Direct Mail: Alive and Well

Reaching customers with advertising is an age-old problem, and as we move more and more toward a digital world, many have heralded the end of direct mail advertising. Social Media and Email advertising is all the rage – and rightfully so – but the death of physical mailing has been greatly exaggerated.

The most successful campaigns combine physical and digital advertising into one cohesive whole. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses – and leaving direct mail out of your next advertising push could be a costly mistake. Email based advertising often has a lower initial cost, but it yields lower impact as well. When comparing return on investment, direct mail meets or exceeds online and email.

Is Digital the Answer?

Getting through to people via email is becoming increasingly difficult – with the sheer volume of emails received, the rise of spam blockers and filtering, and the lofty goal of attaining to ‘inbox zero.’.

A recent study found that 75% of subjects reported receiving more email than they can read. When you consider the amount of emails coming through a customer’s inbox on any given day – including work, family, social, and advertising, it’s no wonder that emails are left unread.

Also, email inboxes are themselves growing more sophisticated. For instance, Gmail now automatically filters user’s messages into ‘Primary,’ ‘Social,’ and ‘Promotions’ tabs. This requires an additional click to even see your promotional and advertising emails – if you have successfully made it through the initial spam filter.

Email has a growing reputation as being a burden – as attested to by the ‘inbox zero’ movement. And when customers are looking for ways to cut down on the clutter and unsolicited emails, promotional emails will be the first to go

Direct Mail is Alive and Well

Implementing direct mail as a part of your advertising campaign can provide just the boost your business needs. Despite popular perception, direct mail advertising is highly effective and your material can be targeted to specific demographics, including location, dwelling type, home value, income, gender, marital status, length of residence, and more.

The bottom line: direct mailing is effective – with an average response rate of 3.7%. Compare that to the paltry 0.1% response rate of email and it’s easy to see why direct mail continues to be relevant in a digital world. Of course, we’re not saying you should abandon email marketing – several studies show that the most effective way to reach consumers is through a multi-channel approach that incorporates both web and mail advertising.

A Multi-Channel Approach

Online advertising may be popular, but it is often lost on consumers who have gone ‘ad blind.’ Email advertising is cheap and modern, but getting people to click through is growing more difficult by the day. Direct mailing has a slightly higher cost of entry, but results in a greater impact: getting something physical into the hands of potential customers. Combining two or three of these methods is a great way to ensure that your message is reaching its intended audience.

Fusion Group can help with printing, list acquisition, and mailing of your direct advertisement. Call us today to see how we can get your message in the hands of customers.