While it’s certainly true that we’re living firmly in a digital era, print is still powerful – especially when it comes to advertising and marketing in general. In fact, there are a few key things that digital marketers do NOT want you to know about direct mail that is worth exploring. To be fair, most digital marketers are not aware of the benefits and performance of direct mail and don’t know how to implement direct mail well. Digital marketers are missing when it comes to effective marketing campaigns. Nonetheless, direct mail should definitely be part of your bag of marketing tricks.

Direct Mail Is More Effective Than Ever

The number one thing that most digital marketers don’t know ultimately comes down to the fact that, despite all logic to the contrary, direct mail is positively THRIVING.

The facts don’t lie!  According to the Data & Marketing Association, direct mail ROI still generates an impressive 29% median household return. Paid search, on the other hand, comes in at 23%. Online display ads come in even lower, at 16%!  Combine direct mail with digital campaigns and the numbers skyrocket.

Direct Mail Can Help EMPOWER Existing Digital Campaigns

Direct mail campaigns while effective on their own are effective, however, combining direct mail with digital campaigns provides an amazing punch.  In fact, engagement tends to skyrocket when direct mail and digital combine forces in the form of coordinated marketing campaigns.

Data-driven Merkle Inc. found that marketing campaigns that use direct mail and one or more digital channels experience a massive 118% increase in response rate! Let that sink in for a moment to get a better idea of the situation as it truly stands.

Direct Mail is Just as “Smart” as Digital

While it’s certainly true that direct mail may not seem to be as “sexy” as digital, the industry has come a long way in recent years and offers comprehensive data analytics and demographic reporting options to not only drive very specific and targeted campaigns but to also compile very sophisticated reporting on results.

The bottom line is that your campaign will yield a refined marketing list which improves every time it is run.  This approach rivals just about any digital campaign.  Combine the two and you will prove yourself a marketing powerhouse.

In addition to the benefits of direct mail analytics, direct mail has better shelf life than digital because it’s more engaging and harder to ignore than email.  The typical shelf life of a direct mail plastic postcard tends to be an amazing 90 days. Creative marketing vehicles which are personalized and offer value i.e. offers, deals etc., perform better ensuring wildly better return on investment.

When you consider all this, why WOULDN’T any savvy, well-studied and passionate marketing professional want to leverage such a powerful and effective way to promote products and services to your own customers and clients?

Even though digital marketers are telling a different story, the situation is crystal clear: do not ignore direct mail marketing and especially don’t ignore what a direct mail and digital coordinated campaigns can do for your bottom line.

If you’d like to find out more information about how powerful vehicles like a plastic postcard mailers and direct mail analytics perform, please contact us today.