Direct mail: Everybody gets it, but not everybody “gets” it.

Back in its heyday, direct mail was king. When postage was cheap and paper was even cheaper, it wasn’t uncommon for companies to send 100-page catalogs to millions of customers and prospects every month. Some even sent weekly special supplements in case the catalogue was too overwhelming.

When digital marketing came online (pun definitely intended), many companies pulled back from using direct mail. “Experts” proclaimed that the digital age was going to be the death of direct mail and customers would prefer to scroll through a digital catalog or receive an email from a company selling different products or services instead of receiving something in the mail. Other forms of direct mail also moved online—prospecting, brand-building and customer engagement, to name a few. And, overall, some of these efforts made sense, and still make sense.

But a funny thing happened: Direct mail didn’t die, it evolved.

Marketing teams who continued using direct mail were forced to rethink its role in their overall strategy. So, as paper and postage rates went up, they adjusted direct mail efforts by testing different types of direct mail pieces like postcards, smaller catalogs, letter format circulars, and snap packs. They also understood the power of leveraging customer purchase histories, third party data, segmentation, consumer behavior modeling, and personalization.

Today, digital marketing messages are being drowned out by their own volume—consumers are hit by so many that none stand out, a circumstance which has allowed direct mail to make a resurgence. By leveraging data analytics and strategic planning, direct mail continues to be a successful channel across industries.
Marketing strategies today need to continue utilizing consumer data to build out a robust marketing plan that spans digital marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, search engine marketing, and yes, even direct mail marketing. Each plays a pivotal role in the success of a company. Marketing teams must understand how to best utilize each channel and understand each channel’s strengths and weaknesses.

Direct mail may never be king again but, depending on the customer base, it can be a company’s knight in shining armor. If you would like it to be yours, please contact ShannonB@InformativeResearch.com.