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The new love affair, direct mail and digital
Repost: Original article by: marketscan
When the shiny shoes of digital marketing and social media reached our shores, it was tempting for marketers of the impetuous and impatient variety to denounce the traditional marketing tools (including direct mail) as dead in the water, nodding pityingly at other marketers exercising caution or shuddering through fear of the unknown.
Not surprisingly many brands in the consumer sector plunged headlong into digital – e-mail marketing frenzy, webinars, podcasts, viral advertising, Facebook and twitter.
But what of the business to business sector?
Well, the migration has been slower not least because relying solely on a palette of digital and social media is in many cases simply not enough to deliver the desired level of conversions, meetings, responses and sales. Not every business that you want to target is actively searching online for what you’re offering are they? Even if they are, their online searches will be conducted sporadically over many months. You are competing with competitors too; many keen to pay handsomely in their bid to accelerate up the front page of Google.
Savvy businesses know that the off-line channels are still highly effective acquisition tools. They play a pivotal role in signposting cold prospects, warm prospects, even customers to visit your online universe (if that is what you are aiming for). Not only that but if you want your B2B marketing to be cost effective and response rich you will need to harness many touch points. If you have read our previous blogs, you will be familiar with the continuum of behaviour; namely when you are looking to move your prospect from awareness through to interest, evaluation, desire and action, you need to deploy a number of relevant and enticing communications, delivered through different channels. Why? This will enable you to engage all of your prospects’ senses. You will build an enticing multi-dimensional view of your brand. You become memorable; hard to forget.
If you want to reach an enormous stadium of prospects but with each one to build a relationship then direct mail gives you that all important one-to-one intimacy. Start that all important first dialogue using paper and use it to encourage your prospect to visit your online universe for more goodies.
Don’t just take our word for it. A tracking study from the independent research firm Data Talk Research gives an in-depth analysis of behaviour and attitudes to show which channel or combination of channels offers you the best way of reaching your audience. Key findings of the report included:
- When you add direct mail to an e-mail campaign you increase the potential response rate from 5.8% to 9.9%.
- ABC1s find direct mail twice as acceptable as e-mail – 27.4% as opposed to 13.4%. How many of your business target audience comprises ABC1s. A fair proportion we would guess.
- 95.1% of direct mail recipients with Internet access respond by e-mails -clearly demonstrating the benefits of print and pixels in the media mix – in this case direct mail opening the door – generating awareness and interest motivating the respondent to send you an e-mail.
Is it time to reach for your pen and paper?
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