competition online is tough, and most businesses simply do not have the capital to implement digital ads on the most popular sites.

However, mailboxes are often free of clutter besides bills and belated birthday cards. Direct mail presents the perfect opportunity to connect to consumers without breaking the bank, and because these marketing materials stand out in mailboxes, individuals will have to read them, most likely keeping them around for days on the counter.

You can mail more than just paper
Businesses can mail consumers branded items and products, like hats, pens, T-shirts and much more. Not only will these be shown off in public, but customers could find a lot of use out of a material, and therefore always remember the brand.

Customers have a tangible way to remember brands
Whether it’s a branded T-shirt or a business card with a QR code, when businesses mail marketing materials, consumers will have a physical representation of a brand in their hands and in front of their eyes. Entrepreneur noted that more senses are engaged with print than digital, and that alone makes those experiences more memorable.

While email poses as a hurdle that marketers must clear, physical, direct mail acts as an outlet for interesting and engaging advertising. The next time you think about investing in marketing materials, think tactile.

 

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