The convenience and speed of digital marketing has made it an obvious choice for all organizations. Email especially has become a saturated marketing medium, making it hard for businesses to differentiate one promotional email from the next. The flood of messages being sent daily often get diverted to spam folders and ignored. Even with digital targeting techniques, email lists can be unqualified, leading to deleted mail and users unsubscribing from the list, meaning your message won’t even be delivered. To stand out, many have chosen to bring back the tried and true option: direct mail! Direct mail can work hand in hand with digital marketing to create a more effective campaign. By using both, you are bringing the audience your message on two platforms that can help it stick. 

Why it works:

     Inboxes and browsers are flooded with ads that users have become numb to and often ignore. Direct mail is tangible. People tend to have a greater emotional response to physical ads and remember them better. Direct mail is less crowded, and people spend more time with direct mail than digital advertising. In general, consumers are 10-30 times more likely to move forward with a response to direct mail ads than with a digital campaign. There are many varieties of direct mail which can help attract attention from recipients. Overall, direct mail offers a tangible alternative to digital advertising that is hard to ignore.

     As millennial’s become the generation with the most purchasing power, their perception of direct mail is something to pay attention to. Even though they are known to be the first generation consumed by technology, they do not seem to be as impressed with digital advertising as you may think. Statistics show that 95% of those between the age of 18 to 29 have positive responses to receiving a personal mailing. Millennial’s enjoy the tactile experience and are more likely to take action.  To add to this groups’ importance, they will have $1.4 trillion in spending power by 2020.

Tips for a Successful Direct Mail Marketing Campaign:

     1. Simple design.

It is important to have a well thought out design, but less is more in this case. Recipients are turned off by too much wording and complexity. They want a simple and clear message that they can recognize quickly. With this type of advertising, simplicity has proven to be most effective.

     2. Creativity

In a competitive advertising world, differentiation is key. Recipients want to see something different and unique. Using colored and textured paper can help your mail stand out. The variety of styles that are available today make designing a unique mailing easy!

     3. Personalization

 Making your ads more personal can help you bond with your audience. Mass mailings seem cost effective at first, but the personal touch is lost and often translates to losses in the long run due to a lower response rate. Small batches or printing using variable data for more personalized mailings can increase your responses. Studies show that 30% of people said they are more much more likely to open and read mail that is personalized and 55% said they are a little more likely. Recipients will appreciate the added effort and will make them feel important. 

     4. Targeted Market

Most important of all is data or list quality for your direct mail campaign. With the data available today, you can focus on a highly targeted market. Online advertising is often about reaching the most people as possible at the lowest cost. However, this can be wasteful because a large portion of the audience may not be interested in what you offer. By curating a targeted, qualified list, you can identify a specific market segment before creating a message that will resonate with that group, so when you send out your mailing you will greatly increase the chances of response to your call to action.

The Hybrid Option – Direct Mail & Digital Advertising

     Sometimes going back to basics is necessary. Online advertising has become overcrowded and ineffective. It is difficult to stand out in the thousands of ads that consume the digital world. The letter and envelope is more appreciated due to its growing rarity. New technologies allow you to personalize your mailing and take it to a level that was not possible before. Digital advertising still holds great value in its ability for quick, mass distribution. By combining both, you can target your market on both ends and allow for a greater response rate.

To begin, look through our business envelopes to find a style that fits your business! Do not see what you want? No worries! Contact us to discuss further customization options or fill out our custom envelope quote form online!