{"id":868,"date":"2018-06-26T12:31:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-26T16:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=868"},"modified":"2018-06-26T12:31:55","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T16:31:55","slug":"what-is-direct-mail-marketing-does-it-still-work-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/what-is-direct-mail-marketing-does-it-still-work-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Direct Mail Marketing? Does It Still Work in 2018?"},"content":{"rendered":"When you’re marketing your business, you want to try different marketing tactics. This includes tapping different marketing channels – traditional and digital. Here, we’ll talk about what is direct mail marketing and why businesses should still use it in 2018.<\/b><\/h4>\n

What is direct mail marketing, and more importantly, does it work?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, check out some of these stats. According to the <\/span>Data and Marketing Association<\/span><\/a>, 42% of consumers read catalogs received in the mail. In the U.S. alone, 100.7 million adults made a catalog purchase in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

The direct mail response rates for house file are 5.3%. For prospect lists they’re 2.9%. Compare those numbers to the average email response rate of only <\/span>0.12%<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

For almost 200 years, direct mail was the uncontested marketing leader. Now it has competition. Read on to discover exactly what it is and why it’s worth pursuing.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Direct Mail Marketing?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Direct mail (DM) is a type of outbound marketing which relies on physical letters, postcards, catalogs, and notes. You send the mail through regular postal services, like USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Customers receive your mail and open it as they would any letter.<\/span><\/p>\n

This type of marketing has been around since the advent of the postal service. Big names like Sears, Montgomery Ward, and J.C. Penney got their start through mailcatalogss. It granted them the power to move beyond the confines of their brick-and-mortar storefronts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only recently has the DM approach faced competition. It comes in the form of digital marketing. Does that mean DM is dead?<\/span><\/p>\n

Nope, it’s still going strong. Just take a look at the sections below.<\/span><\/p>\n

High Return on Investment<\/b><\/h2>\n

Consider its ROI for a moment. When you compare direct mail (DM) to outbound marketing, like paid search and online display ads, DM wins. It has a median <\/span>ROI of 29%,<\/span><\/a> trailing close behind social media marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

It loses to social media by only a single percentage point. If you’re already investing in social media marketing, consider expanding your campaign into the DM channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multi-Channel Marketing<\/b><\/h2>\n

Expert marketers set up campaigns using multiple direct marketing channels. They utilize search engine optimization. They play with LinkedIn ads. They build blog content. They post videos.<\/span><\/p>\n

They research their market and target customers. Then, they design a campaign to match.<\/span><\/p>\n

They know where their prospects hang out. They know their problems and interests. They use multiple avenues, targeting prospects from different directions. That way, they can lead prospects through each stage of the buyer’s journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you combine digital and physical marketing, you create a more personable experience for consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

It Takes Less Effort<\/b><\/h2>\n

No, not for you. It takes less brainpower for consumers. DM takes <\/span>21% less cognitive effort<\/span><\/a> to process than email. (You need to put in the same amount of work.)<\/span><\/p>\n

For marketers, communication is paramount. If your prospects don’t understand your message, they’ll reject it. It’s as simple as that.<\/span><\/p>\n

The less work it takes consumers to decipher your message, the higher your conversion rate will be.<\/span><\/p>\n

Location Based Targeting<\/b><\/h2>\n

Facebook gives you the power to target prospects with pinpoint accuracy. Google offers different filters, but they still give you laser focus. That’s arguably the main reason that experts love digital marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, the United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented its <\/span>Every Door Direct Mail<\/span><\/a> program. With it, you have a similar fine-point focus over your campaign’s geographical location. These are a few filters they offer to refine your campaign:<\/span><\/p>\n