Direct Mail and Integration

The rise of the digital marketing age began at the turn of the millennium when the internet bubble burst. Google was born two years prior, Amazon a few years before that and some of the largest online businesses of today, Linkedin, Facebook, Youtube, were in the process of being launched.

Marketers recognised that consumers were moving online and began to focus their efforts on digital channels. Direct mail, as a result, saw a decrease in use.

This has created a great deal of deliberation surrounding direct mail and its viability as a marketing tactic. Did digital kill direct mail? Is it dead completely? Is it making a comeback? There are endless tirades in ‘current trend’ pieces being crammed with clichés in an effort to increase readership and the death of direct mail has been predicted time and time again.

The simple truth is that these questions are irrelevant. Direct mail never died. In contrast, it is experiencing something of a renaissance period as digital platforms become cluttered with noise, ad blockers are becoming more and more sophisticated and the average consumer has built up a substantial defence against digital advertising.

Direct mail has the ability to cut through that noise. Tactile objects create a stronger connection with the brand that sends them and the latest technology allows mail to be personalised, highly targeted and creative.

Direct mail alone can increase response rates; in fact, the Direct Marketing Association reports that ‘79% of consumers act on direct mail, compared to 45% via email campaigns’.* But integrate it into a strategy where multiple marketing tactics are in use and its impact grows. Modern marketers, for the most part, advocate integration. A cohesive strategy that makes use of multiple marketing tactics can develop trust through consistent messaging, save costs, and increase brand recognition.

So it’s not an issue of whether direct mail is less effective than its digital counterparts, it’s about incorporating the tactic into strategies to take advantage of its benefits, determine its effectiveness for yourself and add another channel where your brand can reach your audiences and communicate your message.

Mail and Print are an established direct mail service provider and have decades of experience in what makes a successful direct mail campaign. We are in a strong position to advise you where direct mail can be integrated into your existing direct mail strategies.
Give us a call on 01747 820960 and we’ll be happy to help you and provide more information.

If you already make use of direct mail and need help with your next campaign then please get in touch with us at sales@mailandprint.co.uk or simply request a quote by using the buttons on the side of the screen.

*Direct Marketing Association