Contrary to popular belief, direct mail is not dead—, especially in the United Kingdom. Statistics show that businesses still invested over £1.5 billion into this form of marketing in 2014. On average, the Brits keep advertising mail 17 days. Nearly one-fourth of all correspondence received is shared with other members of the household. Thirty-nine per cent of British houses still a dedicate spot to display mail.
Even if you consider yourself a 21st-century company, putting your marketing money on direct mail solutions remains essential. If you are still unconvinced, let us explore the tried and tested benefits of direct mail below.
1. It Is Tangible
Unlike e-mails that usually end up in the spam folder, mail is something that the intended recipient holds with their hands. The very act of touching it compels a person to open it, to check its contents and to read the information it contains. This opportunity is all you need to bring your brand closer to your customers and send your message across successfully.
2. It Is Perceived as Safe
Even though we all consume digital content daily, many people are still reluctant to respond to advertising e-mails due to privacy issues. After all, there is no guarantee that the link is genuinely safe to click.
Most people remain receptive to paper marketing materials because a mailman delivers them. They know that the mail went through the system before reaching their house.
3. It Can Be Targeted to Specific Customers
As the sender, you can pick which mail to send to whom. You can distribute different sets of printed marketing collateral to long-time customers and new business prospects.
Of course, you need extensive market research to come up with highly targeted mail. But once a recipient reads information that makes sense to his or her individual needs, you can expect excellent returns.
4. It Can Be Personalised
Yes, digital marketing has given birth to new formats of collateral that are otherwise not possible to pull off in print. But this does not mean that direct mail is limited to boring letters. You can choose to send catalogues, postcards, brochures or even magazines.
Mail has always lent itself to customisation. The imagination of your marketing team is the only limit to the ways you personalise your materials. Actually, the advent of applications pushes the boundaries of mail design possibilities.
5. It Is Cost-effective
If you seriously want to make each pound you spent count, direct mail is the way to go. The amount you need to spend on printed marketing collateral depends on many factors, but the returns continue to prove rewarding while the costs stay negligible.
Unlike online marketing strategies, the cost-effectiveness of direct mail campaigns stems from their measurability. You can check the results of your efforts without complex analytics.
Direct mail is as old as time, but there is a reason why this form of marketing is still around. While the world is increasingly becoming paperless, digital ads and e-mails still do not compare to the perpetual appeal of printed materials.
