Email Backlash

Our email in-boxes are bursting with unwanted messages and managing those pile-ups is gobbling up hours we could put to more productive use. Email is still a valid platform, but what started out as a speedy, convenient and cheap way to send messages has morphed into an intrusive, bloated system stuffed with information we don’t want. Email bugs most of us.

Marketers who eagerly embraced email are battling against spam filters, junk mail folders, unsubscribe buttons, and defunct email addresses — all barriers that prevent messages from getting through, alienate audiences, and make the job of marketing more difficult.

Faced with this email backlash, direct mail is looking new and fresh again. Here’s why.

Direct mail isn’t intrusive and doesn’t come with an unsubscribe button. It’s a physical product that stands out among fewer competing pieces and gets more attention than an email message.

Studies consistently show that print demands less cognitive power to understand, yet engages at a deeper neurological level. Recipients get the message quickly, retain it longer, and experience it with more senses and emotions. Repeated studies also show that direct mail delivers a higher response rate and inspires more trust. Even digital-native millennials like direct mail more than email.

You can target direct mail just as easily as email using a variety of methods, such as variable printing, postal routes, dwelling type, and others.

Direct Mail Best Practices

But as with almost everything old that’s new again, today’s direct mail has evolved. We don’t use the spray and pray approach anymore. It has become much more sophisticated. Consider these points when designing your next direct mail campaign.

Stand out from the crowd. Use lively, eye-catching images to complement your messages and make your piece pop. Think about different substrates for a tactile punch. Modern-day printing technology is impressive, and it’s possible to print on just about anything. Consult us early in the creation process so we can advise you on substrates, inks, and specialty applications. Make your piece interactive to achieve higher engagement levels.

Integrate direct mail with other platforms. Align your direct mail programs with other promotions and use the printed piece to drive clients to your website or engage on social media. Tools like QR codes make this easier than ever.

Target your content. If your content is relevant, recipients will respond to it. But the days of simply affixing a name on a direct mail piece to impress readers are gone. Consumers want messages and offers that matter to them. A consumer in Maine may respond to a different message, or different images, than a consumer in Oklahoma, even though you’re selling the same product or service. With today’s variable printing technology, you can target consumers by geographic location, profession, age, or even individually. Our direct mail experts can advise you on what’s possible to create memorable and relevant pieces. 

Leverage your data. If you have data on your customers or consumers you’d like to target, use it to determine what messages you need to communicate. Perhaps you need to address a misconception, launch a new product, or offer a reward to loyal customers. Your data will tell you what to do. If you use data correctly, you will print only what you need and enjoy a healthy response rate.

Make it trackable. All kinds of applications make a direct mail piece trackable, including various printed codes, QR codes, and URLs, which can be individualized. Direct mail can be tracked all the way to the recipient’s physical mailbox.

In today’s increasingly digitally interconnected marketing universe you have to use several channels to reach your audiences. Direct mail has a valuable and enduring role to play.