DIRECT MAIL
Many internet marketers claim that direct mail is a thing of the past and they are half right. Yes, it's a thing of the past but it is also a thing of the future. I know it's hard to make generalizations about this because it really does depend on your target market but in my experience with various companies in many different industries, direct mail is still an important part of many organizations marketing strategy. Granted that now with the internet there are other methods to deliver information to your customers and prospects but direct mail has proven effective and many organizations have profited greatly as a result.There will always be people who enjoy receiving relevant and interesting postcards, ads, brochures or catalogs in their mail box. Personally there are a few product catalogs I look forward to getting and flipping through. For example, as some of you may know, I coach youth baseball and softball so I receive catalogs from a few companies that sell related equipment (Baseball Express) and apparel (Eastbay). As soon as one of them arrives in the mail, my son Isaiah (12 years old), can't wait to see what new baseball bats are out (can you believe that some of these bats are $300!?). If there is something that I find in these catalogs that I want to buy (and it is never a $300 bat, sorry Isaiah), I go to their website and order it.
Similarly, a few of my clients who owe much of their success to decades of using direct mail for their niche market have now modified their mailers to drive traffic and sales to their website. It has proven to be a very effective method but it is not always possible to accurately track how much of their online sales is truly a result of their direct mail efforts. For them direct mail is an integral piece of their marketing and one that they do not plan on abandoning anytime soon.
Keep in mind also that not all target audiences respond to email. You need to understand your specific customer base and determine if direct mail might be an effective method in reaching them. As email inboxes get more and more filled with commercial emails, conversely our mail boxes are seeing less and less direct mail pieces. Where will our message get more noticed?
If you feel that direct mail may be a good opportunity for your business, contact us and we can help you develop a creative and effective piece that will produce results.
by John Carranza
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