Breaking the Myths of Direct Mail

While direct mail is one of the most established forms of marketing, it can still be enshrouded in mystery to the uninitiated. It's our job as direct-mail specialists to educate our clients and prospects, and to dispel the myths surrounding direct mail. Here are some of those myths, and how to put your customers at ease.

It’s too expensive!
Or is it? Sure, email has low production costs and might seem appealing, but it's worth digging deeper. Direct mail allows you to put your communication in your target's hands thereby increasing the likelihood they read its message. Email offers a less direct approach, with many messages overlooked, deleted or lost to the junk mail folder. If your target never receives the message, then it is time and effort wasted. Direct mail has almost guaranteed delivery.

It isn't targeted
Quite the opposite! Direct mail allows you to contact your clients or prospects with some of the most advanced data available. Data matching can pair your existing records with information from other sources to give you a rich understanding of your database. With these additional insights, you can then build a profile of your customer and communicate to them in the most targeted way.

Direct mail databases are inaccurate
Direct mail has some of the most accurate data available to marketeers. Sure, purchased lists can soon lose their value with inaccurate and out-of-date records, but data cleansing means they reach their intended recipients. Duplicate data can also do your business more harm than good, irritating your prospects if they receive multiple versions of the same communication. Direct mail has practices in place to ensure your recipient receives only one communication.

It's junk mail
There is a perception that all unsolicited mail is considered as junk mail, but direct mail is different. As all direct mail is targeted and addressed, it is sent to the recipient with the Royal Mail postal run meaning it won't be thrown away with the takeaway menus and supermarket catalogues. Addressed mail carries weight and authority and piques the curiosity of the reader, meaning that your mail won't go unopened.

It doesn't engage its audience
Direct mail it Is one of the most engaging forms of marketing yet. 3.4% of recipients engage with direct mail, compared with only .12% who respond to email. That's an astronomical difference. Put simply, that's 30 times more customers for your business or 34,000 of every million you contact.

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