Direct Mail

Direct Mail

Direct Mail is one of the most under-utilised marketing channels and this presents an amazing opportunity for savvy marketers! It is also the first marketing channel that began testing and measuring marketing results (response rates) and made ‘copywriting into a science’ that it is today!

qubePartners has all of the expertise to develop the strategy, copywriting, design and despatch your direct mail campaign, and then capture the data to test, analyse and improve your results from direct mail. See our Direct Mail Copywriting services here.

Below are some basic facts on the benefits of using mail and why you should consider using direct mail as part of your marketing mix:

Despite being presented with an ever increasing number of communication channels, research has found consumers are still showing clear preference for receiving information from businesses by mail. And this is even more likely to be the case for time poor business owners.

According to the research from Roy Morgan over 70% of promotional items received by household in the last seven days were read or passed onto someone else. Compare that to the latest open rates e-mail and it’s clear that if you want your message read then send it by old fashioned snail mail.

Direct Mail gives you the opportunity (forces you) to be incredibly personal and relevant and hence provides the opportunity for greater success.

Direct Mail provides the opportunity to cut through as the Australian households receive an average of just 1.9 addressed promotional mail items per week which makes it an ‘uncluttered channel’. In the US the volume of promotional direct mail is about 10 times that in Australia and in the UK it is five times the amount, which makes Australia the perfect market for utilising Direct Mail!

Mail works well with digital channels like e-mail and websites and these channels can be used in integrated fashion the maximise benefits of direct mail. 62% of people agreed that they were more likely to click on an online ad if they received something from a company in the mail.

It amazes us at how short sighted both corporate marketers and SME businesses have been over the last few years opting to drop direct mail out of their marketing mix. One only has to put themselves into the shoes of the customer to realise how much more effective telemarketing could be if it was following up a direct mail piece rather than “calling cold”!

Direct Mail has never been a cheap solution, but don’t let the cost of postage put you off. Testing and measuring is the key and rather than blowing your budget on one campaign, talk to us and find out how we can use the Effective Frequency Philosophy to get Direct Mail working for your business.

You can read more here at http://www.openuptomail.com.au/

At qubePartners we love the power of mail and with the skills of direct mail being quickly lost in favour of media with more ‘sex appeal’, like email, we believe good old “DM” has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. The ability to get personal, to touch and feel the letter or postcard will always win the attention stakes for both customers and prospects!

Here are some reasons that should put old fashioned direct marketing (in this case our favourite postcard) back at the top of your agenda:

  1. Postcard marketing is affordable and is inexpensive to print.
  2. As with most forms of direct marketing, your competition will not know what you are doing.
  3. Postcards are easy to redeem so it’s easy to track your results. Your card can tell recipients to bring the card into your store for a special discount, or it can ask them to use a special code when purchasing from your website.
  4. Testing an offer with postcards is easy. Just send your card to a small group of people and see how many of them respond. If you’re satisfied with the results, then roll out a bigger mailing!
  5. You can accurately target your best markets by sending postcards only to mailing lists of prospects likely to be interested in what you’re offering.
  6. Postcards are versatile. You can use them as oversized business cards, hang tags for your products and mini-information sheets.
  7. Your postcards can “brand” you and your business in ways that most marketing materials cannot. They are personal, to the point and can stand out from the clutter of other advertising formats and hence be memorable.
  8. Postcards don’t waste people’s time as they are delivered “ready to read”. Almost everybody will read your message – even people who usually throw out other types of direct mail without opening it.
  9. Postcards are like small billboards and don’t take up a lot of space. Customers can carry them in their pockets. They often get saved by recipients (fridge door) or passed on to others …providing additional exposure of your advertising message.

Here are some ideas on how the humble postcard can assist your business in generating goodwill and sales:

  • Thank you notes – appreciation goes a long way or just staying in touch. People like to be remembered and postcards are an economical and easy way to say “thinking of you” or Happy Birthday!
  • Don’t miss the opportunity for an after-sale contact. Within 30 days after a purchase of a product or completion of a service, send a discounted offer for a related service or product.
  • Gift certificates or coupons show your best customers that you appreciate them as well as giving your business the opportunity to generate additional revenue. You can leave a space on for customers to fill out a friend’s name and give it to someone else to introduce them to your business.
  • Treat your existing and favourite clients to a sale that no one else knows about – or give them an advanced peak at your new products or services.
  • Announcements that your customers care or need to know about, for example seminars you are speaking at, book signings, and any variety of special events.
  • Reminders – businesses that rely on repeat business can take advantage of postcards to send reminders; they are not just for dentists!