Tag: direct mail

The past year has been one of uncertainty for many Canadians, as the future of Canada Post has looked shaky at times. However, potential postal strikes and the increases in postage rates have not reduced the effectiveness of direct mail marketing. In fact, recent statistics show that direct mail is as strong a choice as ever for savvy marketers.

Study after study shows that direct mail marketing is still a relevant channel to communicate with target consumers across a variety of industries. Here are some of the reasons that direct mail should remain an important part of your marketing mix:

Connect with new customers

When it comes to attracting new customers, studies show that 39% of consumers try a business for the first time because of direct mail advertising. Direct mail remains a strong tool for businesses looking to increase brand awareness, attract new business and increase sales.

Drive new customers online

A recent USPS study showed that over 60% of direct mail recipients visited the website that was promoted in the direct mail piece and of this group, first-time customers were the most likely to visit the company online.

Drive customers to your store

The USPS found that 23% of direct mail recipients visit the sender’s store location and that direct mail recipients purchased 28% more items and spent 28% more than non-direct mail recipients.

Catalogues are still popular

Although fewer companies mail out product catalogues, almost 60% of online shoppers enjoy receiving catalogues. For retailers selling products online or at a physical store location, a well-timed catalogue mailing is a great way to drive sales.

Millennials love direct mail

Although most marketers looking to connect with Millennials spend most of their time, effort and budget online; studies show that 92% of young shoppers say that they prefer direct mail for making purchasing decisions.

In fact, 66% of Millennials are more likely to remember to use a voucher if they have a physical copy to carry around. To connect with Millennials, it’s important for marketers to follow up on their app or other online offers with a physical voucher via direct mail.

Women get the mail

Which member of the household you’re sending to is most likely to pick up your direct mail piece? Studies show that 91% of mail is picked up by the same person each day and 80% of these people are women. In fact, 80% of the men and women who pick up the mail for their household are also the primary grocery shoppers, which means that direct mail is an important way for grocery retailers to share product offerings and promotions.

Email or Direct Mail?

According to MailChimp, the average open rate for email marketing is below 20% (although benchmarks will vary by industry). However, 98% of people check their physical mail every day and 77% of people sort through their physical mail as soon as they get it. The insight marketers can draw here is that they should expect a much greater open rate with direct mail than they will see with their email marketing communications.

Source: https://www.drmg.com/2016/11/survey-says-direct-mail-marketing-remains-relevant/

Any truly comprehensive modern marketing strategy needs to incorporate direct mail. But what is direct mail exactly, and how does it work?

Direct mail marketing is a wide term that is applied to sending a range of marketing materials (including newsletters, sales letters, coupons, brochures, postcards and more) sent through the mail to a targeted group of people.

How does direct mail marketing work?

Your direct mail marketing partner will work with your business to determine the most effective materials to send to a specific group of people. Choosing who receives your direct mail materials is as important as the materials themselves. Thankfully, modern technology and techniques mean that direct mail marketing is more targeted than ever before. Building a targeted and effective mailing list is half the battle. The recipe for direct mail success also includes these important ingredients:

• A great product
• Captivating copy
• Professional graphics
• A discount that’s too good to resist

Does direct mail marketing work?

Absolutely. If direct mail marketing didn’t work it wouldn’t be so popular, but the best way to answer this question is to throw some questions back at you. Have you ever received direct mail marketing materials? Did you pick them up? Look at them? Decide if you wanted them or not? Even if you decided that you didn’t care about the materials you still took the time to pick them up, hold them, flip through them, and maybe even keep a few.  We are willing to bet that on more than one occasion direct mail even influenced your purchasing decision.

Why does direct mail marketing work?

Direct mail marketing puts your branded materials directly into the homes of people who are statistically most likely to respond positively to them. Unlike annoying pop-up ads, TV ads that people skip through, or a billboard you pass on the highway; direct mail puts a physical object in your potential clients’ homes. They look it over, decide if it is useful and in most cases usually ends up on the counter, table, or fridge for days, weeks or longer as a reminder for them.

Why is direct mail marketing still relevant?

Direct mail has been around for a long time. It outlasted the emergence of radio, television, the Internet, and now social media. Direct mail has survived and thrived for one reason – it works. Believe it or not, today there are still individuals and businesses that are not online (or not online as much as you). This is why even Google, a name synonymous with silicone valley, often uses direct mail to reach new potential clients.

How does direct mail integrate new technology and marketing developments?

Direct mail has evolved with technology. It is now more targeted and integrated with digital media than ever before. Direct mail can be used to redirect people to websites, landing pages, social media accounts, and other digital properties either by posting an address or through the use of a QR code. When a user scans the QR code with their smartphone, it takes them directly to the web address that you designate.

Source: https://www.drmg.com/2016/12/faq-about-direct-mail/