To the inexperienced, the world may have looked to move beyond the need for traditional direct mail marketing. Imprecise, hard to track, wasteful, and most relevantly expensive – Direct Mail can have a bad rap. You might not know that modern Direct Mail campaigns have integrated into some of the most successful Digital Marketing Strategies to date. Speaking from our own experience—the best ROI comes when you utilize both Digital AND Print in your marketing strategies.
The internet is everywhere; phones in pockets, tablets for kids, or computers at work, home, and school. Refrigerators, security systems, and doorbells — are all connected to the world wide web. In a world that becomes more and more digitized every day, the way we sell goods and services and inform the public about those goods and services changes rapidly. Social Media and Search Engine-powered E-commerce account for the lion’s share of current marketing practices today. Seriously—as of 2017, Facebook and Google account for an estimated 73% of all digital advertising. This number has only grown in the years since. Businesses and Agencies spend colossal sums of money with these two ad-behemoths.
Barcodes, QC Codes, tracking URLs, and promo codes allow us to apply digital marketing analytics to direct mail. Finding success with a message, image, or offer on your latest online campaign? We can use the same successful branding and message to your direct marketing campaigns to reach new customers with the same assets or re-reach someone who may have just seen your ad online. The average consumer needs to see an ad or offer 7 – 20 times before acting on that offer.
Traditional Direct Mail has a similar and sometimes even higher return on investment than digital marketing, but the barrier to entry is easily the cost. American Advertisers spent $38.5 BILLION on direct mail campaigns (Source). That’s a whopping $167 per person.
Here are some stats comparing the two mediums:
We don’t share these stats to solely disparage Digital Marketing—only to show that the average consumer’s affection towards Direct Mail is substantially more optimistic. Businesses, especially businesses looking to grow their customer base, cannot underestimate the power of holding your ad in your hands or setting it on your counter only to pass & absorb that content. Put, while expensive, the ROI for direct mail marketing.
Printed Advertisements are far and away from the most trusted channel for advertising (as reported below by our friends at MarketingSherpa, with direct mailers being a close 3rd when asked about making a purchasing decision. That trust has a lot to do with the personalization & choice that comes along with direct mailers. A personal postcard addressed directly to your customer, an offer that perfectly matches their need, or a simple “Welcome to the Neighborhood” allows your consumers to make connections with your brand that may be overlooked or outright ignored on a platform like Google or Facebook. Combined with a unique URL, QC code, or another digital marker– enabling you to track with laser precision which portions of your campaign are successful and which fall flat.
Prophase Marketing has been in the Direct Mail and Digital Marketing game for over 35 years. We’ve seen trends come and go and technology evolve to incredible heights—both of which we can put to work for you today. While we’ve spent a lot of time contrasting these two realms of marketing, the absolute best strategy is to combine the two—and Prophase has customized solutions to meet your needs. Postcards or flyers, websites, or social media – Prophase has the talent, technology, and theory to help you and your business grow. Visit our Direct Mail, Web Design, and Social Media pages to learn more about the services we offer—and don’t be afraid to ask for something new—we’re always interested in collaborating on new, cutting-edge, or otherwise weird campaigns.
