What is Direct Mail Marketing? A Definitive Guide

What is Direct Mail Marketing?

Direct mail marketing is a strategy that combines creativity and commercial focus to powerful effect. It involves sending a physical letter, package, mail shot, brochure or postcard to engage your customer and build relationships. Ultimately, it boosts the bottom line for your business. 

You may feel that in this day and age of digital marketing, email and everything being online, that direct mail marketing is as relevant as horse and carriage or pigeon post; however, you’d be wrong. Read on to see ‘what is direct mail marketing?’ and why it is as relevant now as it ever was.

Direct Mail Marketing

Research indicates that direct mail marketing through the postal system is still one of the cheapest and most effective marketing strategies. Nine out of ten people still open all their direct mail, whereas, emails may end up in a spam filter. Email is still very effective, but also very prolific. Most people receive a handful of physical mail per day, but your computer’s inbox may be overwhelmed with hundreds of emails.

B2B Direct Mail Marketing

With B2B direct marketing, companies receive much less marketing by mail than they did ten years ago – a unique advantage for direct mail. See how here at Romax, we can help your B2B direct mail strategy.

B2C Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail that is personalised, important, unique, and relevant to a customer, can become a significant reason for the success of your business.  Recent study has shown that 42% of people who receive direct mail will open it as people are curious to see what the mail contains, and there is a level of anticipation that comes when opening up an unexpected parcel.

It is often said that specialist businesses selling to consumers need to get their message across in an effective way that will be remembered, so by using B2C mail services, you are sure to achieve this goal.

Unlike email and text messaging, you don’t need a recipient’s permission to send direct mail. So, even if a customer doesn’t subscribe or subsequently unsubscribes from your email list, you can still get in touch with them via direct mail marketing.

Why you need Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns

Using a direct mail strategy will provide you with a deeper understanding of your clients, so that you can target direct mail campaigns to your clients exact preference rather than sending inferior messages to everyone. 

Direct mail can also reach a wider demographic if your target audience is unlikely to use social media or email. Targeted direct mail campaigns can turn people into potential customers when online advertisements could have missed them entirely: it can be targeted to a geographic, demographic or physiological group.

Using a direct mail strategy will provide you with a deeper understanding of your clients, so that you can target direct mail campaigns to your clients exact preference rather than sending inferior messages to everyone. 

Direct mail can also reach a wider demographic if your target audience is unlikely to use social media or email. Targeted direct mail campaigns can turn people into potential customers when online advertisements could have missed them entirely: it can be targeted to a geographic, demographic or physiological group.

Direct Mail Marketing is Measurable

Direct mail is one of the most measurable forms of marketing: it’s straightforward to record the number of mail shots that are sent out. Even though it’s not trackable in the same way that digital marketing methods are with click rates, rankings and analytics, there are ways to measure their success:

• Vouchers and coupon codes
• QR codes
• Trackable phone numbers
• URLs to a specific campaign

Direct Mail Advertising

Direct mail is a form of advertising that relies on printed materials, and the mail service, to deliver advertising that appeals directly to consumers. While direct mail advertising and email marketing campaigns get comparable response rates, a recent study has found that direct mail campaigns bring about purchases five times bigger than email campaigns. However, combining email with direct mail advertising led to the most successful results of all with purchases six times larger than email alone made.

Direct mail is a unique one-to-one advertising medium that brings a range of benefits and return on investment. It also minimises the waste and negative brand impacts that can be incurred from sending the wrong message to the wrong person at the wrong time.

Social Media and Mobile Marketing

Of course, social media and mobile marketing are on the rise, but that doesn’t mean that direct mail marketing has lost its effectiveness. In fact, younger consumers don’t associate direct mail with “junk mail” the way older consumers have so often done in the past.

Direct Mail Marketing Statistics

So, if you are still wondering if ‘What is direct mail marketing and does it work?’ let’s look at some statistics. How could your direct mail marketing transform your advertising strategies and campaigns?

• The average UK customer spends almost £600 because of receiving advertising mail each year.
• In the previous ten years, the volume of direct mail advertising has increased by 87% and expenditure has increased by 118%.
• Direct mail advertising delivers, on average, £14 (ROI) return on investment for every £1 spent.
• 60% of consumer advertising mail is opened and 40% is read.

Just looking at this snapshot of statistics we can see that direct mail marketing is a tried-and-tested successful strategy. It is a crucial approach that your business should embrace.So, if you want to discuss your direct mail marketing strategy to enhance your business, give us a call on 02045713500, for our London office or 01213685657 for our Midlands office. Alternatively, email hello@romax.co.uk and we’ll get back to you straight away.