In the midst of all the online violence, Direct Mail seems to be dying as a marketing tool. And rightly so! Studies show that reach and conversion is much higher compared to e-mailings. And the footprint of paper compared to the CO2 emissions of data centres can almost be set off against each other. So does Direct Mail work better than, say, e-mail marketing or personalised websites? Certainly if you use both instruments in combination. And there is still a world to be won.
To start with, the print world is sometimes very modest. So "be good and tell it!". Share your DM success stories. Also to online agencies. Tell them how you can personalise paper mailings, what you can achieve with special shapes, sizes, colours and even scents. That you can also personalise the bump in the envelope. On our projects page, for example, we describe a number of great cases in which direct mail plays a leading role.
Be open to online
Print and online are not enemies. In fact, they reinforce each other. A paper mailing followed by an e-mailing always scores more conversions than separate mailings. Signing up for something online is less of a hurdle than filling in a paper document. But that does not mean the invitation has to be online. A nice paper trigger with a QR code produces surprising results. Often more than an e-mail invitation in the already full mailbox. Graphic companies often have limited expertise in house to appreciate the possibilities of online. If you do embrace online, you can simply do more for your customers. Especially when it comes to print. Personalised websites generate more conversions when people request a catalogue. If the applicant then receives a nice printed catalogue instead of a downloadable pdf, you really score.
Follow-up
Ultimately, the aim of every mailing is to prompt action. Sometimes it takes more than that. Think about that carefully in advance. For example, by calling in a call centre to follow-up on the mailing. Or by cooperating with a field marketing agency that carries out product sampling at trade fairs or busy shopping centres... including a nicely printed flyer with a QR code that leads to a mobile landing page.
Feel like talking to a party that looks further than your own print and mail line? Then please contact us.
