If you have ever received an offer from a local business, a promotion for a new service operating in the area or even a nationwide catalogue, you will understand what it is like to receive direct mail advertising. It is simply advertising, through the mail, that goes directly to the consumer.
There are many common types of direct mail advertising, including the following:
- elections. physical print ads are the most common form of direct mail advertising.
- newsletters and mailing lists: community events, updates from a national charity, or other informational types of Direct mail are also forms of advertising companies can use. direct communication with an audience maintains contact and maintains awareness.
- professional business advertising: direct mail advertising can also include professional business advertising, spec letters for a new business-to-service business or even notices asking a business to complete a survey, census, or registration form.
Any marketing that comes through the mail from businesses is a type of direct mail. As providers of a variety of delivery services, including direct mail campaigns for small and medium-sized businesses, we can explain a bit more about its pros, cons, and how it works.
We can offer fast, reliable, and cost-effective direct mail delivery, something many e-commerce and other businesses struggle to find. we also provide impeccable levels of customer service; You’ll see our professional and friendly team at work when you contact us for more information.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Direct Mail Advertising?
The following are some of the advantages of direct mail advertising:
- Cost effective: Getting mail to a destination at a cost effective price is something many businesses find frustrating. however, direct mail usually includes small items in the mail, so shipping costs are minimal. plus, creating a direct marketing campaign is simple, efficient, and scalable for a large audience.
- personal touch: It’s pretty simple to format all of your direct mail with a personal touch, especially when you have an existing mailing list. Using specialized audience segmentation tools from a trusted direct mail provider will also help you give that personal touch to people who have no current contact with your business.
- multi-format – Unlike email, you can send many types of articles through the mail. catalogs, brochures, even an entire magazine, can be mailed, providing a tactile experience that digital technology simply can’t deliver. many people feel that a physical piece of marketing also presents a greater sense of legitimacy and trustworthiness.
- excellent targeting: direct mail is not about pushing a postcard through every gate; it is very targeted. By using the details of your existing customers or relevant new leads, you ensure that people only receive mail that meets their current wants or future needs. speculative approaches using direct mail marketing are often more successful.
- response rates: people tend to open your physical mail much more easily than they open digital email . there’s something about physical media that also makes it much more likely to stick in the reader’s mind. a piece of mail can also hang in a room near the recipient, increasing the chances that he or someone else will respond.
It is also possible to measure the effectiveness of a direct mail marketing campaign by using a unique offer code, which will help you build and curate an even better targeted mailing list. direct mail also means you can send mail using a partial address (with addresses like “to owner” or similar), which is perfect for acquiring or reactivating customers on a large scale.
Click here for more information on our partially addressed mail service.
the following are some disadvantages of direct mail advertising:
- not environmentally friendly: If you’re environmentally conscious, minimizing your use of paper and transportation infrastructure could deter you from direct mail advertising. is a difficult point for green companies. But for many businesses, it’s easy to mitigate these impacts by using mail with recycled or recyclable materials and efficient mail carriers.
- Spam: Sometimes people who receive advertising for Consider direct mail as ‘junk’ mail. while it’s true that there are plenty of pieces of spam, direct mail advertising at its best is targeted to the point where it’s super relevant to the recipient, and even speculative approaches can be targeted with a high degree of precision. </li
- Time-consuming: Direct mail needs to be physical, so printing, design, and formatting will take time. Many businesses don’t have the time to do this, so this could be considered a huge inconvenience if you need to focus on other areas of your business. efficient printing or outsourcing services can help alleviate this concern.
- delivery time: you’re not going to drop a high-demand product in the mail because it takes time to arrive at address digital mail is best when you need instant communication, such as a flash sale, pop-up event, or even an urgent warning or awareness campaign. achieving this is impossible with physical mail.
- less easy to track: although response rates are high, having a clear idea of who has opened your mail advertisement (and when) can be difficult. You can track when your mail is on its way and has been delivered with a good carrier, but specific data on open rates, open time, or other digital-only information is much more difficult to measure.
Each type of advertising has its drawbacks, and direct mail can sometimes be considered one of the more “old school” marketing channels. however, even modern digital businesses like uber or deliveroo use direct mail, so it entirely depends on the nature of your business and the strategy you choose to follow.
Is direct mail advertising effective?
Direct mail is very effective when done correctly. there’s a lot that goes into an effective campaign, which will involve good targeting, a personal touch, reliable delivery, and low costs.
Effective direct mail advertising has been shown to help with the following:
- brand awareness
- customer retention
- customer acquisition
- increased repeat business
- up-selling or cross-selling
Direct mail advertising is also effective for highly localized advertising, making it a great option for small businesses targeting less populated areas like towns and villages.
Many people cause problems for their organization by not properly considering their responsibilities to consumers. For tips on how to avoid damage to your brand reputation when advertising via direct mail, check out our advertising & responsible email content guide.
You can also check out our helpful direct mailing guide for more information on how to increase the effectiveness of your existing campaigns.
How Much is Direct Mail Advertising?
Implementing direct mail advertising has costs associated with it, but the costs can often be mitigated by hiring a professional. costs vary but will depend on the following:
- postal rates
- mail content; large envelopes and other larger mailings are more expensive than a postcard
- the size of your mailing list
- graphics, design, and other production costs
- time costs, although this is only relevant when you do it yourself.
physical always costs more than digital. however, effective physical marketing strategies coupled with digital marketing campaigns will generally provide a good return on investment.
get a quote for direct mail advertising
Overall, direct mail advertising is a proven and reliable marketing method, with several advantages and disadvantages compared to other forms of advertising. The best strategy is to use direct mail as part of your overall marketing for a holistic approach. We offer cost-effective, fast and highly targeted direct mail services to businesses across the UK, as well as many international delivery services. Feel free to contact us to learn more about how we can help your business with direct mail advertising today.