Increase ROI from Marketing Spends with Direct Mail

In the age of email and digital advertising, it may come as a surprise that many businesses still spend millions of dollars annually on direct mail. Why? Because it still works! Direct mail boasted amazing response rates in 2018 – 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospecting lists.

Direct mail helps you achieve physical presence in the digital world. By using direct mail, businesses can drive consumer traffic wherever they choose – a retail location, website, etc. Direct mail, when used effectively, is the method businesses use to remain present in their customers’ and potential customers’ lives.

NOW is the time to spend your marketing dollars on direct mail!

• 42.2% of direct mail recipients scan or read the mail they receive, compared to only 20-30% of emails being opened. Direct mail is a time-tested tactic that gets the job done. Digital channels are becoming increasingly crowded. Direct mail is a less-crowded channel that can stand out and grab the consumer’s attention.
• Direct mail brings an average return on investment of 29%. When targeted correctly, direct mail has a consistently higher ROI when compared to other, often cheaper digital channels.
• On average, a direct mail piece is kept in the household for 17 days.
• Neiman Marcus has seen that they make $4 for every $1 spent on creating and mailing a catalog.
• Customers who received an ad via direct mail purchased 28% more items and spent 28% more than those who didn’t get the mail piece.
• 60% of households that receive a catalog visit the website of the company sending the catalog.
• 73% of Americans say that physical mail is “more personal” than email, preferring to be contacted by brands via direct mail so they can read it when they want. Direct mail is the original one-on-one communication method. If your business is interested in personal connection, then direct mail should be your first choice.

Additionally, direct mail is an oft-neglected marketing channel that continues to provide excellent results for some of the world’s most prominent organizations. One thing that seems to hold companies back from using direct mail is a lack of knowledge of how to run direct mail campaigns. Despite the rise of digital, we emphatically announce, “Direct mail is not dead!”

“Direct mail– it’s a hidden gem. Everybody thinks it’s old school; nobody focuses on it anymore, which provides more opportunity for those of us who do. People who open up mail are a specific demographic. If your product fits in with the responsible, middle-aged group who typically open their mail, direct mail can be huge.” –Jim Carlson Zurixx | Inc. 500 rank 43 | Three-year growth 5,626.1% | 2015 revenue $130.1 million

Use direct mail in conjunction with other marketing methods

Customers who interact over multiple channels are more loyal, purchase more, and are more profitable than those contacted over a single channel. Effective direct marketers understand, support, and leverage an integrated approach for customer acquisition. For most marketers, a campaign’s effectiveness is contingent upon combining traditional direct marketing tactics with digital technology. That is particularly true for new customer acquisition.

Finally, whether you decide to utilize direct mail as a standalone marketing channel or in conjunction with other marketing methods, ANS will guide you to the best possible mailing lists and resources.

But, to who do you send? How do you get their postal address? What are the logistics of sending direct mail? If this is you, fear not. This monthly series will walk you through these basics of direct mail. Stay tuned for more.

*Sources https://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/rr-2018-ana-dma-respose-rate https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/direct-mail-statistics