Eight reasons why direct mail is still a fantastic marketing strategy.

Often times I hear that “print is dead” or “electronic marketing is all that works now”. But if you have ever gone to your mailbox, you know that direct mail is alive and well! If it didn’t work you wouldn’t receive it just about every day. Few other marketing tools can deliver your message with exact precision at such a low cost.

Here are just a few reasons why I believe direct mail should be part of your marketing strategy:

Reason # 1: It works when you are not
Like the old saying goes, “In rain, sleet, or snow” the mail arrives. Whether you are on vacation, sleeping or busy running your business, your direct mail is working for you. It provides a great sales presentation over and over again without you having to be present.

Reason # 2: It leverages your efforts
Do you want to know a good way to waste your time? Give your best sales presentation to one person at a time. If you do this, you’ll only sell one widget at a time. But send out thousands of mail pieces and your best sales pitch is being presented to thousands of people simultaneously. That’s excellent “leverage!”

Reason # 3: Allows you to target with precision
“Spraying and praying” may be great for pest control companies or churches, but not so much for direct mail. Instead of sending your message to people who may or may not be interested (or even qualified) to take advantage of your offer, direct mail allows you to target the people who fit your demographic and geographic profile.

Reason # 4: You get an immediate response
Once you send out your direct mail piece it doesn’t take long to get a response. Within one to two weeks you’ll receive about 80 percent to 90 percent of all those who are going to respond. If your campaign works, you will know about it quickly.

Reason # 5: It is easy to track your return on investment
As a business owner you cannot afford to waste a single penny on inefficient marketing. With direct mail marketing you can code your mail pieces to determine the exact number of responses you received from each campaign.
The results of your direct mail campaign come back fast so once you know what worked and what did not, you can immediately start to “tweak” your mail piece to increase your response and ROI.

Reason # 6: It’s relatively inexpensive
There are many different mailing strategies and costs. For as little as $0.18 for postage, you can send out a neighborhood postcard that includes your full marketing message. We can help you figure out the right mailing piece and strategy to maximize your efforts. Other forms of marketing such as newspaper, billboards or radio ads can be very expensive. Comparatively speaking, direct mail is a bargain!

Reason # 7: It gets one-on-one attention
One of the best things about direct mail is that it gets one-on-one attention from your target prospect. Unlike billboards or radio and television commercials that get your attention while other things also have your attention. Direct mail is opened and read one piece at a time. It gives you the best chance of catching your prospect’s attention and keeping it for a period of time.

Reason # 8: It’s something you can touch and feel – it hangs around
Direct mail is something that you can hold in your hand. It’s not made of electrons that can be deleted with the twitch of a finger. It’s not a radio frequency signal that is here and then gone a moment later. It is physical. It is something that can hang around for a period of time. It has “lingering” marketing effects. 48% of people retain direct mail pieces for future reference.

When used effectively, direct mail can be an important part of your marketing strategy. Not sure where to start or how direct mail can work for you? We can help!

Contact us and see how direct mail can help your business.