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Why direct mail marketing is still important in the digital age

Despite the fact that the entire world is now going digital, there is still an important role for direct mail marketing. While there is no doubt that social media and email marketing campaigns are here to stay, direct mail is still as effective as ever in engaging customers. Research has revealed that this form of marketing is still one of the cheapest and most effective and there are several reasons why.

High conversion rates

Despite the prevalence of email, a huge proportion of what arrives in the average inbox is considered as ‘junk’. It is either caught automatically by a spam filter, never read, or simply deleted by the recipient. Direct mail has a distinctive advantage in this respect, as the right envelope and a well-presented address will almost guarantee that the recipient opens it. And as long as the content of your message is engaging and concise, you have a great chance of inspiring the recipient to perform the desired action. Depending on what your campaign pertains to, the desired action may involve signing up for discounts, buying a product or registering contact details on a website.

Flexible

Almost any type of marketing campaign can be conducted with the use of direct mail marketing. For instance, your company may be new, and keen to generate a quick revenue stream. Direct marketing is a great way to distribute discount coupons and incentives as part of short-term strategies. Longer term initiatives may involve informational and educational mail-outs, designed to provoke interest and direct engagement from target customers. Indeed, many companies still use the direct mail option to send out newsletters and updates. You may also be able to solicit more feedback from customers through the use of questionnaires and suggestion forms sent through the mail.

Efficient

If your marketing campaigns rely solely on digital media, it can be very difficult to track the efficacy of your efforts. While you may secure surges in demand for your products, increased registrations or higher visitor numbers on your website, identifying exactly what led to these results can be tricky if you’re using several media streams at the same time. Direct mail marketing is far more measurable, however. By recording the exact number of letters sent out, and tying them to particular offer codes, you can track response rates with a high level of accuracy.

Companies spend millions of pounds on digital advertising campaigns, but it can be very difficult to target very specific demographic groups by using digital means alone. Your message may fall on deaf ears if people just aren’t interested in what your company has to say - and that can make the process exceptionally expensive. However, a targeted direct mail marketing campaign can be used to make contact with only those people who match your target customer profile. You can then tailor the language you use appropriately by concentrating on age groups, income bands, geography, and gender or property value.

Integrate direct mail campaigns as part of a comprehensive marketing campaign

While there is no doubt that digital marketing is a huge part of modern business, it is important to have a marketing strategy that targets both the online and offline worlds. The more channels you utilise for your company’s marketing efforts, the more customer engagement you’re likely to encourage. Adopting direct mail as part of your marketing strategy will deliver several attractive benefits to your business.

• Send your loyal customers updates and exclusive offers
• Develop your company’s brand
• Generate short term income streams
• Gather feedback and customer information

Despite the prevalence of digital media, direct mail marketing is still delivering tangible benefits to companies of all sizes in the UK. By carefully selecting the most appropriate envelopes and marketing content, you can make it work for the good of both your business and your customers.

Company Profile:

Ace-Envelopes is one of UK’s leading suppliers of envelopes, over 25 million envelopes in different sizes, colours and shapes available for next day delivery services to meet your needs.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Grant Pettersson .