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Technology has brought businesses a range of new marketing and advertising opportunities over the years. From search engine optimization and content marketing to pay-per-click advertising and purchasing advertising space on relevant websites, companies have a range of ways to promote themselves online. While digital marketing is highly effective and should be included in any multi-channel marketing campaign, traditional direct mail still remains ones of the most timeless and effective ways to reach new customers.
Making the Most of Your Marketing Efforts
Succeeding in today’s business landscape and standing out from the competition requires a well-rounded marketing approach. Digital marketing should inarguably be part of your overall strategy. Still, the power of direct mail can’t be overlooked, either. Having the right combination of online advertising and marketing with mailers will greatly enhance the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
At the same time, having the right team of marketing experts in your corner can take your marketing and advertising efforts to an entirely new level. At UpSwell, we specialize in digital and social media marketing as well as direct mail advertising. We’re dedicated to helping clients make the most of their marketing efforts. We know what it takes to get you noticed, retain more current clients, and transition more prospects to paying customers.
Why You Should Add Direct Mail to Your Marketing Strategy
Despite all the online marketing and advertising channels now at businesses’ fingertips, or possibly because of them, consumers report that they still take notice of direct mail. In fact, 73 percent of Americans say they prefer direct mail over other marketing efforts.1
More than 40 percent of consumers actually read direct mail as opposed to about 20 percent for marketing emails.1 Those are only a couple of the reasons you should consider adding direct mail to your repertoire or ramping up your non-digital marketing efforts.
Broaden Your Horizons
By using direct mail, you can reach far more customers than you would with digital advertising and marketing alone. Customers and prospects may not give your emails and ads a passing glance, but they’ll most likely read tangible items they receive in the mail that promote your services, products, and upcoming events.
At the same time, direct mail gives you access to a broad range of prospects you might not have access to through online campaigns. Believe it or not, many people still don’t turn to the internet for the products and services they’re looking for. More than you may realize don’t even have internet access despite its growing integration into virtually every aspect of the modern world. Almost everyone has a mailbox, though.
Lower Cost and Higher ROI
With the right targeting tactics and an efficient approach to direct mail marketing, you can reach a wide range of customers and prospects without exceeding your marketing budget. Additionally, direct mail generates almost twice the brand awareness and recognition as digital outlets.
That means direct mail is not only the preferred method of contact for many Americans but the most memorable. You can reach more people via direct mail, and it leaves a more lasting impression. It may even cost less per prospect than contact via digital methods.
We realize that those aspects mean nothing if direct mail recipients don’t respond to your marketing tactics or take action when they receive your mailers. That’s another area in which direct mail excels. Email marketing elicits a 1-percent response rate whereas up to 9 percent of consumers respond to direct mail.1
On top of that, direct mail can give you a lofty return on your investment. It also generally leads to higher spending among customers than other marketing avenues. Both of those elements can greatly increase your bottom line.
Taking Things a Step Further
Now, let’s move along to another factor in the effectiveness of direct mail marketing. It’s no secret that consumers love discounts and other types of special offers. Since direct mail reaches more people, prompts a higher response rate, and encourages people to spend more money, mailers and coupons naturally go hand in hand. Including coupons with mailers can bring you even more benefits than direct mail alone.
Brings in New Customers
Offering coupons is a highly effective way of bringing in new customers. When you add coupons to your mailers, even people who have never heard of your brand are bound to take notice and even take action. You could also use referral rewards coupons to entice existing clients to spread the word about your company and receive special offers in return for sending you new customers.
Improves Customer Loyalty
Even your long-time customers are constantly on a search for good deals. If they receive special offers from other companies, they may leave you in the lurch. If you send them coupons, though, you’ll have their loyalty. That little extra reminder that you haven’t forgotten them and appreciate their business will also go a long way toward keeping you in their good graces.
Provides Tracking Capabilities
Tracking, analytics, and reporting are essential for determining how effective your marketing campaigns are. They also give you an opportunity to figure out ways to improve upon the campaigns that aren’t generating the result you’re hoping for. Whether you place barcodes on your direct mail coupons or include codes for customers to enter online, adding coupons to your mailers gives you numerous ways to track and further analyze the effectiveness of your direct mail marketing efforts.
Maximizing Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns
Getting the most out of your direct mail marketing requires certain levels of finesse and creativity. It also takes an in-depth knowledge of marketing, targeting the right groups of prospects and customers, and combining direct mail with your other marketing and advertising strategies in just the right way. At UpSwell, we cover all those bases and many others to help you maximize the effectiveness and minimize the costs of your direct mail marketing approach.
References:
1) SmallBizGenius via the Data & Marketing Association, Direct Mail Statistics That Will Have You Running to the Post Office, https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/direct-mail-statistics/#gref
