There are many ways to spread your message online in this day and age of technology. Smart businesses who nurture Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and now TikTok profiles to reach potential clients have increased their reach simply through social media.
These alternatives are probably going to expand as Generation Z ages.
Some businesses have abandoned conventional strategies like direct mail as a result of all these new digital marketing opportunities—an "out with the old, in with the new" approach.
However, just because traditional techniques have been used for a while doesn't mean they are ineffective. They actually do work, which is why they've been around for so long.
Email vs. Direct Mail
Direct mail is one of the oldest ways to spread your message.
Any promotional material that a person receives in their physical mailbox is referred to as direct mail, including pamphlets, postcards, flyers, and catalogs, to mention a few.
Nowadays, most people receive their bills electronically and communicate with others via email, thus mailboxes are largely empty. Any direct mail that comes in should be more noticeable than it was a few years ago.
Because it is tactile, even if the recipients discard it, they must first see and touch it. Compare that to emails that are used for mass marketing, also known as "spam."
Due to the overwhelming amount of emails people receive today, many unsolicited ones go unopened. Additionally, some marketing emails aren't even delivered to prospective customers' inboxes since spam is explicitly targeted by email providers' filters.
Although email is a cheap way to instantly contact a lot of people, I think an email campaign can be considerably more successful if used in conjunction with a direct mail effort.
Combining Techniques To Best Target Prospective Clients
Advertisers are anticipated to spend roughly $43 billion on direct mail in 2022, according to the online statistics and market research organization Statista. That is an increase of 3.5% above the roughly $42 billion invested in 2020.
According to a market study by Omnisend (cited by Forbes), multichannel marketing campaigns have a purchase rate that is 287% greater than single-channel marketing campaigns.
You must launch your campaign with a potent direct mail piece. It is inefficient to send out a bulk letter to a big sample of people. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum once stated: "Junk mail doesn't exist; just campaigns that were poorly planned and executed.
"It's crucial that you target particular demographics inside a particular market if you want the best outcomes. It must be a service that they require and is accessible to them.
For instance, a senior citizen is not in need of a children's haircut discount from a barbershop 50 miles away. Finding the particular population you want to target is simple with the abundance of digital resources available today.
Once you've chosen your target market and distributed your advertisement to them, you need to persuade them to keep it. Perhaps it's a deal giving a sizable discount for trying out your company. Additionally, you might spread the information through digital platforms.
It can be effective to include a Quick Response (QR) code that customers can scan with their phone to receive a discount. Once they're on your website, you might ask them to provide their email address to sign up for exclusive deals. Now that you know their postal address and email, you can contact them. Additionally, because they now see your name in their inbox rather than in the spam bin, they are more inclined to open your email.
The recipients of that direct mail item may be persuaded to visit your social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms. You can direct them to your website and get their email addresses through those ways.
The most successful marketing strategies in the future, in my opinion, will be those that integrate digital marketing, such as social media, with classic techniques like direct mail in a one-two punch that can draw attention to your company.