Direct mail volumes are rising again after a few slower years.
The increased use of email communication for client retention programs has opened up great opportunities for prospecting by direct mail.
1. Direct mail advertising stands out
Fewer letters from companies they already know provide opportunities for targeted direct mail sent to new prospects to stand out in an uncluttered mail box. Your mail message has a better chance of getting seen and read than ever before.
2. Mail has the best chance of getting delivered to your intended audience
Mailing list compilers have many more tools available to maintain accurate mailing addresses on their lists than their email marketing counterparts. Postal tools, including National Change of Address (NCOA), ensure fast updates when people move. If someone changes internet service providers and gets a new email address, there is no forwarding or change service to help the email compilers.
3. Greater segmentation allows you to mail to only the most qualified people
The major direct mail compilers have developed sources and methodologies to collect information on individuals and households. This can be tied and tracked much more easily to a postal address, than to email addresses. Moving beyond simple age and income, more advanced criteria can be mixed and matched to generate a more targeted mailing list. These can include purchasing activity, self reported interests and lifestyles, automotive, political, health and charitable giving. Many models are available to target advanced wealth indicators such as net worth and discretionary income levels.
4. More qualified people to choose from
A definitive mailing address is available for almost everyone, and is a necessary when compiling information from multiple sources to a person or household. In order to be on a Can-Spam compliant email list, they have to have given permission to send “partner” email messages to a particular on-line compiler. This knocks out a large percentage of the population.
5. Your message has a greater shelf life
A flyer or postcard that catches a person’s attention is easy to save so it can be picked up and looked at again when a person has more time to consider a purchase or is ready to buy.
6. Direct Mail can be used in conjunction with on-line marketing
Social media and online content are part of the marketing mix today. You try to build excitement around your sites, but you still have to wait for people to find you. Mail gives you the opportunity to reach out to people and entice them to visit. It may be hard to believe, but marketers out there are starting to look at leveraging print messages as something “new” in their marketing mix.
While there are many digital opportunities for marketers, direct mail marketing stands out as an effective way to reach the people who are most likely to be interested in spending their money on your product or service.
Finding a qualified list broker who can use the best criteria to generate a targeted mailing list is an essential step in assuring the success of your campaign. ListAbility has access to the data and the experience to pull together the most qualified leads for a company’s specific marketing program.
