Direct Marketing’s Relevance In A Digital World

Big thanks to Paul Berman, CEO, BirthdayPak, for sharing this article originally posted on MTA Martech Advisor.

Direct marketing, mail marketing, tangible marketing—all terms that seem to have no place among the Facebooks and Google AdWords of the world. When you think about it, direct marketing has one goal, and that is to generate tangible, measurable results. The goal has not changed, but the processes to achieve that goal have. Here Paul Berman, CEO, BirthdayPak, discusses why direct marketing is still relevant in today’s digital society and ways to incorporate it into your online marketing strategy.

In the modern internet age, the market for companies to gain exposure through email is becoming over-saturated.

Statistics show that in 2017 emails only had a 24.7% open rate. On the converse, 98% of consumers bring in their mail the day it is delivered, and of those individuals, 77% will sort through the mail immediately. Studies have also shown that 80-90% of individuals will open direct mail. If you are not using direct mail in this digital world, you risk missing out on 63% of your consumers.

Direct mail is the old tried-and-true, and when overlaid with a technologically sophisticated, targeted marketing approach, direct mail can be even more effective, relevant and timely.  Unlike digital marketing, direct mail has one of the biggest impacts because it offers a hands-on experience for customers.

While direct mail has a resounding success rate, it is important to use it in conjunction with email as it creates a stronger brand experience for consumers. Integrating direct mail with an online presence is the key to a winning combination as marketers can balance the weaknesses of one with the strengths of the other.

One of the strengths that is attributed to online marketing is the ability for precise, targeted data. The same is true of direct mail marketing. With sophisticated technology, marketers can mail to specific targeted consumers to create effective, relevant and timely tangible experiences between the consumer and the brand. Personalization has been known to boost response rates, and through targeted data, marketers can now personalize direct mail. Further, to increase the experience, the piece of direct mail will have a call to action for the consumer to explore online, inviting the consumer to interact with the brand once again in the digital space.

Recently, marketing took a hit when privacy concerns regarding online marketing came into the spotlight. With privacy concerns wreaking havoc online, marketers are having to turn to tried and true traditional methods. Direct mail is a great opportunity to reach targeted consumers using appropriate data to effectively engage them. It also gives them the opportunity to opt out, whereas those Internet ads showing a product you just talked to your friend about are a little more difficult to escape.

In today’s heavily digital world, it is important for marketers to remember that online marketing cannot do it alone. For a successful campaign, marketers must combine direct mail and online marketing efforts, which in turn achieves higher brand awareness and recall and increases ROI.

One Final Note

If you’re interested in trying out direct mail and adding it to your marketing mix, then drop us a line. We’re standing by to answer any questions you might have, and most importantly, to help you get your mail opened.