Direct mail beneficial to advertisers
An effective advertising campaign will erect strategies around a variety of interwoven communication channels. However, despite the growing need for interdependency, direct mail manages to stand out as the most effective means of targeted marketing.
In a study from Target Marketing Magazine, direct mail beat out other mediums, boasting the highest return on investment for business-to-consumer and business-to-business advertisers. The study claimed customers contacted via traditional paper mail had a 37-percent retention rate, over 30 percent more than those engaged through social media channels.
In many ways, direct mail remains the most effective and enticing option for businesses searching for a better way to interact with existing and potential customers.
Focused
Direct mail is a highly targeted practice. Advertisers can develop detailed mailing lists, identifying customers who fall within a target demographic and subsequently providing them with relevant promotional materials. As a result, marketers can begin moving away from generic, blanketed mass-marketing campaigns, which may not be as effective, and instead focus on highly targeted campaigns to increase and then maintain a higher ROI.
Far-reaching
The internet is an expansive communications network that connects billions of people throughout the world; still, not everyone is technologically savvy enough to handle electronic correspondences or make purchases online.
Direct mail is a practice everyone understands and virtually everyone has had experience with. By employing direct mail campaigns, advertisers can extend their reach without worrying that potential customers are unable to receive or understand the material.
Campaign integration
Direct mail can be an excellent complement to any advertising campaign. While television or radio advertisements may spread the word about a particular product or brand, coupons and promotions sent via paper mail can directly influence sales. What's more, direct mail campaigns are perfect supplements to digital campaigns.
Real
One thing direct mail will always have that other mediums don't is tangibility. An email or some other electronic correspondence is easy to ignore; recipients can simply press delete. Radios and televisions can be turned off, demonstrating there are a variety of ways to avoid advertisements, but direct mail is delivered right to a customer's door step. While they can choose to later throw it away, they often can't do so without first having to hold and look at a business's material. Many times, direct mail is likely to be set aside only to later be picked up again and, possibly, reconsidered.
Direct mail remains the most effective means of interacting with both prospective and existing clients. For businesses hoping to take advantage of this battle-tested advertising medium, investing in mailing software can greatly streamline postal operations. Laborious and sometimes costly practices, like presorting mail and generating required postal reports, are automated, cutting down on human error and increasing efficiency.