A lot of businesses use email to drive leads and sales. It’s relatively cheap to reach a huge list, you can quickly monitor what is working and what’s not and change for next time and it can easily be linked to other marketing channels to drive further engagement.
Contrast this with print, which is considerably more expensive because of production costs and postage prices only seem to go in one direction. It also takes a bit more nouse to track if it’s working and and you don’t get nice open rates to confirm if your headlines are engaging your audience. I actually don’t think this is a reason for turning your back on print. I actually think this is the time to double down on print and combine it with digital to get better engagement rates.
Mail boxes are empty and inboxes are full
The aim of these monthly posts is to keep you abreast of all the weird and wonderful news and insights to come out of the world of marketing. Every month, our team will pick our favourite campaigns, brand insights and marketing trends that you can use to enhance your marketing knowledge or even as inspiration to delight your audience.
The main reason for this is that people are getting hundreds of emails a day, but maybe only one to 5 items of post a week. It stands to reason that most people will check their post, because often important communication still comes via mail, so with something personally addressed to the recipient they are going to want to have a look and take on board what it is that has been sent, even at a low level. If you post something, it’s not getting lost in with the myriad of other things in your email inbox. We are currently experiencing clients spending more on targeted direct mail for this exact reason. With mail you can be personal, and it’s really difficult to ignore because it’s there, in real life.
We recently did a campaign for a client to raise awareness of their new premises and to boost customer bookings for their new premises. This was done via a direct mail with a specific offer and then followed up via email 3 days later to re-enforce the offer and drive bookings. This campaign resulted in an increase in bookings from dormant clients.
Get creative in print and follow up online
Email is almost solely reliant on the recipient liking your subject line or already recognising your name and opening it, because they value your product or service. Direct mail can give you the opportunity to be a whole lot more creative, showcase your brand in a totally different way. You might get them to engage there and then, or when your email shows up a catchy subject line and an offer – they are much more likely to open it after seeing your brand in print and getting a great experience.
The main reason for this is that people are getting hundreds of emails a day, but maybe only one to 5 items of post a week. It stands to reason that most people will check their post, because often important communication still comes via mail, so with something personally addressed to the recipient they are going to want to have a look and take on board what it is that has been sent, even at a low level. If you post something, it’s not getting lost in with the myriad of other things in your email inbox. We are currently experiencing clients spending more on targeted direct mail for this exact reason. With mail you can be personal, and it’s really difficult to ignore because it’s there, in real life.
We recently did a campaign for a client to raise awareness of their new premises and to boost customer bookings for their new premises. This was done via a direct mail with a specific offer and then followed up via email 3 days later to re-enforce the offer and drive bookings. This campaign resulted in an increase in bookings from dormant clients.
Using email to keep up communication in quiet sales periods
It might not always be the right time to send Direct Mail and email together. Your company might have a very cyclical sales period, so email is a great way to keep building credibility with your main audiences, when they are less likely to buy. Be helpful and care for their needs in these communications, rather than sell directly. When the sales period kicks back in, you can drop in with a creative printed item and a series of emails to reinforce the message – people will be more ready to buy as you’ve kept your message in front of them during your quieter period.
Oops! We could not locate your form.
Written By Adam Burrage
Managing Partner at Trident