Direct Mail Packs A Punch
Direct mail is more relevant than ever and is the champion in integrated marketing efforts across the board. Sure, we are in a digital age but that does not mean that direct mail is on its way out by any means. Direct mail offers a more intimate form of communication. Cutting through all the online clutter and getting into the hands of your prospects gives you an invaluable one-on-one connection that people miss and crave.
These days, more and more marketing dollars are being allocated towards digital marketing, from social media to email marketing. While these are inexpensive ways to spend your marketing dollars, they are very limiting and you are missing a huge platform to reach your customers.
Instead, the best-laid marketing plans are dispersed across multiple platforms. According to the DMA 2017 Statistical Fact Book, “Direct mail is one of the most measurable of all media, boosting the quality of analytics for any campaign.”
An article from the Data and Marketing Association (DMA) has some interesting insights as to why you should look at integrating direct mail marketing into your brand’s digital marketing strategy.
DMA Article: “Don’t Call It A Comeback: Print Never Died.”
The numbers are in, and the message is clear: print is impactful, interesting and POWERFUL.
Customer response rates increased year-over-year by an impressive 43%, but prospect response rates more than doubled – reporting an astounding 190% increase! So it’s no wonder that for brands that have never mailed before are finding it a viable medium for both their retention and acquisition efforts.
In a digitally-dominated world, how could this happen?
The big change is an increase in mailings paired with digital intelligence – browsing behavior and sophisticated modeling based on preferences make mailings extra timely and relevant.
Neuro-marketing and haptic research…
- The power of direct mail as a physical and tangible medium
- Having touch as part of the marketing experience helps shift the brain into a deeper level of engagement while building knowledge, SAPPI
- Consumers understand and remember what they read on paper better than what they read on a screen (Proust and the Squid, Maryanne Wolf)
Why? Three reasons:
- Content is more intuitively navigable
- It facilitates better mental “mapping” of information
- Reading on paper drains fewer of our cognitive resources, making retention easier
Be effective with your Direct Mail marketing…
It is higher cost, so you must find ways to create higher impact.
Testing neuro-marketing research in direct mail we’ve found that three things ring true:
- Be bold. Humans have an attention span of 8 seconds. Marketing that cuts through the clutter with attention-getting graphics and copy are paramount to success.
- Visuals rule. In fact, the brain processes visuals 60,0000 times faster than the time it takes the brain to decode text. Selling your story with pictures and graphics is a must.
- Keep it simple. Due to cognitive fluency, the brain craves ease and order. Direct mail that creates a simple decision path with limited copy and explanation always tests better.
What does this tell us?
- Powerful creative amped up and laser focused with data is the sweet spot.
- Data insights combined with the physicality of print: a match made in heaven.
Without direct mail, an integrated marketing strategy winds up unbalanced and less effective than it could be. Direct mail ensures brand visibility and allows businesses to more effectively target their customer bases. By combining traditional print methods with modern online methods, any business can improve its brand image and increase ROI over time.