3 Common Myths about Direct Mail Marketing Busted
Advancements in technology have revolutionized direct mailing also and made it even more powerful and impactful. Today, direct mail marketing is one of the most effective ways for businesses to reach out to their existing and potential customers. People are far more likely to look at and open direct mail than marketing emails – which mostly end up in the spam folders.
Here are the three biggest myths about direct mail marketing and the truth about it.
Myth 1: Direct mail marketing is expensive
Reality:
True that direct mail is expensive as compared to digital marketing in terms of the number of the target audience but the ROI (return on investment) that businesses achieve through direct mailing is exponentially high. And, ROI matters the most since the ultimate goal of your marketing effort and budget is increasing the sales volume.
Direct mail has a much higher ROI because letters, postcards, or catalogues hard to ignore and they increase customer awareness. The better response rate and an enhanced online activity boost the chances of conversion.
If you walk out to your mailbox and bring back a stack of mail, would you immediately throw it all into the bin or scan it to see what you received? You would at least scan it, even if you have no time to read through every piece. The vast majority of the recipients will see your marketing message, more than any other medium.
While the success of a campaign is determined by the amount of return you get from the investment, the investment itself can vary a lot depending on a number of factors. Typically a direct mail campaign includes the costs for design, copywriting, printing, mailing list, and distribution. If you design and write your campaign material yourself and you already have a mailing list, you can easily cut the overall cost to almost half.
Myth 2: Direct mail has limited scope for creativity
Reality:
Gone are the days when direct mail marketing involved sending bulks of unappealing, dull letters. Today, this means of marketing has much more to offer.
From creating personalized letters to engaging postcards that are catchy and connect with customers instantly, a lot can be done with direct mailing through employing imaginative thought and creative skills.
As opposed to the passive routine of sending boringly scripted letters in dull envelopes to people, direct mail in modern days is about perfectly executed timing, a targeted database, persuasive copy, and engaging content.
The famous marketing guru, Neil Patel says that “when it comes to direct mail and creativity, the sky’s the limit”. This is because direct mail is a physical product and “sending stuff that stands out is just a matter of having fun with it”.
The role of creativity in direct mailing starts right from Message Development and is prominent through all the rest of the stages – including Offer Development, Format Selection, Design, and Execution.
Myth 3: Direct mail can’t be tracked effectively
Reality:
Like other forms of marketing, direct mailing is very much measurable and testable. Businesses can also integrate direct mail with different digital campaigns to report and act on the key performance indicators (KPI). Moreover, split testing (A/B tests) can also be employed for comparing the effectiveness of headlines, keywords, call-to-action, and postcard design.
Be it a small business or a large-sized enterprise, all of them can benefit from a direct mail marketing campaign. However, hiring the services of a professional and reputable mail house is strongly recommended to witness the true potential of direct mail.
It’s easy to believe your direct mail campaign is a success when you see an obvious surge in sales or leads. But actually, your campaigns can be more or less successful than they appear to be. The smart marketers take the time to set up detailed tracking methods so they could accurately measure a campaign’s performance.
When setting up tracking on your direct mail campaign, make sure any point of contact listed on your mail – phone number, website address, coupon code, etc. – is unique and trackable. Otherwise, you will have no way of attributing sales or leads to the campaign.
Before you can evaluate the success of your campaign, you must identify the goals you want your mailer to achieve. Is the purpose of your direct mail drive to increase sales, uncover new business leads, or raise awareness?
The answer to this question will help you determine your KPIs, which are simply metrics that show how well your mailer is reaching its objectives.
There are several metrics by which you can gauge the success of your direct mail campaign, though they are not equally useful and some of them can even provide misleading information.
Facts Vs Fictions
Empirical data shows that consumers respond more favourably to direct mail and here are some stats to back this claim:
- An International Communications Research survey revealed that 73% of consumers prefer direct mail over other advertising methods.
- 40% of consumers go for trying new businesses after receiving direct mail.
Done strategically, direct mail is a fantastic way to increase revenue. The trick is figuring out how to plan the marketing campaign for your business. A key factor in the rate of success concerns the type of direct mail you produce and send out. If you are uncertain about making direct mail a part of your marketing strategy or not sure if it will yield the desired results, you can contact us for a free consultation.