Having trouble with email marketing? Here are 10 reasons why you should consider direct mail

GDPR has made it quite difficult to gain consent and what about the fact that 95% of all e-mails are never read? We’re not saying scrap email marketing, but here are ten reasons why you should consider adding direct mail into the mix:

1.       Mail is a favourite. More than half of the people you are trying to reach prefer a combination of email and mail. 17% of them want to be contacted by mail alone, if you add the two, you get 68% of potential clients looking for communications by mail, according to a study done my Royal Mail.[1]

2.       Mail drives online action and the numbers are high: 92% of consumers go online as a result of receiving mail.

3.       Mail gets attention. More than two thirds of respondents say they are receiving too many emails. However, roughly the same amount open all their mail. If you add the number of people who open most of their mail you get 84%, according to a study done by Kantar Media TGI[2].

4.       Mail has impact. Over 60% of respondents take it more seriously.

5.       Mail adds value. 70% of people feel they are more valuable to the company that sends them mail.

6.       Mail increases trust. Approximately two thirds of consumers say they think better of a company that sends them mail.

7.       Mail gets consent. Attention, trust, value, impact, action – all of these are key factors in convincing someone to share their private data.  They are qualities important for building a relationship with the customer and gaining their consent for using and holding their personal information.

8.       Mail has higher delivery rate. 95% versus 50%, which is the rate for most email lists.[3]

9.       Mail is memorable. Less than half of the people that see a digital ad remember the brand, but three quarters of those that receive direct mail can recall it.[4]

10.   Mail has a higher lifespan. It can stay in a household for up to 17 days, whereas an email has an existence of only 2 seconds.[5]   

To sum up, direct mail has a lot to offer to a marketing campaign and should definitely be used as part of a mix. Also, when devising a strategy for gaining consent from the customer, direct mail is an essential tactic that can improve trust in the company and develop a relationship that is more open to sharing private data.

[1] Royal Mail MarketReach, Mail and Digital Part 1, Quadrangle, 2013.

[2] Kantar Media TGI, October 2013-September 2014.

[3] https://nobsinnercircle.com/blog/marketing-2/the-demise-of-direct-mail-strictly-a-grand-illusion/

[4] www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2016/july/digital-marketing-vs-traditional-marketing

[5] www.glw.media/direct-mail-marketing-vs-email-marketing