The secret to successful marketing campaigns is reaching your audience. Direct mail and digital channels like email are some ways to do this. However, there are many marketing strategies available. Each business will benefit from a different type depending on their market. More people using the internet than ever. As a result, digital has become the #1 choice for marketing.
Despite the growth of the internet, not everyone is on board. Limiting your marketing efforts to just digital channels excludes traditional consumers. Avoiding digital channels for marketing excludes non-traditional consumers. Choosing one approach limits your reach. Integrate direct mailing with your digital channels for a complete marketing campaign.
Digital Marketing & Direct Mail Campaign
There’s a reason they call it the world wide web! When it comes to digital marketing, the internet offers many options. No other channel allows you to reach as many consumers as the internet. You can share your business with millions of people with just a few clicks. It is also affordable because emails are free to send. This can help you expand your online business locally and globally.
Digital marketing alone is not the hero it is made out to be. Emails are:
Low-Converting – Sending out mass numbers of emails is cheap, but not always effective. Everything on the internet is fast, and attention spans are shrinking. It is very easy to glance over an email without reading it. Even if opened, the average lifespan is only 2 seconds (glw.media). With so little time to sell yourself, you may end up in the “trash bin” shortly.
Not Memorable – You need to engage consumers to get their attention. Emails make this hard because they are often impersonal. They are easily mass-sent and their content is often vague. Only about 44% of people who read your email will remember your brand (digitaldoughnut.com). That’s not a good way to increase brand awareness!
You may be curious why digital marketing like emails are so easily discarded and ignored. The answer comes down to a lack of connection and engagement with the content.
- Consumers see about 3000 marketing messages a day on average (Compu-mail.com). The number is even higher for consumers who are very active online. Therefore, the average user is likely to ignore ads or just glance at them.
- Emails are often spam. The consumer may unsubscribe from your mailing list if they feel spammed. This causes consumers to write-off your business before giving it a chance.
See also Key market trends: direct mail or email?
Direct Mailing is Alive and Kicking
If your audience is the target, direct mail is the arrow hitting the bullseye. Direct mailing is a similar concept to digital mailing. The goal is to get the consumer to read the ad. With almost 80% interacting right away with direct mail, it’s likely they’ll read your ad (Data & Marketing Association – DMA). Compared to 45% of consumers reading the email right away, direct mail is great at being seen. Once you can convince them to read your mail, you can convert them to a customer.
So why do more people read their direct mail than their emails? Mail is:
More Important – To consumers, direct mail is “formal”, “important”, and “personal”. Email is “quick”, “interesting”, and “informal” (RoyalMail).
More Personal – Consumers feel more connected to direct mail than email. This is because email is cheap and “spammy” to many. Direct mail is more expensive and personal. It takes time and money to create, print, and send out direct mail. You cannot spam it the same way you can spam emails.
More Engaging – Direct mail can be held in your hand. This allows you to better engage with the ad. Studies have shown that holding something builds a better emotional connection. Direct mail will also sit around in your home while emails disappear to your inbox. You can see it again later and be reminded of the ad. Your family may also see it, increasing the reach.
You Don’t Have to Choose Just One
Businesses often choose between using physical and digital mail. Some say physical media is “dying” and all your marketing should be digital. This may be cost-effective in some situations, like exclusively digital products or services. However, most businesses can benefit from using both digital and direct mail.
Direct mail and digital marketing are complementary. They can exist separately but thrive when integrated. According to royalmail.com, more than 50% of consumers prefer a combination of digital and physical marketing. These customers feel more personally engaged in advertising. They can spend as much as 25% more due to the combined effort. The secret to unlocking these benefits lies in integrating the two channels together.
Your approach to marketing will make or break your business. Primarily, using only direct mail or digital mail will not be enough. It excludes non-traditional or tech-free individuals and limits your reach. If you choose the email only, you risk being ignored or labeled as spam. Direct mail also limits you to local and domestic customers. This may not be enough to make your business thrive.
To get the most out of your marketing, you could combine this digital and physical mail. You could include a special promo code for your website on a piece of direct mail. The consumer will feel like they are getting a special deal. It also encourages them to view your website to see what the code does. This ties the physical and digital aspects of your business together. It gives the consumer a choice of how they interact with your business.
