While it’s certainly true that digital marketing is all the rage these days, a number of recent studies have shown that direct mail marketing and other types of print collateral are more popular (and more effective) than ever. A lot of this comes down to the fact that direct mail, by design, is something that even the best piece of digital collateral can never and will never be:
Tangible.
It exists in real life. You can hold it in your hand. Share it with your loved ones. Make no mistake, this is one of the most valuable assets you have access to for a variety of different reasons.
A Bird in the Hand…
Think, for just a moment, about how many emails you get on a daily basis. You get so many digital messages all day, every day that even the promotional materials from brands that you LIKE probably start to blend together after awhile. This is the same problem that all of your customers have, right now. But not only is it very easy to lose or overlook an email… it’s even easier to quickly hit “Delete” without reading it when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
With something like a plastic postcard mailer, on the other hand, you’ve got a tangible (there’s that word again) piece of promotional material that someone can physically hold or pin up to their refrigerator. It’s less likely to get lost, which means they’re MORE likely to actually use it.
Never Underestimate the Importance of Marketing Shelf Life
Along the same lines is the idea that simply because direct mail marketing materials physically exist in the real world, they typically get saved – or at the very least, they stay in front of your end customer far longer than something like an email. Say you’re not ready to make a purchase today, but you know you will be three Thursdays from now. How likely are you to keep an email in your inbox for that long without deleting it?
But if you had a flyer or other type of print material to pin up to the corkboard in your office or keep on your kitchen table, you’ve suddenly got all the time in the world.
Two Times the Tangible Value
Finally, we arrive at the idea that direct mail is actually tangible in not one but two very important ways. Not only is the card itself physical (meaning that it can be held in one’s hand or shared with friends or loved ones), but the promotional value is tangible as well. When you send a coupon or other promotion in the form of direct mail, suddenly the value that this plastic postcard mailer represents is real as well. The importance of this is something you just can’t put a price on.
If you’d like to find out more information about how to wield the tangible benefits of direct mail marketing to your advantage, please don’t delay – contact us today.
