If you’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or swamped by emails from marketers, online coupons and special offers available only electronically, there’s a little bit of good news waiting. You’re not alone.
And if you’re a marketer who’s having trouble generating strong numbers vis-à-vis ROI’s, conversions and click-throughs, then you have even better news waiting. Direct marketing and direct mail are beginning to generate positive results and positive responses again.
Direct Mail (DM) is fast becoming the anti-dote to a constant barrage of emails littering email inboxes everywhere.
More and more companies have begun relying on direct mail pieces for a number of reasons, not the least of which being a new opportunity to engage personally with the clientele. Even posh brands famous for keeping their customers at arm’s length have adopted direct marketing techniques like personalized catalogues.
Take, for instance, the case of Land Rover, who saw an 8.6 percent increase in response rates from their clientele because of their DM campaign. Luxury jewelers Tiffany and well-known auction house, Sotheby’s weren’t that far behind either.
Why the push towards postcards?
Because they can be personalized. With direct mail pieces reflecting personal tastes right down to food and vacation preferences, perhaps “customized” is a better word. And the key.
We know that template letters and mailings have a very short life span between the mailbox and the trash can. The way to keep them alive is to give a highly targeted audience exclusive access to an exclusive service.
To take a leaf out the luxury goods market: glossy postcards and catalogues mailed to a meticulously maintained list of repeat clients. Add to that a service expiration date, and you have yourself a response rate, at the very least.
Of course, we promise no guarantees. But the interest in DM pieces is still very buoyant, even amongst the masses. With 49% of all households reading and/or scanning their “snail mail” for coupons and special offers, the effectiveness of DM pieces, and their potential to call out a niche market is still very real. The light hasn’t dimmed yet.
