Direct Mail in the Digital Age

As technology evolves with all the advanced innovations each day, so do the other online-based channels, like social media.  You may ask yourself, is direct mail still effective as it once was? If so, why change something if it’s not broken? Well, here at Mail-O-Matic we believe in the importance of personal touch. That’s the reason why companies still rely on direct mail when interacting with other individuals. They need to feel that their needs are met, and they need to feel appreciated.

In this article, we will explain the importance of direct mail, and how it can make a lasting impression on your recipients.

It’s Personal –

With direct mail, you are able to add the personal touch to your content. Physical content drives an emotional response. It can be as simple as a letter with a name on it, but it will catch the recipient’s attention. The same message could be sent via email or social media; however, when it’s in physical form it could have more of a connection to the individual it is addressed to. Psychological studies suggest that physical content creates an endowment effect, a sense of ownership, which evokes an emotional response or attachment to it. In short, you get a more effective response from your consumers.

It is more effective than email –

If you were to go into your email account at this moment, your “junk mail” folder would have a larger quantity of emails than your inbox. Many important emails are sent to spam before the reader has a chance to view them. By the time a customer may come around to reading your notice, the sale you intended for your customer to take advantage of is already over. It has been reported that 94 billion emails all over the world never get read, even if they do land in the inbox instead of junk mail.

Yes, you read that correct! Your addressees are potentially receiving a ton of other emails and they will prioritize.  For instance, they will focus their time on emails from friends and family and your content may not even get the time it deserves.

Increases Trust –

With increased technology, also comes increased risk when sharing information online. Anything can be hacked in today’s world, and along with that our right to have a concern for privacy when sharing content online.

Hackers are able to hack into anything! Yes, that also includes “secure” sites. With these negative effects to online based methods, your consumers might be hesitant to open any attachments with emails they may receive from you, along with links you may share. Security is such an important factor when it comes to Mail-O-Matic, and we want all of our customers to feel safe. Take a look at the measures we take to ensure our customers’ safety and security here.

All of these methods are just a few great reasons to trust that your message will get across to your recipients, in the broadest way possible.  Don’t waste great content by sending it through email, your consumers may never have the chance to view it! Do something different, and stand out to your prospects! It’s so easy to send an email, that’s why everyone’s doing it. Connect on a deeper, emotional level to ensure a higher response rate. Contact us for more information about how we can help you maximize your potential with direct mail services!

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You will hear it over and over again, direct mail isn’t the way to go. But every time I open my mailbox and receive an invite or offer with eye catching graphics or a color scheme, I open it to see how this could be beneficial for me. That alone is enough to justify that direct mail is not dead and can benefit you in ways you didn’t imagine. If done the right way, of course. According to a national survey conducted by ICOM, “Direct mail surprisingly transcends the age demographic, with younger consumers (the 18- to 34-year-old demographic) preferring to learn about marketing offers via postal mail rather than online sources.” Here are a few ways to help you maximize your results!

Stand tall and proud –

Your company name and logo should be prominent on the envelope. Don’t fear that this will deter people from opening your envelope. If the addressee is a previous customer, they will be interested in what you have to say, especially if you have provided exceptional service in the past. They will be curious to see what you have to offer!

That special touch –

Embellish your envelopes and add prestige by using foil stamping or embossing to feature an anniversary or warranty seal.

Eye catching phrase –

Include a compelling hook message or teaser promotion with attention-grabbing phrases or keywords that increase curiosity or urgency and entice readers to open your envelope. You can place the teaser on the front of the envelope. If you are contacting your viewers for a promotional deal you are about to announce, put a glimpse of that on the cover to grab their attention.

Keep it simple –

Sometimes overwhelming graphics and fonts are enough for your viewer to put down your mail and pay no attention to it. Because it’s too much, all at once. You want to keep it to the point, be sure your offer is clear for them to view, showcase what you are offering them, and validate why they would need the service or product.

Fold your way to their hearts –

Create some special folds in your mail. There are a variety of folds that could entice your recipient to open your package. This not only makes things more interesting, but it is such a great way to stand out. One we really like is the endless fold. These are folds that just keep going, from panel to panel. They are really interesting, and most people flip through them at least twice, prompting more opportunities to read your messages.

Steer away from the ordinary –

Break away from the norm. Experiment and test different envelope looks. Take a look at your options, there are a wide variety of shapes and sizes, colors, and textures (linen, cockle, matte, coated, glossy, or metallic). Make your envelope stand out from the other envelopes they receive on daily basis.

