Creating a marketing budget usually requires compromises on which areas to focus on. No company can afford unlimited marketing spending, making it difficult to determine a primary focus. Social media and digital marketing offer new marketing avenues, but traditional methods still reign supreme for most businesses. In a time when businesses consistently cut their direct mail company budgets, studies show they may be making a big mistake. Some marketing professionals perceive direct mail campaigns as dated and less successful than in the past. This perception leads companies to invest in areas with lower returns. Direct Mail still offers top return on investment (ROI) when utilized properly. Below are the facts about mailing and its continued success as a top marketing method.
1. Consumers overwhelmingly value mail delivered to their homes. Almost two-thirds of surveyed consumers expressed that items delivered to their mailboxes were valued. Yet, only about one-third of companies surveyed realized the consumer perception.
2. Mail appeals to all audiences. Many marketers perceive the younger generation as the digital generation. There is some truth to that thought, as younger people stay more connected with social media, email, and other digital communications. What marketers fail to realize is that even the younger generation responds positively to mailings. In a recent survey conducted by ExactTarget, 76 percent of younger people stated that they have made purchases based on something they received in the mail.
3. Millennials prefer to receive information in a printed format. In fact, 65 percent of this generation has stated a preference for traditional print media. Most people from that generation do not enjoy reading on computer screens. This demographic responds better to mailings versus digital mediums.
4. When USPS launched its “if it fits it ships,” campaign, they marketed it across all channels. Television advertisements, online banners, social media, and mass emails all went out, along with simple bulk mailings. The interesting thing about this campaign was the tracked responses. The single largest response group, 35 percent, was from the direct mail campaign.
5. Consumers check their mail virtually every day. Almost everyone, 98 percent, brings their mail inside their home every day, and 77 percent of consumers sort through their mail immediately. Compare that to email recipients, where many items go straight to spam. Direct mail gets more views from the targeted recipients.
Direct mail continues to reach and appeal to a broad range of consumers. The only industry consistently showing better results using digital marketing is the technology industry. Business to business services, retail stores, and other general consumer goods show phenomenal response rates through direct mail marketing. A direct mail company offers the ability to reach thousands of households at very reasonable prices. It even compares favorably with television advertising once cost figures into the equation. As the recent USPS campaign illustrates, direct mail still holds the top spot for ROI.