6 . overwhelming , from a dumpster-size load of emails
to thousands of sites , apps , and communications . Standing out in all of that digital noise causes it to be extremely difficult to make an impression . However , if I mail you a letter with a real dollar bill stapled to the top ( one of our control pieces ) or some other “ lumpy ” or “ object ” mail , like a rubber duck in a box ( another one of our campaigns for selling ), you ’ ll take note and remember it . If you then follow up with a phone call , the person is far more likely to recall the “ duck in a box ” you sent when your sales rep calls . They most likely will not remember an email or LinkedIn message you sent , even if the message and offer is exactly the same .
7 .
You
Direct mail is more memorable and has a greater impact than digital marketing . Online media is
can reach nearly 100 % of your audience with direct mail . An example could be , when selling IT services , most Businesses will tell you their sweetspot client is a CEO of a successful , profitable company with 20 or more employees ; they can afford IT services and have enough employees that professional IT is a necessity . Those CEOs tend to skew older ( 45-plus years old ) and are not as technologically savvy as the younger CEOs . These CEOs are not always glued to Facebook and LinkedIn , and many don ’ t use any type of social media at all ( the marketing team of their company might , but they don ’ t have personal accounts they actively use ). Even in our company , where our audience is very technologically savvy , we can only match 65 % of our clients to Facebook and 87 % to LinkedIn . Therefore , if I only used social media , I ’ d be missing out on a big chunk of our potential market that is not actively on those sites .
8 . coming from people they don ’ t know . Many are
Direct mail is a more trusted media . I don ’ t need to tell you how most people are suspicious of emails
hesitant to respond to or click on an email from someone they don ’ t know . ( Yes , clearly not enough or you all wouldn ’ t exist !) However , if someone takes time to mail a letter , prospects are far more likely to trust them to be an honest , real company instead of a hacker .
9 .
Direct mail is a way to build your email list . I often hear people saying they don ’ t use direct mail because they use email . But the question is this : How do you get someone to be on your email list ( legitimately ) if they have not subscribed or opted in ? If you don ’ t have permission to email or text someone , using direct mail can help you build that permission-based list , as will other offline marketing campaigns , such as trade shows , canvassing , networking events , telemarketing , etc .
10 .
It
’ s a way to stay in touch with prospects and clients who have opted out of your email list . The majority of messages sent via email are blocked , bounced , or ignored ( unopened ). A 20 % open rate is considered a success — but that means 80 % of the people you emailed never saw your communication . Over time , you will have clients and prospects opt out of your email broadcasts , so how do you communicate with them then ? Direct mail has a higher delivery rate than email . Think about that for a minute . Yes , email is faster . Yes , email is cheaper , and you can measure it . But if only 20 % of your list is getting the message , you have to send out five times the total number to get the same message delivery as direct mail .
Here ' s the point : I recently consulted with a client who is getting poor and rapidly declining response rates from his email marketing campaigns . He wanted me to give him some ideas for changing his approach so he could get the response ( appointments , leads ) he wanted . I offered a few suggestions and recommended that he incorporate direct mail and telemarketing to the mix to reach the unresponsive prospects on the list and / or those who opted out . He said , “ I can ’ t . It ’ s too expensive .” I asked him what he was comparing that too . He replied , “ Well , to sending out emails .” My response was simple . I asked him if he meant the email that was failing to produce any results ?
I sent him packing with this advice : 1 ) Learn to think in terms of ROI , not just the expense or cost . There are hundreds of companies that use direct mail very successfully , including many of the businesses in our community . Of course , as with any media , you have to do it right to make it work , but it absolutely can deliver a fantastic ROI . 2 ) If it truly is too expensive ( and I doubt it ), find a way to make the economics work by raising your rates , offering an “ A / B ” option with “ B ” being a higher-priced , more profitable option ( usually 10 %– 20 % will take that option if packed and presented properly ), or implementing upsells and making every client worth more by selling additional services ( crossselling ). If restaurants with tiny margins and small , single sales can make direct mail deliver an ROI , businesses should be able to do it all day long . ■
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