The marketing paradigm has changed forever in the digital age of the 21st century. Where once the marketing magnates on Madison Avenue dominated the marketing field with ads in print, now the average Joe can send effective advertising messages from his desktop. Social media has also changed the face of digital marketing through millions of friends, fans, and followers.
However, one element of print marketing has nonetheless remained popular and effective in the 21st century – direct mail marketing. According to the Winterberry Group, a marketing consultancy, companies are planning to increase the amount they spend on direct mail, growing by 5.8% in 2011 to a total of $47 billion.
In fact, even Google still uses direct mail advertising profusely, ranging from sales letters with an Adwords “gift certificate” to direct letters to CIOs and booklets on tips to improve Adwords results. Some would say it is ironic that the world’s largest search engine uses print direct mail, but for some demographics, print marketing stands out more than ever before.
Direct mail puts your marketing message directly in the physical hands of your potential customers. With hard copies easy to track and monitor, you can just as easily measure the success of a direct mail campaign just as easily as an electronic pay per click (PPC) search engine marketing effort. This form of advertising is especially useful for companies that target a local demographic for their client base.
Uses for Direct Mail
Marketing via direct mail is simply a method where you send an advertising or promotional message directly to a potential customer. Direct mail is much different than sending marketing messages via radio, TV, newspapers, billboards, etc., because you are not using another medium in hopes that your intended audience will see your message. Instead, direct mail gets your message directly in the hands of customers and potential buyers. Thus, you have more control over the form, presentation, and content.
Direct mail has other uses as well. Here are just a few thoughts:
- Get your message to a larger geographical area.
- Use direct marketing results to test new markets for a new store location.
- Obtain quality leads for sales follow ups.
- Introduce a new product or service.
- Welcome new residents to a new neighborhood.
Direct Mail Types
Direct mail can take many forms. Here are the most popular:
- Sales letters – These are full letters composed with the best possible motivational and convincing sales copy. Letters are typically 1-5 pages in length, and they contain a response card or explicit instructions on how to make a purchase.
- Catalogs – Catalogs are always a great way to introduce your business and get a list of your products into the hands of potential customers. A direct mail catalog may be your main permanent catalog, or even seasonal or periodic catalogs.
- Brochures – Sending a brochure via direct mail is less personal than a sales letter. It is more often done when marketing B2B.
- Free samples – You might even send a sample of your product via direct mail. If your product is small and light enough, consider producing a large batch to send as free samples. This is a great way to introduce your product to a target audience, and let them see for themselves why they should buy it.
- Mixed – You can mix and match. Send a sales letter with a brochure or a catalog with an introductory sales letter.
Direct Mail Advantages for Small Business
- Targeted Recipients: The main purpose of a direct mail campaign is getting your marketing message into the hands of a focused and target audience.
- Cost Effective: Though direct mail marketing can be expensive, keep in mind that with a targeted audience your response is likely better than using untargeted methods like TV and newspapers. (Keep in mind that PPC marketing can be quite expensive, too)
- Undivided Attention: While people may generally ignore TV, newspaper, and billboard ads, your direct mail marketing has their direct attention, at least for a few moments as they scan your mailing.
- Personalized: A general newspaper advertisement is very impersonal. With direct mail, you can add a bit of personalization in the message to the recipient.
Direct Mail Disadvantages for Small Business
- Many Consider it “Junk Mail”: Many people consider unsolicited mail in their postal box as “junk mail”. However, direct mail is a law of numbers – the more you mail out, the more chance people will respond.
- Costly: Direct mail can be costly in terms of hiring a professional copywriter, printing, and mailing costs. On the other hand, if a direct mail campaign works, it is worth the expense. And keep in mind that online PPC marketing can equal the cost of direct mail for certain keywords and search engines.
- Mailing List Maintenance: Keeping and maintaining a valid mailing list can be time-consuming.
Here we have given you a basic overview of what direct mail is. If you want to read more about what makes a good direct mail campaign, read our Part 2 of this topic.
