For years marketers have depended on direct media as their most reliable sources for quality leads. Over the years, companies have employed numerous communication channels for their marketing campaigns. However, direct mail has remained a consistent marketing channel for various industry verticals.

Indeed, direct mail marketing is not in its glory days anymore, as many companies abandoned it for digital marketing solutions. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Why? Because there is less competition in direct marketing.

The only real problem now is that many marketers and business owners do not have a clue about direct mail communications. This article is precisely for such people who are unsure how to use direct mail marketing for their business.

Here, we will discuss the basics of direct mail marketing, its pros, and its cons. Additionally, we explain why direct mail marketing is still relevant today and how you can get started on your campaign.

So, if you are a newbie in direct marketing, this guide will help you learn all you need to know about implementing direct mail campaigns.

What is Direct Mail?

Direct mail marketing is a form of marketing strategy which involves sending a physical mailer to the prospects or customers. The postal mailer can come in different types and sizes, including the following:

• Letters
• Postcards
• Brochures
• Booklets
• Flyers

Direct mail is a marketing channel employed by B2B and B2C companies alike because of its high response rate.

Pros and Cons Of Direct Mail Marketing

Direct mail marketing was once one of the most loved marketing channels. Marketers across all industry verticals relied on direct mail. Later on, businesses slowly shifted entirely to digital mediums for their marketing purposes.

However, many businesses never stopped using direct mail as their primary marketing channel because of the marketing advantages. According to Niel Patel, a global marketing expert, direct mail offers a higher ROI than advanced marketing methods, including paid search and online display ads.

But the high response rate is not the only reason direct mail marketing is an effective marketing channel. Here are a few advantages of direct mail marketing over other online marketing channels.

Direct Mail Is An Interactive Way To Convey Your Marketing Message

As you know, direct mail is one of the most interactive marketing channels you can find. It is feasible, unlike online marketing channels like email, social media posts, etc. In other words, the customer can hold and feel it in their hands before they decide whether or not to keep it.

On the other hand, ignoring a marketing email or message is easy because they are not very interactive. There is no physical handling of your marketing message when interacting with an online or digital marketing channel.

Furthermore, you can include a promotional offer or a discount coupon that requires action from the recipient. You can use these actions to boost traffic to your website or improve the sales of your brick-and-mortar store. The customer will most likely keep your postcard safely if the offer is relevant.

Direct Mail Is More Memorable

All of us likely have some deep-rooted memory of receiving a postcard or letter from our loved ones. It was exciting for us to receive and open such mailers. Getting mailers generates a similar feeling inside the recipients, and they may even feel nostalgic.

You can further enhance this effect on the customers by personalising the mailer. Using a handwritten note or signature can make your prospects feel special and form an emotional connection with your brand. As a result, your mailers and marketing message become more memorable.

Direct Mail Enables You To Reach A Wider Audience

Direct mail has a significantly wider target audience than digital advertising in certain cases. For example, suppose your target audience does not frequent social media or regularly check their emails. In that case, direct mail is your best option.

However, that does not mean that you can not simultaneously reach the target audience on offline and online platforms. Multi-channel marketing campaigns are often much more effective than independently using an offline or online marketing channel.

Direct Mail Allows The Get Creative With Your Marketing Campaigns

Some of you may think that direct mail marketing is boring and there is nothing special you can do with it. But, in reality, it allows marketers to get super creative with their marketing campaigns. The customer can touch and feel direct mailers. It enables marketers to experiment with their mailers in numerous ways.

You can send 3D or pop-up cards to your customers, and you can include paper art or origami. Marketers can even use invisible ink for printing. Such direct mail communications make your mailer and your brand memorable. Corporate giants like IKEA, KFC, and more have already used similar creative approaches for their direct mail campaigns.

There Is Less Competition In Direct Mail Marketing

Another huge advantage of direct mail as a marketing channel is low competition. The trend today is that companies belonging to all verticals are now scaling back on their physical marketing efforts.

