How can direct mail generate results if this strategy has fallen into disuse since the rise of digital marketing?

Does anyone still think about direct mail?

Surprisingly, many people do think about direct mail, and the reasons are quite convincing.

The first reason: everything tactile makes a connection because it’s humanized. Touching a piece of paper and feeling its texture, seeing the colors, the format of the fonts, etc. becomes much more emotional than interacting with an online script.

Second reason: it’s a channel that offers an incredible open rate of around 42%. Emails offer an opening rate of around 24%. The data comes from neilpatel.com.br.

The best strategy for increasing email open rates

Email verification is used as a strategy to increase email open rates. This is because a clean list is delivered directly to the user’s inbox, and not to the spam box, as happens with unverified bases.

This means that a list full of bounces won’t even get near the inbox! And just 3% of them are enough to send the entire campaign to the spam folder. This is why email validation is so essential for deliverability and, consequently, for the open rate of campaigns.

How to do direct mail: the differential of the element of surprise

Direct mail has a good open rate because sending printed materials is not something that the consumer expects.

In other words, what is considered “extinct” becomes a surprise, and this activates the mental trigger of curiosity in the recipient.

And the third and main reason why you should include printed materials in your marketing strategies: this channel offers an ROI of 29%!

In other words: depending on how you plan to use direct mail, this channel can boost your turnover!

But if we’re talking about such an old communication channel, what has changed and, above all, how can we adapt it for today?

That’s what we’re going to see next!

Customization

If the consumer doesn’t expect to receive printed material, imagine if it’s personalized?

An action like this can strengthen the relationship with your customers and generate more attention to the material.

On the Internet, the fight for attention uses every possible provocation to capture the eyes of the consumer, who in turn is easily distracted by so many stimuli.

Direct mail offers the opportunity to capture the recipient’s undivided attention, as they interrupt their activities to open an envelope and see what’s inside.

In digital, people hardly ever stop what they’re doing to look at an ad. In fact, in the online world, ads are usually embedded in content.

How to do direct mail: invest in Graphic Production

Direct mail already has the advantage of attracting attention because it is a tactile material, delivered directly into the recipient’s hands.

Precisely for this reason, investing in graphic production can captivate the consumer’s eye even more.

Papers with different weights and textures, special cuts, the application of localized inks and interesting colors, high-quality resolutions and a good finish highlight the quality of the material, enhancing the layout and the piece as a whole.

In this way, communication comes to life and the possibility of generating positive results increases. This is what we call conversion in digital marketing.

Direct mail or email marketing

You can use both forms of communication at different times.

With email marketing, you can communicate at a totally optimized cost, since you don’t have to finance postage, printing and extra materials. It’s worth remembering that the ROI of email marketing is the highest in the digital marketing sector, at US$ 42 for every dollar invested.

Direct mail, on the other hand, requires an infinitely greater investment, for the reasons we’ve just seen, but the open rate is high, and that’s good for results.

Use direct mail as a trick up your sleeve. For example: you’re going to launch and you want to attract a lot of attention.

In the end, online and offline complement each other!

You can apply digital marketing to direct mail by using elements that link to some online action.

For example: inserting a QR code containing a link to the website, sales landing page, etc. Or to access an exclusive coupon on the website.

An action like this can help a lot in generating traffic and conversions on the site.

The opportunities are many! Use your creativity to explore all the online and offline possibilities together!

Conclusion

It’s not uncommon for people to comment on “outdated” marketing strategies. This has happened with email marketing, which recently faced criticism that it had lost its strength, and that forms of communication have come a long way from the use of email.

With an ROI of US$ 42, email marketing is doing better and better in campaign planning all over the world.

Direct mail is following a similar path, as it also has a high ROI and excellent open rates.

It is therefore important for professionals to analyze the adherence of communication channels to their needs, without judgment. This can make a big difference to results!

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