Direct Mail vs Email Marketing in 2020
This is a great question that can be answered by examining the following statistics. You may be very surprised. Reaching prospects using email has become much more challenging, because of spam filters combined with the tremendous amount of emails that people receive every day. It is estimated that the average person receives well over 100 emails per day but only 7 or 8 pieces of printed direct mail per day. To start, there is a huge difference between using email for business or friends and family correspondence or signing up to receive relevant information of interest both personally and professionally in the form of newsletters or blogs. Unfortunately, your email address is sold and here comes the spammers loading your inbox with junk making it impossible. And as this blog will demonstrate, pretty ineffective.
Things you may not realize about E-Mail Marketing
SpamLaws.com reported that spam makes up 45% of all emails, with the United States generating the most spam. Some research companies estimate as much as 73% of global emails being spam. That is a lot of junk email, even though only a portion gets into your inbox, it is still very annoying to have to go through it all, so we naturally delete, delete, delete. 69% of email recipients use the subject line to tell if it is spam reports OptInMonster, and 47% of email recipients will open an email based solely on the subject line. So, make those subject lines count, your message may get deleted! It is evident from these statistics that the anti-spam software and spam blockers that have been developed have not solved the spam problem internet users experience. DMR reports the average office worker receives 121 emails per day. Which brings up some questions for many business owners when they are reviewing their marketing plan.
Does direct mail marketing work in 2020?
The 2018 “ANA/DMA Response Rate Report” stated there was a 9% response rate from direct mail in-house list and 5.1% from purchased mailing lists (up significantly from 2017). In compared to the 1% response rate for email, paid search, and social media. 
Should I budget some of my marketing dollars towards direct mail marketing? Gallup polls show 41% of Americans of all ages look forward to checking their mail each day. Especially during social distancing times like the COVID-19 quarantine, because people are wanting more personal contact. TheDMA.org reports that surveys show 70% of Americans think direct mail is more personal than Internet advertising. CampaignMonitor.com has looked at metrics across the board and found the average email open rate is between 15% to 25%. Compare that to reports from The DMA.org that show 42.2% of direct mail recipients either read or scan the mail they get. That is double or even triple the chance of getting your message or offer seen. SmallBizGenius.com wrote that Mailmen reported advertising mail is kept in a household for an average of 17 days. This time period allows everyone in the home to see or save the advertisement. Because the advertisements lay in places that the whole family frequently uses like the counter, table, or other areas it is seen multiple times per day causing subliminal branding to happen. Often relatives and friends visiting the home are also influenced by the direct mail marketing advertisements they see, because it sends a credibility message seeing it in the home of someone they know. Technology is a contributing factor for these rising statistics of direct mail. With all the consumer behavior data that is now available, direct mailing campaigns can be highly targeted and sent to recipients that are looking forward to getting your message or offer. Epsilon reports that 73% of American consumers surveyed said that they prefer brands to contact them by direct mail. People prefer this physical mailing piece, because they can read it whenever they want.
Give your customers what they want when they want it
Today’s consumers are demanding more and more from brands. The main thing they are looking for is a relationship with their favorite brands, however, modern consumers require it to be on their terms and schedule. Consumers really want to know what’s new with the brand if it can be at their own convenience. The “B2B Marketing Mix Report” states print advertising (8%) and direct mail marketing (6%) rank as some of the top sources for generating sales and marketing leads. Using the consumer data that is readily available allows a business to highly target their prospect, which can provide a lucrative return on investment.
Direct mail offers a 29% return on investment reports Marketing Charts.
Using direct mail for marketing and advertising shows a strong return on marketing investment. Marketing Charts stats show direct mail provides an average ROI of 29%, while social media has stats that are almost the same with a 30% ROI. The United States Postal Service statistics show that direct mail recipients purchased an average of 28% more items. This resulted in the direct mail piece generating an average of 28% more revenue. All of these statistics point to the fact that using printed advertising mailing pieces for direct targeted mailing is a viable and often lucrative option for most businesses. Because technology is at everyone’s fingers allowing email accounts to be abandoned with new ones replacing them in minutes at no cost, you can easily lose a contact if you only have their email. Having their physical address, does not allow your list to become outdated as quickly.
We Can Help Increase your ROI
Purchasing quality mailing lists from reputable companies like Chicago Fulfillment Services is the great option, because they are constantly updated with fresh data. Your message or offer will be going to the right people, where it could lay in eyesight for weeks continuously keeping your brand or offer in front of your target market. Having an experienced mailer/printer is also a factor in direct mail marketing success. There are different types of physical attributes printed mailing pieces have that can affect postage costs. The piece you need printed depends upon the goal of the campaign. It could be a postcard, letter in an envelope, flyer, catalog, or more. Talk to an experienced direct mail marketing consultant at Chicago Fulfillment Services We can print your designs then mail them, or handle every step of the process from start to finish providing you with a done for you campaign. It is good to partner with a company that can provide low postal rates, combined with years of printing and direct mail marketing experience.
