By Dave VanHoose
What do jumpsuits and stirrup pants have in common? They’re both fashion trends from the 80s that are making a comeback. Just like clothing, marketing tactics come and go in cycles. What was old is new again.
Direct mail is a perfect example, and if you’re not embracing it with gusto, you need to listen up. After a slump in 2009, according to an article in The Marketer magazine, direct mail is up to about 1.4 billion items this year. So how exactly does this tie to personal development? It’s to make assumptions, sometimes false ones, or write things off when they seem to fall out of the mainstream. Successful starts with keeping an open mind and trying different things—even when they seem to go against the grain.
I’ve told you my partner, Dustin, is a master at marketing and he’s a huge fan of direct mail. Having seen the results I agree. I’m not saying you should abandon all of your other marketing efforts, but I am saying direct mail should be an integral component of your overall marketing mix.
Let’s look at seven good reasons why direct mail should be a key accessory in your marketing plan:
It has less competition—Until a few years ago, email marketing was the golden child. Today—the standard consumer gets just 25 pieces of physical mail each week. Can you even remember a day when you got less than ten times that amount of emails? How do we deal with email overwhelm? Ignore them or hit delete. The truth is, many marketers have simply dropped out of the direct mail game, going after YouTube views, tweets and blog comments instead which leaves plenty of space in your prospect’s mailbox to get noticed.
It gets delivered—With spam filters more sophisticated than ever, it’s tough to get in the inbox. People are more forgiving when it comes to direct mail—most likely because they’re not inundated with it anymore. In fact a 2012 survey by ExactTarget showed that direct mail was the only channel where consumers didn’t view an unsolicited direct mail message as inappropriate. And the best part is—direct mail won’t destroy your hard drive with a nasty virus!
It’s personal—If you haven’t seen direct mail technology in the past few years, all I can say is WOW. Personalization has gone way beyond inserting a name using mail merge. Database marketing and variable data printing now lets you literally create a unique and relevant direct mail experience for each recipient. This includes things like displaying a male or female image based on gender, customizing the offer based on buying history—even including directions from their driveway to the nearest location.
It’s tangible—Never underestimate the power of touch. Why do you think people still buy books with the Kindle being all the rage? It’s the touchy-feely factor. The fact that people can hold direct mail in their hands gives it credibility and appeal. The fact that you’ve paid for printing and postage makes the recipient feel appreciated and special. And you can’t just hit the delete button, you have to touch it before you throw it away. Don’t be afraid to use textured paper to make them think twice.
It gets results—That same 2012 study by ExactTarget found that, while 66% of online Americans had made a purchase as a result of email, nearly 65% had made a purchase in response to direct mail. Can you afford to ignore statistics like that? Keep in mind this is nearly three times the percentage who’ve bought in response to Facebook marketing messages (20%) and four times more than those prompted to buy from mobile marketing (16%). And direct mail is no longer static. Today, you can integrate things like QR codes, SMS texting and PURLs to make it interactive.
It can make you a stand out—Direct mail is versatile. Lead generation. Event invitations. Special offers. Why not send a handwritten welcome postcard to new customers or a thank you for referrals? Make them feel special and they’ll never forget you. And, believe it or not, people are noticing direct mail more than ever. A recent Wall Street Journal story shared how a B2B entrepreneur switched to email to save $20,000. She thought the 25 percent drop in orders was due to the economy until her customers starting telling her they hadn’t received their usual ‘reminder’ in the mail. She made up those missing orders with a quick postcard mailing.
It’s still sexy—This might surprise you. I know it raised my eyebrows. You’d think the younger crowd could care less about direct mail, favoring anything with an app. But according to a Direct Marketing Association 2011 survey, 18 percent of people between the ages of 22 and 24 said they’d respond to direct mail—up from the previous year. It could be because of its personal nature. In fact, an informal focus group of 20-somethings showed that 100 percent said they’d prefer to get birthday and holiday cards by mail versus email. Even amidst all the gadgets and glitz, direct mail still has that special something.
The bottom line? You need to reach your customers through every possible touch point. We live in a multi-channel world where your prospects are used to, and even expect, communications from you across a variety of marketing platforms. Maybe it’s time you opened your mind to an old strategy that today offers a few interesting twists. You never know what could be on the horizon. Polyester suits perhaps? Let’s hope that one stays in the archives!
Dave Vanhoose is the CEO and the master platform & webinar trainer at 7 Figure Speaking Empire. Dave’s masterful execution of sales presentations is evident in his own success, and in that of his students. Dave is mentor and speaker coach to some of the most experienced speakers in the seminar industry. He masterfully takes a seasoned veteran and amplifies their platform abilities to new levels. For more information on Dave VanHoose or Speaking Empire, just visit http://speakingempire.com
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