What is Direct Mail Marketing?

Aug 4, 2020

Every business owner knows it; in order to stay ahead of the competition, your marketing strategies have to be ever-evolving. The options seem endless. From print media, TV commercials, social media, email campaigns and so many more avenues, keeping abreast of the latest and most effective ways to reach your target audience seems exhausting. As we continue to make advancements in technology, it’s no surprise that there is a misconception that direct mail marketing seems outdated. With smartphones in everyone’s pockets, social media and digital marketing have seemingly taken over the marketing terrain.

The data shows otherwise though, indicating direct mail campaigns can be more engaging and more effective than campaigns that rely solely on digital avenues. A study done by the Canada Post found that it takes 21% less cognitive effort to process direct mail advertisements than their digital counterparts. Which brings us to the next question: What is direct mail marketing exactly, and how can it help your business become more successful? For many marketers, incorporating direct mail into their existing strategies may seem daunting. Below we’ll discuss exactly what direct mail is, and ways this method can assist you in reaching more customers.

Direct Mail Marketing Explained

So, what is direct mail marketing? Direct mail marketing is a form of print media marketing that delivers physical advertisements to a prospective customer’s mailbox. Common examples of direct mail marketing include pamphlets, postcards, flyers, selfmailers, letters and catalogues. In today’s day and age, so much of our lives are online, on our phones, and in our email inboxes, that it’s easy to overlook this channel as a positive component of any marketing campaign. It’s easy to assume that direct mail or print media has fallen to the wayside, but that simply isn’t true. In fact, as business owners develop an all-inclusive campaign strategy, they’re learning that physical advertisements are reaching demographics they just can’t reach online. Even better, there are companies and businesses like ProList, who can help take your existing customer lists and turn them into a cohesive customer database to cater your print media needs to the correct target demographics.

Direct mail marketing for your business means adding mailers, flyers, postcards and other forms of print media to reach a wider audience. By delivering material straight to their mailbox, you’re including a demographic that you may miss with your digital campaigns.

How Does Direct Mail Marketing Work in the Digital Age?

With digital presence taking the throne, large brands and small businesses alike have to ensure their marketing efforts are reaching the most people and making a positive impact on consumers. When we talk about target demographics, we don’t just mean connecting you with the people who want to buy things. It also means reaching potential voters, members of groups and organizations, and even donors for nonprofits and charities. While almost 5 billion people worldwide have a cellphone, it’s safe to assume that a majority of those are smartphones, and those users are getting their news updates, emails and, you guessed it, paid ads right there on their portable mini-computers. It’s also notable that direct marketing campaigns tend to return a higher number of engagements than many email campaigns, and even some PPC or social media marketing campaigns.

With the ability to break out your customer lists into more specific target groups, crafting your print media to be highly personalized and specifically relevant to pique the interest of a missed consumer, voter or donor can take some creativity. Business owners can also use this as an opportunity to combine social media, video and other digital efforts with their direct mail. Scanning QR codes on recipients’ phones can take them to a video, direct them to a social media platform for giveaways, or even give them access to coupon codes while driving traffic directly to your website. With the right creative mind, your direct mail marketing strategy can close the gap between the digital world and the brick and mortar one, and make your brand or company a household name, literally!

At the end of the day, it’s important to pause the idea that direct mail is a thing of the past. It tends to feel more personal, and if done well, begins a branding relationship between your company and your audience and will encourage a portion of your audience to take direct action upon receiving it! And that’s the enduring beauty and effectiveness of direct mail. Ready to get started? Give us a call or send us an email to learn how we can help you breakthrough into direct mail.