Direct mail is far from “dead in the water.” According to research from Statista, the revenue generated by direct mail advertising grew by $1.2 billion dollars over the past five years. There are various reasons for this statistic, but the moral of the story is that marketers need to take note and ensure we integrate this method of advertising into our overall strategy.
Reason #1: A Refreshing Change
Today’s consumer is over-communicated, overwhelmed and over-digitized, which means that traditional methods come as a refreshing change from the avalanche of cyber-marketing he (or she) gets hit with daily. Suddenly, getting something in the mail is no longer necessarily sales material, and even if it is, it has been proved that it “sticks around” longer than any form of digital promotional material does.
Reason #2: Reaches the 50+ Market
The baby boomers are pretty much all now over 55 years of age, and as the most affluent generation group in history they still have significant buying power. Many of them don’t access online media on a regular basis, and research shows that direct mail remains the most reliable method of reaching them.
Reason #3: It Feels Personal
Regardless of how much email marketing can be customized, there are few things that feel as personal as getting a letter in the mail with your name on it. Not just on the envelope, but on the contents, too. Particularly when your name is part of the design of the material, and that’s entirely possible these days with the integration of customer data with sophisticated, on-demand printing and production methods.
Reason #4: It’s Segment-Specific
Big data has done more for marketing than enable the personalization of advertising. It’s also opened the door for segmentation of your audience into tight niches, so you don’t waste time (and money) marketing the wrong product or service to the wrong prospect. Imagine the impact of a senior customer going online to research a product, and five days later getting a letter in the mail addressed to him personally with a brochure on the product he is interested in?
Make magic for your customers and your bottom line by using direct mail to take your products and services where they are needed—right into your affluent, mature prospect’s home.
