The saying that the old way is the best way rings true in many areas of business, but none more so than in marketing, where obstinate PAs and spam filters thwart all but the most stubborn attempts to contact prospective clients – meaning that direct mail can be one of the best bets when trying to get a client’s attention.
Tim Rivett explains the top ten benefits of one of the oldest ways to get in touch.
Personal
Addressed mail is literally designed to reach an individual, unlike a mass-market message via TV, the press or radio. Mailings can have a unique design to suit each particular recipient and mail comes straight into people’s homes, into their hands, and gets their full and focused attention.
Universal
Everyone consumes mail and provides access to virtually everyone in the UK. The postal network covers 99.9 per cent of the UK population at 27 million addresses.
Tailored
Mail can be personalised to individuals or groups. That unique flexibility enables greater relevance, delivering greater impact, often applying data already provided by the customer.
Targeted
Mail can focus on the relevant audience (e.g. by interest, demographics, purchase or behaviour). This reduces wastage – your message only goes to those you select.
Direct
Mail doesn’t compete with and is not dependent on other content like communications in magazines, newspapers or online. It is actively consumed so it delivers much greater engagement and understanding.
Flexible & Creative
Mail has few restrictions compared to other media (size, weight, shape, colour) leading to limitless creative possibilities. It lets you have one to one communication, delivering more emotional intensity than any other medium. The creativity cuts through and gets people talking.
Measurable
Mail is one of the easiest media to measure, responses can be attributed directly to a specific activity.
Portable
A letter, leaflet, brochure or mail pack can be taken anywhere. You can take the mail with you to read on the train, in the garden, in any room of the house. Customers love the fact that they are in control and can read the information when it’s convenient to them.
Physical
Affects all five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Mail is the only medium to provide the creative possibilities to engage the customers on all levels
Complementary
As part of an integrated campaign, mail has a strong role in providing personal, compelling messages delivered directly to the recipient’s own hands and household. Case studies show it not only builds short and long-term effects but is often kept by the household for reference, prolonging the brand presence and deepening the communication effect.
