Direct Mail is Marketing Gold–That’s Why It Never Gets Old

Direct mail has been around for 250 years for a simple reason—it works. A United States Postal Service study found that 42% of recipients read or scan direct-mail pieces. That’s nearly half of your targeted audience! 

However, as email marketing gets more sophisticated, some nonprofits have forgotten about the power of direct mail. And when they do think about it, they often think more about the costs and less about the power.

It’s true that compared to email, direct mail is more expensive owing to printing and postal costs. So, why use direct mail when you can save substantial money by using email? Is direct mail even worth the investment? 

Yes, it is. There are a number of reasons why.

It’s tangible

Direct mail is tactile, not virtual. Because it exists in the real world, direct mail offers you the chance to deliver something real into the hands of your audience, creating a connection that email or online marketing can’t achieve. Studies have shown that once recipients open a piece of direct mail, they’re more likely to consider the message compared to email. Moreover, they have to decide at that point what to do next. That’s your opportunity to grab their attention and deliver your nonprofit’s message.

It’s open to all audiences

Let’s face it, senior citizens aren’t typically tech savvy. According to a 2016 Pew Research report, 41% of people aged 65 or older don’t use the Internet at all. Direct mail allows you to target all audiences, and therefore spread awareness of your brand to a larger audience.

“41% of people aged 65 or older don’t use the Internet at all.”

– Paw Research.

It allows for more creativity

Direct mail is a veritable playground for using creativity to convey your nonprofit’s message. The creativity can start with the envelope, be it eye-catching colors, an interesting shape or even texture.

Other examples include using a “handwriting font” for the address to make the mail appear personalized.  Then, there is three-dimensional “lumpy mail,” which really stands out and makes your prospects and members feel special. It’s also intriguing. 

Inbox overload

We can all relate to this. And since you can relate, you know how easy it is to delete email that doesn’t jump out at you. Postal mail gets passed over, too; but nowadays people get less postal mail than ever. That means direct mail is more likely to grab their attention and get opened. Additionally, physical mail tends to be left in a visible place in the home; therefore, it’s usually seen by more than one person. Direct mail has a longer shelf life.

It increases trust

With increased technology comes increased chances that hackers can break into even a “secure” and trusted site. Computer viruses, phishing scams, identify theft, suspect attachments and links that make you raise an eyebrow—are you scared yet? —these and other dangers lurk in the online world. A lot of your recipients might never open your email simply out of fear. 

Direct mail, however, is not faced with any of these problems. You can “attach” as much stuff as you want without alarming your recipients. The worst thing that can happen is somebody gets a paper cut.

It compliments a digital strategy

There are myriads of strategies to integrate digital strategies with your direct mail strategy. For example, PURLS (Personal URLs) help you determine who responded to your direct mail; thus, you can update your mailing list accordingly. An email follow-up sent about a week after your direct mail piece arrived at your prospect’s home can help spur action. Or, you can reverse the technique and tell your prospects via email to keep their eyes peeled for a direct marketing piece coming in the mail (perhaps one with a special offer).

Other techniques include using QR codes in your direct mail, as well as printing the URL’s of your social media platforms and website on the direct mail.

Conclusion

Direct mail isn’t going to go the way of the dodo. This tried-and-true traditional marketing strategy not only still works well, but is made even more powerful when integrated with a digital marketing strategy.

Tags: direct, mail, marketing, nonprofits