Among the many types of marketing strategies used for generating leads, direct mail is one such strategy that is still viable for many companies. Determining whether direct mail is right for you depends on a number of circumstances which we will discuss in the sections following.
What is direct mail?
Direct mail is a form of direct marketing in which physical advertising is sent through the mail via postal services to prospective customers. This often includes sending flyers, postcards, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, and other forms of promotional material to consumers, businesses, or both.
The advantages of direct mailing
There are a number of advantages in a direct mailing campaign.
Brand recognition – A direct mailing campaign allows you to send information about your company’s brand and image to local residents and businesses quickly with the help of a newsletter, postcard, or flyer to a targeted mailing list.
“Unlimited” information – Alternative forms of advertising such as billboards or a newspaper ad have “finite” space available for you to publish your information. Direct mail, however, gives you unrestricted freedom in the amount of content and information you can provide to your prospective customers.
Tracking Ability – Direct mail allows you to place a special code or URL on any given page or card that the customer can use to “learn more” or “apply a special discount” with before checkout. This allows you to see which clients browsed your site and/or converted by the code they applied or the new webpage they landed on.
The disadvantages of direct mailing
Alternatively, having a direct mailing campaign also has its disadvantages.
High material cost – Costs for direct mail can add up to a few dollars per list name when you include costs of shipping, obtaining a prospective list, and creating specific material content for the recipient.
The importance of reliability – You don’t want to shoot from the hip. Sending out mail randomly in the hopes that at least “someone” will convert isn’t a good idea for reducing costs and optimizing your marketing strategy. Instead, take the time to create or obtain a reliable list of prospective clients that are the most likely to engage with your content.
How to determine if direct mail is right for you
Having a direct mailing campaign for your business can bring brand awareness and advertising information at a valuable level for your company. On the other hand, using a direct mailing campaign can mean high costs for printing material and extra time and effort for creating reliability in a good mailing list. What things should you consider?
How strong is your digital presence? – If you’re doing well with digital resources in driving awareness, creating brand recognition, and making conversions, you may want to stick with digital marketing. This usually costs much less to reach the same amount of people.
Do you have access to a prospective customer data list? – A bulk of the cost in a direct mailing campaign comes from obtaining a reliable list of prospective customers. Having access to this information readily available can reduce costs significantly.
Do you plan on printing content in bulk? – Printing material in bulk can reduce the overall cost of your material. However, it’s important to know how many items you should print, as printing too much can cost you just as much as it would to print each item individually.
Salt Lake Printing – Your Reliable Printing Company
Looking to print a postcard or pamphlet for your next mailing campaign? Stop by Salt Lake Printing today! We specialize in printing high-quality flyers, brochures, postcards, catalogs, business cards, and more.
Have any questions or concerns? Give us a call or chat with us directly on Facebook!