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Email Marketing VS Direct Mail – Is One More Effective in 2019?

We know all-too-well that there are certain myths that have a way of making their way around the world of marketing. For years we have attempted to clear up the myth that print marketing was dead. It’s not dead, far from it. Print marketing has definitely evolved over the last 25 years, but it remains a powerful sales tool to incorporate into your arsenal.

Another myth that is floating around is that email marketing is dead. No, it’s not dead, but we do know from our own experience and the experiences of many of our clients that email marketing has changed over the years.

The truth is, it was once easy to send out emails, have them opened by your subscribers, and have quite a few of them click on your offer. But thanks to spamming and the threat of lurking malicious viruses, many people ignore emails these days.

And even the people who do still open emails from business owners seem to be giving them a quick scan and not clicking on the internal links. A report from Epsilon shows that even as email open rates stay consistent, if not climb, click rates in North America have declined. In fact, the last year that click rates increased on a year-to-year basis was back in 2013.

As email marketing evolves and becomes the next version of itself, some business owners may be wondering if it’s worth exploring direct mail marketing. Direct mail marketing allows business owners to send offers or promotions by mail to their current customers and prospective ones as well.

If you’re on the fence, here are some of the benefits direct mail marketing offers:

Highly Targeted

Perhaps the biggest advantage of direct mail marketing is that it is highly targeted. A business owner can purchase a mailing list of potential customers that meet their requirements. For example, a small boutique pet store could buy a list that includes those people who have purchased pet supplies in the past. They could then prepare a direct mail campaign with the hopes of getting a portion of this list to start shopping with them.

Highly Measurable

According to the US Postal Service, direct mail marketing is highly measurable. This makes it incredibly easy to track results on one or more campaigns.

How do you do this? You can use different coupon codes for each campaign, or create different landing pages and send traffic to each one. This will help you determine which campaigns are hitting your goals and which aren’t.

Highly Personalized

People are always surprised when we tell them that print campaigns can absolutely be personalized. There are software programs that allow business owners to address consumers by name in their direct mail campaigns. Addressing consumers by their name, whether in print or digital campaigns, enhances their experiences of your brand.

Affordable

Direct mail is very cost-effective. Both printing and distribution costs range between $.25 and $2.00. And, contrary to what you may have heard, you can absolutely send out smaller quantities of a campaign to test. If the mailer was successful, you can then easily increase the number of mailpieces in the next mailings.

Incredibly Flexible

If you think a direct mail campaign consists of a boring letter, you haven’t seen direct mail in a while. A small company on a budget can send out a simple (yet personalized) postcard. A larger company with a larger budget can send out free samples of their product in their mailing. Marketers can generally send as much information as they want in a direct mail campaign. It all depends on the goals and budget.

So, which is better, email marketing or direct mail marketing? Well, in 2019, our clients are seeing tremendous success from direct mail. Until email marketing can transition itself and become a viable channel again, now’s a good time to give direct mail a try. Need some help with your direct mail campaign? Give us a call. We love helping business owners get the greatest return on their advertising dollar.