With technology advancing at such a fast pace, it’s easy to think anything, and everything digital is the only way forward, leaving no room for old school marketing methods like direct mail. However, you have to consider what would your customers actually prefer to receive?
Nowadays, it’s common for businesses to assume that their audience would want to receive marketing emails from them. Despite this, a recent survey by royal mail found that this may not actually be the case.
What did a Survey by Royal Mail Find?
A survey carried out by Royal Mail in 2013, presented that 63% of people said if a marketing message is delivered via direct mail, they are more likely to take it seriously, in comparison to the 18% that favoured receiving email.
An important part of email marketing is making the customer feel more valued and more connected to the company. Responders to the survey said they valued something more if they could see and touch it, rather than only being able to see it. Following this, 57% of people surveyed said that direct mail makes them feel more valued, whilst only 17% felt valued through email use. Direct mail has an undeniable impact on a customer.
When marketing your brand, it is key to think about how your company appears to the customer. The way your direct mail comes across will help them gage a better opinion on you, which will affect how likely they are to want to continue to build a relationship with your business. The survey also asked which method gave a better impression of the company, which again favoured direct mail with 55% compared to 25% who said email.
In a more recent survey carried out by Royal Mail, it was found that as a result of receiving direct mail, 92% of people were driven to engage in online activity, a further 87% were influenced to make online purchases and 54% of people engaged on social media.
However, despite direct mail standing out as being more effective than email, 51% of people surveyed said that they prefer receiving both direct mail and email, 13% more people visited the advertised online site, 21% made a bigger purchase and 35% more responded to coupons or vouchers.
Why is Direct mail so effective?
It’s Targeted- You choose who you want to mail to be sent to and when it will be sent.
It’s Accountable- Direct Mail gives you the ability to track the success of your campaign.
It’s Integrated- Direct mail can easily be integrated with the web, emails and social media to create a winning campaign.
It’s Tangible- Direct mail comes in all shapes and sizes; the possibilities are endless when creating mail to target your customer and make a lasting impression specifically.
It’s Personal- With Direct Mail you can add that personal touch and address your customers by name. The personal touch within receiving physical direct mail makes a huge impact, compared to the synthetic and methodical appearance of an email. Direct Mail uses the most up-to-date technology in data and print to help you create a unique, customised piece that will target your customers directly in an effective way.
As you can see, direct mail is still very much relevant to today’s marketing. Digital technology may be taking over, but Direct mail still has a key part to play with its ability to create emotional and physical responses that digital techniques cannot.