Get crafty –

Consider creating an envelope with a peek-through window to a colorful photograph of your product, a membership card, or contest entry form.

Where technology and direct mail meet –

You must be scratching your head wondering what we’re talking about. This is definitely a thing and let us begin by saying this will definitely catch your recipient’s attention. You could consider adding sound bites to your mailer so that when prospects or customers open it, they get to hear your message. Augmented reality is a great way to get prospects and customers to interact with their phones. And a video screen can even be activated right inside the mailer when opened. However, this is not (yet!) a very popular approach to take as it can get quite costly to produce. Make sure this is a good fit for your company, and fits into your budget!

Advertise yourself –

Encourage addressees to visit your website by adding a link to a discount coupon, or an advertisement for special offers. Remember it takes about three times for someone to see your advertisement before they take notice. Also, fortify your direct mail marketing initiatives with the use of email marketing, social media and other marketing.  Always make sure though, that you are not bombarding your audience with too many advertisements.

Seal the deal –

Include a clear call-to-action on the back flap. Entice addressees to open your envelope by finding a clever way of asking them.

The competition might seem impossible to beat, but if you follow these tips above you will stand out, without a doubt! Using all of these tips will help create a campaign that really speaks to your customers on a personal level. It will also make you more memorable and create many returning and happy customers. Choose Mail-O-Matic as a part of your next direct mail success story, contact us for a quote!

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Direct Mail Marketing is Delivered Straight into the Hands of Your Customers and Increases Overall ROI

On a daily basis, marketing teams are faced with many challenges to get the right message in front of the right customers.

Reviewing daily operations and marketing processes can give you a better understanding of where road blocks occur and help you figure out a solution to help your marketing department make things easier and more productive.

Streamlining and simplifying your marketing process can help better meet the needs of consumers. It allows you to focus on the most important tasks so you can spend the extra time connecting with customers.

Common areas of marketing that become unnecessarily complex are:

• Approval process
• Compliance management
• Managing and updating rates
• Managing local marketing budgets
• Data management

By simplifying your marketing process, you can focus on key goals and KPI’s. In addition, simplifying your marketing process can:

• Build and develop connections with more customers and consumers
• Save money on marketing operations
• Personalize local marketing materials
• Develop new and compelling campaigns

So what can you do to help simplify your company’s marketing process? You can hire a mailing house like Mail-O-Matic for your business’ direct mailing and direct marketing needs.

How can Mail-O-Matic Simplify Your Marketing Process?

As your source for all direct marketing solutions, our project managers will work with your marketing team to promote and market your clients effectively. It is our goal to help you optimize the effectiveness of your message and minimize your costs and stress.

Mailouts, admail, direct marketing campaign, and regular mail are integral components of your marketing process, but it requires valuable time and energy to successfully complete.

With services such as data processing and management services, direct admail/addressing and post office delivery, the team at Mail-O-Matic will help simplify your marketing process so you can get more powerful and meaningful results on your next marketing campaign.

Take advantage of our skilled staff overseeing all of your mailing necessities so you can concentrate on growing your business.

Since 1967, Mail-O-Matic has been providing direct marketing and mailing solutions for companies large and small. We are your source for all direct marketing solutions.

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Considering how digital marketing efforts seem to increase, direct mail marketing should still be an integral part of your marketing strategy. Direct mail marketing has proven to effectively target audiences, whether it’s new customers or existing ones. More importantly, it promotes and encourages brand loyalty by allowing existing customers to receive the information they actually want to see.

Within a marketing mix lies product, place, price, and promotion. Direct mail marketing is needed as part of a healthy marketing mix because a brand can educate specific consumers on special promotions of a product.

The overall purpose is to communicate with your customers and more importantly, build a connection. The main reason why direct mail marketing is so effective is because of its ability to reach a bigger range of target audiences to build brand awareness and brand loyalty. It is a great opportunity to build a brand connection by directly offering value to the recipients. Having said that, it is also a cost-effective method and makes the process of tracking responses much easier.

Physical mailboxes tend to be less crowded than email inboxes. In a digital era, email marketing efforts have bombarded consumers with indirect automated messages. Automated online approaches don’t necessarily contribute to the marketing mix because they are generic and the saturation it creates prevents audiences from genuinely bonding with the brand.

If you would like to expand your marketing mix to include direct mail marketing, speak with a Mail-O-Matic representative today. As a Canada Post Smartmail Expert Partner, rest assured that your next direct mail marketing campaign is in the right hands!