Direct Marketing’s Relevance in a Digital World

By TechFunnel Contributors - Last Updated on June 17, 2020
Direct Marketing

Guest Contribution by Paul Berman

Direct marketing, mail marketing, tangible marketing – all terms that seem to have no place among Facebook and Google AdWords of the world. When you think about it, direct marketing has one goal, and that is to generate tangible, measurable results. The goal has not changed, but the processes to achieve that goal have.

In the modern internet age, the market for companies to gain exposure through email is becoming over-saturated. Email statistics show that in September 2019 emails only had a 14.79 percent open rate. On the converse, 98 percent of consumers bring in their mail the day it is delivered, and of those individuals’ 77 percent will sort through the mail immediately. Studies have also shown that 80-90 percent of individuals will open direct mail. If you are not using direct mail in this digital world you risk missing out on 83 percent of your consumers.

Direct mail is the old tried-and-true, and when overlaid with a technologically sophisticated, targeted marketing approach, direct mail can be even more effective, relevant and timely.  Unlike digital marketing, direct mail has one of the biggest impacts because it offers hands-on experience for customers.

While direct mail has a resounding success rate, it is important to use it in conjunction with email as it creates a stronger brand experience for consumers.  Integrating direct mail with an online presence is the key to a winning combination as marketers can balance the weaknesses of one with the strengths of the other.

One of the strengths that are attributed to online marketing is the ability for precise targeted data. The same is true of direct mail marketing. With the sophisticated technology, marketers can mail to specifically targeted consumers to create effective, relevant and timely tangible experiences between the consumer and the brand. Personalization has been known to boost response rates, and through targeted data, marketers can now personalize direct mail. Further, to increase the experience, the piece of direct mail will have a call to action for the consumer to explore online, inviting the consumer to interact with the brand once again in the digital space.

Recently, marketing took a hit when privacy concerns regarding online marketing come into the spotlight. With privacy concerns wreaking havoc online, marketers are having to turn to tried and true traditional methods. Direct mail is a great opportunity to reach targeted consumers using appropriate data to effectively engage them. It also gives them the opportunity to opt-out, whereas those Internet ads showing a product you just talked to your friend about, are a little more difficult to escape.

In today’s heavily digital world, it is important for marketers to remember that online marketing cannot do it alone. For a successful campaign, marketers must combine direct mail and online marketing efforts, which in turn achieves higher brand awareness and recall and increases ROI.

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Paul Berman previously worked as an independent financial planner for 12 years. Today, Paul serves as CEO of BirthdayPak, which is a life-event print & digital direct marketing business. When he is not working at BirthdayPak, Paul can be found on the Appalachian Trail as he works on completing his 2189-mile project backpacking from Georgia to Maine, section by section. Paul has been married for 29 years to his “love-at-first-sight” Mary Jo and has two sons Jake & Sam.

TechFunnel Contributors | TechFunnel.com is an ambitious publication dedicated to the evolving landscape of marketing and technology in business and in life. We are dedicated to sharing unbiased information, research, and expert commentary that helps executives and professionals stay on top of the rapidly evolving marketplace, leverage technology for productivity, and add value to their knowledge base.

TechFunnel Contributors |TechFunnel.com is an ambitious publication dedicated to the evolving landscape of marketing and technology in business and in life. We are dedicated to sharing unbiased information, research, and expert commentary that helps executives and professionals stay on top of the rapidly evolving marketplace, leverage technology for productivity, and add value to their knowledge base.

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