Top 5 Myths of Direct Mail Marketing

Though digital marketing has become a main form of marketing, direct mail marketing can be a great way to reach your potential buyers. Some people have forgone this method and have turned to email marketing, SEO, and social media marketing to get new leads in their marketing funnel.

However, when you use persuasion strategies, personalization, and use a distinct voice, direct mail can be highly successful. Effective direct mailing campaigns captivate readers and encourage them to take action. Despite these competencies, there are still many marketers who buy into myths about the cons of direct mail marketing.

Here are the top 5 direct mail myths.

1. It Doesn’t Work

   A large misconception in the marketing world is that direct mailing doesn’t work. In reality, mail is evolving and continues to drive sales. With new digital technologies and mobile trackers, a savvy marketer can even enhance experiences by sending and receiving hard-copy mail. Integrated direct mail solutions allows them to create an experience that other advertising avenues can’t match. Many catalog mailers use QR codes to drive more purchases. Technology combined with direct mail can create powerful personal touches and a robust image for the customer.

   Direct marketing has even been shown to work with the elusive millennial market. Canada Post studies have shown that millennials do directly engage with marketing. Research also establishes a deeper trust in printed information than digital ads, providing the companies who use this method with a unique position.

   Direct mail advertisements are trusted more by millennials, and better responded to. They are constantly bombarded by ads and emails on the internet and are able to simply tune them out. This demographic also sees mail as more reliable and are more likely to connect with the brand. They believe the messages conveyed in print are more trustworthy than their digital counterparts.

2. It Can’t Be Tracked Easily

   It is both trackable and testable, especially when it’s integrated with a digital campaign. When direct mail platforms use automated marketing, the campaigns can reveal the ROI, response rates, and more data. A/B tests can be monitored to compare CTAs to headlines to designs.

   Many direct mailing professionals can provide in-depth campaign response analysis. Professionals know how important demographics, geographics, and design are to the success of a campaign. This is why many companies will do targeted A/B split tests that are done over the course of a mail marketing campaign.

   There are also ways to minimize the undeliverable mail that plagues both the digital and the commercial print marketing campaigns. However, direct mail marketing has the option of using an Intelligent Mail barcode which will track how many pieces of the campaign are getting delivered. The information can provide deep insights into the effectiveness of the campaign.

3. It Can’t Be Personalized

   Another myth is that it can’t be personalized. With the advance of technology and the information available today, direct mailers can be just as personalized and targeted as email. This can have a huge impact on a company’s bottom line.

   Personalization is a key ingredient to an effective campaign. People like when companies use their name in the mail. It makes them more likely to feel brand loyalty and respond to your CTA. You can get a better response when the mailer uses personalization because they feel like the company is speaking directly to them.

4. No One Uses Mail Marketing Anymore and It’s Too Expensive

   Many companies think mail is simply outdated and old-fashioned. However, many companies use mail to gain more customers. Dimensional Mail and catalogs get higher response rates than emails. The ROI for mailers can outpace the success of email marketing and other digital technologies. It is also incredibly relevant.

   Companies can use data-driven marketing to improve the response rate. They are also able to segment their lists, target customers with more precision, and tailor the messaging to the customer.

   Likewise, understanding the ROI of mail can reveal that it’s actually not expensive by comparison. Instead, consider it an investment, as all marketing is. It is one of the best strategic investments any company can make within marketing. There are also cost-effective ways to use direct mail.

   When you focus on the response rates and ROI of direct mail, it remains one of the most effective marketing channels available, even compared to digital marketing. Marketers who are able to use data segmentation, colour psychology, and innovative design are having significant results. With additional testing, marketers can continue to perfect their offer by identifying what works best among the different segments of the list.

5. It Doesn’t Work as Well as Digital Marketing

   One of the biggest concerns of modern marketers who are curious about direct response methods fear that it won’t work as well as digital marketing. However, the Direct Marketing Association has published numerous studies finding that direct mail can be up to 30x more effective than email. When it’s done professionally with all the strategies of persuasion, direct mailing solutions can be one of the most effective marketing channels to gain new customers and leads.

   The customer will often trust mail over email because they do not get as much junk mail. They also know how to respond to the direct offer. Mail also reaches the potential customers who are not technologically advanced, as well as those who simply refuse to use social media or email.

   The Direct Marketing Association reveals that mail can have a 4.4% response rate compared to email’s very low .12%. The association reveals that many consumers are simply feeling digital burnout, or an overload of emails and digital ads because they are constantly bombarded with it.

   Direct mail is one of the best ways to market your company in conjunction with digital channels. Not only does mail allow you to add a personal touch by addressing your customers by name, but it also allows you to send targeted advertising, making them more likely to respond to your offer. Don’t let the myths of direct mail prevent you from getting the clients you need through direct mail. It works even better in the Digital Age.

   For more information on how to incorporate direct mail strategies into your marketing campaign, call Troi Mailing Services in the GTA at 1-866-486-9350 or contact us here.