Does Direct Mail Still Work?

In today’s fast paced, net obsessed world, it’s all too easy to assume that the traditional marketing practices that we have called upon for years, like direct mail, are dead and buried. The latest direct mail statistics however speak for themselves, and show this classic marketing approach as an engaging and effective promotional route for businesses of all sizes.

Use of direct mail has declined over the past decade or so, but for the businesses that still use this practice to expand their reach and generate leads, engagement is growing. 57% of all mail is still classed as direct mail, and this figure is likely to increase as businesses and the marketers that represent them revisit this tried and tested marketing must.

More direct mail marketing successes

With almost one quarter of the British public purchasing a product or service as a result of receiving direct mail in the last year, direct mail marketing is more successful than many think.

Another survey revealed that 92% of consumers actually prefer direct mail, particularly in comparison to email marketing tactics, which gather 37 times less responses on average. The response time was far faster than other marketing strategies with 79% of customers responding immediately to direct mail ads compared with 45% of email recipients. Direct mail marketing is also seen as one of the most trustworthy types of marketing communication. In addition to this, direct mail was found to provide a long exposure time, with people keeping direct mail for roughly 17 days before it reaches its timely end in the recycling bin.

Direct mail is far from dead

Joining the UK businesses that have already invested some £1.5 billion into direct mail marketing is simple. Direct mail isn’t the cheapest marketing tactic to explore, but it’s well worth noting that for every £1 spent on direct mail, businesses received on average a £3.22 return. That’s 10p more than online!

Direct mail marketing makes perfect sense for many companies, and with the following tips you can ensure that it is an effective marketing tool for your business…

• Make it useful – Your direct mail materials shouldn’t be left to languish at the back of a drawer or worse at the bottom of a bin. By making your correspondence useful you can provide a service as well as promote your wares. Calendars, to do lists, pens, magnets, key rings, free product samples and vouchers are all great ideas to make your mail useful to consumers.
• Start strong – As with email exchanges, it’s your opening sentence that will define whether a recipient reads on or switches off. Consumers have notoriously short attention spans so make your opening sentence count.
• Keep it creative – As well as using words to make a statement, make sure the branding of your direct mail materials is on point. Creativity can score you major brownie points in the direct mail game so think outside of the box.
• Personalise your offering – Spending a bit of extra time tailoring your content to your target customer is well worth it. Start the entire process with some market research and personalise accordingly.
• Take a closer look at those results – As the saying goes ‘the proof is in the pudding’, and by analysing the results of your direct mail marketing campaign you can take the steps you need to make the next one even more successful.

Direct mail marketing is an excellent way to build business and expand your reach, whether you are a locally, regionally, nationally or even globally focused brand. Make direct mail the powerful marketing tool it should be by working with our experts to develop an engaging and exciting campaign.