Get Your Message Out There with Direct Mail
Seems appropriate to weave #throwbackthursday into my blog again this week, because even though direct mail is still a widely used marketing method, it’s often lumped into the “traditional marketing” basket and overlooked.
I’ve always been a big fan of product packaging, which is ironic considering I can’t wrap a Christmas gift to save my life, but I suppose we covet the skills we don’t possess. Product packaging design is so versatile and can truly convey your company’s personality. The same can be said for a direct mail piece.
Heck, a direct mail piece and product packaging can be one in the same if you opt to send “lumpy” mail and include a small gift along with your marketing message.
I received an eye-catching direct mail piece this week (pictured), from none other than Canada Post. Canada Post is a perfect example of a company that must market their services on a continuum in order to remain relevant and remind consumers that they offer more than run-of-the-mill every day postal services. This piece was promoting their FlexDelivery? service, which I didn’t know about and found to be an interesting offering.
Granted, direct mail can be pricey, but a well-designed piece is proven to be more effective than email:
- According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), when direct mail is sent to an existing customer, the response rate is 3.4%. The response rate for email is 0.12%.
- The DMA also indicates that 56% of customers find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing.
Trust is difficult to cultivate in marketing, particularly in the current climate of inbox overload and lack of personalization, so when something can effectively combat those factors, I say give it a try!
Direct mail is highly targeted, can be personalized, the results don’t have to be measured using complicated tools, but simply by measuring the response rate from phone calls, coupons, or whatever your call-to-action (CTA) happens to be. But the one thing that sets this marketing method apart from the rest is that it’s tangible. Your target audience is actually left with something they can hold in their hands, which is unique in its scarcity in the world of marketing.
The design possibilities are boundless, so give us a call and we’ll create something unforgettable for you.
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