In this day and age, everything has truly become digital. We read books online, get our news on our smartphones, interact with people on social media apps, and stay updated with all types of information. The internet offers benefits that have made life easier for quite a lot of us; businesses now target consumers entirely online. According to CrunchBase direct mail marketing helps advertisers turn their website visitors into direct mail customers.
In such a world, direct mail marketing, where a direct mail company sends promotional material directly to post-boxes of prospective customers, seems outdated. Although it is natural to think that way, research has shown that direct mail marketing offers benefits that modern techniques cannot.
Direct mail is tangible
We live in a world where we experience information-overloads daily. We are bombarded with updates from our environment every moment and aren’t always mindful of what we see or hear. In this fast-paced era, direct mail has the advantage of being tangible.
We open our mailboxes to actually be able to hold, feel, and see what we’ve received, which creates a multi-sensory vibe for consumers.
Direct mail is memorable
Humans are social beings, and the more personal an experience is, the more memorable it becomes. Direct mail is more personal, especially in a world of forwards and spam. Tangible and personal factors make it genuine, creating a more customized experience.
A study by the US Post Office found that participants were more excited and showed greater value for direct mail rather than digital mail. They also felt more valued and remembered the contents of the package sent by the direct mail marketing company better.
Direct mail draws undivided attention
Direct mail draws our undivided attention probably because we aren’t used to it. Mailboxes seem to be vacant, and people aren’t usually expecting to receive direct mail nowadays. That’s exactly why it’s so much more exciting when we spot something in our mailbox that requires our focus.
Direct mail almost offers an air of romanticism that perhaps resembles the forgotten art of writing letters. We aren’t used to it, which is exactly what makes it all the more exciting.
Direct mail targets different age groups
With digital marketing, there are restrictions on the age group targeted. Tech-savvy customers can be reached easily, but many users fall outside such a group. Youngsters and the elderly population may not be a suitable target audience for digital campaigns, but direct mail can reach all age groups. One family mailbox can create potential customers that include everyone in the house, and that’s something digital means can’t do.
Direct mail has a better response rate
Research by the Direct Marketing Association shows that direct mail has a higher response rate of 4.4% as compared to digital marketing, which shows a 0.12% response rate. Overwhelming inboxes free our attention for more uncluttered channels, making direct mail responses 10 to 30 times higher than that of digital mail.
While direct mail marketing offers certain benefits over digital mail marketing, it is important for businesses to adopt a combination of methods in their marketing strategy.