Digital marketing campaigns are easier to implement and measure. You can find the results of digital marketing campaigns much faster than direct mail campaigns. Furthermore, digital mediums are also popular for being environmentally friendly. As a result, the majority of the companies no longer use print media for marketing.

Since fewer companies use direct mail as a marketing channel, it is easier for your brand to get noticed. It is also worth noting that most direct mail recipients at least skim through their mail before discarding the irrelevant ones.

According to Royal Mail, “94% of mail is of advertising mail is either opened, read, sorted, put aside for later, filed, put on display or in the ‘usual place'”

Royal Mail is the most cost-efficient direct mail service you can use to market a product or service in the UK. What you see below are a few simple steps for executing an effective direct mail campaign for your business through the Royal Mail.

Step 1: Define The Objective For Your Direct Mail Campaign

The first thing you need to do to create an effective direct mail campaign is defining its objective. Get a clear idea of what you wish to accomplish through your campaign. Some of the most common marketing objectives are:

• Drive more online sales.
• Introduce a new product or service.
• Increase in-store visits.
• Boost loyalty of existing customers.
• Welcome a new customer
• Bring back a customer that the business lost.

Defining your marketing goals makes it easier to develop a relevant marketing message that connects with your customers. However, make sure that the goal you set is realistic and achievable. The best approach is to check your business’s current insight or performance so you can decide on a practical marketing goal.

Step 2: Understand Your Target Audience

As with any other marketing strategy, the Royal Mail also requires understanding your target audience. Moreover, understanding your target audience in direct mail is vital because of the need for personalisation.

Suppose you target the wrong audience for the direct mail campaign. In that case, you won’t get the desired results even if you offer the best service and the most attractive discount offer. The best way to understand your target audience is to ask yourself the following questions.

• Why would the customer be interested in your product/service?
• What are the needs or challenges your prospects are likely facing?
• How can your product/service solve the problem the prospects are facing?
• Is the target audience familiar with your brand?
• Have you ever communicated with the audience before?

Answering these questions will help you create a comprehensive message centred on the customer instead of the product/service. It is an effective way to make the customers feel that the mailer is about them and their pain points.

Step 3: Craft Your Marketing Message

After defining your objective and understanding the target audience, you can start working on your marketing message. The marketing message must convey the following things to the target audience:

• How the product/service you offer solves the problems or pain points of the customer
• What is the next step the prospect needs to take after reading your offer?

Furthermore, you must ensure that the mailers are personalised even for a mass mail out. Personalising your marketing mailer increases the effectiveness of your message significantly. Additionally, marketers must also consider the form of direct mail they will use for their campaign, such as postcards, brochures, etc.

The length and content of your message can vary dramatically depending on the form of direct mail you use. You can even consider combining different mailer formats. For example, you can first send a brochure to the customer and then follow it up with a postcard as a reminder.  

Step 4: Consider Integration WIth Other Marketing Channels

Direct mail is no longer a traditional mode of marketing communication. It can now be equipped with full automation capabilities using advanced direct mail tools like PostGrid. Using marketing channels in combination with digital channels can enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns more than you might think.

Consider including a QR Code in your mailer to direct your customers to your website or landing page. Multi-channel and omnichannel approaches are two of the most effective and advanced marketing methods marketers use today.

Direct mail is one of the best ways for businesses to reach out to their target audience and enhance their chance of getting a response. Even though traditional direct marketing has several downsides, you can rectify virtually all of them with a direct mail automation solution.

PostGrid is one of the best direct mail software that enables businesses to automate their postal mail process fully. You can integrate PostGrid with your CRM software to personalise your mail with the click of a button.

Furthermore, PostGrid can simplify your mass mail out with easy printing and delivery of your direct mail via Royal Mail. You can even use PostGrid’s address verification API to ensure the deliverability of your mails.