It takes an average of eight touchpoints for a company to land a meeting with a prospective client or make a sale. In order to ensure your brand is reaching customers as many times as possible, you want to implement a multi-channel approach to marketing. This means covering not only digital channels like email, social media and PPC but also effective physical channels like direct mail.
Modern marketers might scoff at direct mail, but the truth is that direct mail remains a tried-and-true method of reaching customers where they are. Digital communications are great—especially with the growth of e-commerce—because they’re relatively inexpensive and easily accessible. However, print pieces can cut through the digital noise, create memorable experiences and deliver results.
Get your marketing message seen
One of the biggest hurdles digital marketers face today is actually getting their message seen by their target audience. With dozens of emails being sent each day, it’s easier than ever for consumers to ignore digital promotions.
Direct mail is much harder to ignore! According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20–30% of emails. Based just on these open rates, direct mail is a marketing method worthy of attention.
The value of self-mailers doesn’t stop there, though. Not only does direct mail usually get opened, but it’s also being read by a large portion of consumers. Small Biz Genius revealed that 42.2% of direct mail recipients actually go through the material they are sent. Only 22.8% of consumers surveyed said they don’t read direct mail at all.
The results are clear: Direct mail gets seen by a majority of the people you send it to, and it has a higher chance of being read—or at least scanned—than email alone.
Improve memorability and brand recall
It’s not enough to get your message seen. You also need customers to remember you later and return to purchase. With a higher open rate, self-mailers are automatically more likely to be remembered than digital advertisements like emails are. According to research by Marketing Profs, three-quarters of consumers are able to recall a brand after receiving a piece of direct mail. Only 44% of consumers can do the same after seeing a digital ad.
Companies can improve brand recall even further by creating print pieces that stand out from the crowd. Eye-catching designs, bold colors, interesting die cuts and unique mail sizes can go a long way in encouraging consumers to interact with your marketing piece. Standard letters and postcards might get a scan, but stand-out self-mailers like this one make buyers want to dive in and learn more. When your direct mail looks and feels unique, customers are more likely to remember who it’s from!
Provide engaging and rewarding experiences
The most effective advertising does not merely send a message—it creates a positive experience for the customer. Few people enjoy sitting down and sifting through emails. What customers do enjoy, though, is receiving mail.
According to Paper and Packaging, 76% of people enjoy getting direct mail. They also agree that direct mail is a good source of information and ideas. Print via mail is appreciated across the board, too. Approximately 79% of people find reading a printed magazine to be a rewarding experience.
What does this mean? When your brand’s self-mailer reaches customers eagerly awaiting mail, you’ll be contributing to an overall positive experience. If your direct mail is unique or interesting, contains deals or offers or is highly targeted to the customer’s interests, there’s an even higher chance they’ll both read and hold onto the piece.
Let AlphaGraphics design your direct mail campaign
The benefits of print advertising are only intensified when you consider how easily direct mail is integrated with digital systems. Data-driven technology allows for a multi-channel marketing solution that targets customers with exactly the right messages at exactly the right time.
Of course, all successful direct mail campaigns begin with a well-crafted design and end with expert printing and folding. Work with a Pittsburgh direct mail printing expert like AlphaGraphics to explore the countless ways you can make your next direct mail campaign a success.