We’ve been hearing the statement that direct mail marketing is not dead for a few years now. While this is most definitely true, it fails to acknowledge that for a period of time it essentially was. This is not to say that no one successfully utilized traditional methods in their marketing campaigns. It is, however, evident that many companies and small businesses replaced direct mail marketing with the many new technologies that were emerging rapidly.
With that being said I would like to change the narrative from us stating that ‘direct mail is not dead’ to a more realistic perspective of ‘direct mail has been resurrected and is more effective than ever.” This resurrection is due in large part to all of these companies and small businesses that had at once abandoned it for a time and replaced the void with newer technologies. Well, these same people have not only returned to traditional marketing methods, they have come back with a wealth of knowledge and experience with new technologies which have given them new skill sets to be leveraged and combined with direct mail marketing campaigns.
You can’t blame people for abandoning traditional methods to utilize the newer fancier methods, in fact, we should maybe be thanking them since we are all better off for it. It also goes to show that direct mail isn’t dead, it’s resurrected and here to stay.
With this return to prominence I have 3 trends for you to watch in 2016:
- Omni Channel
The whole concept of the DMM resurrection is that it brings with it the integration of newer technologies to be more effective in reach and success rate. By leveraging multiple channels, marketers have an opportunity to get the attention of potential customers by having their marketing efforts visible in the many channels people frequent today. The key here is to have all of these marketing efforts align with consistent: messaging and branding, as well as making sure that your database has lists that allow you to market relevant content to the right people. - Personalization
Piggybacking on the topic of relevance not only do people not take the time to read things that don’t apply to them, they are put off by advertising that seems generic and applicable to everyone. Things that get noticed now are messages that at the very least speak to specific audiences and when at all possible to each individual. Thankfully with current technology and skilled professionals in the field, marketing to each individual is not only possible in the digital world it is possible in the traditional as well. This is not only a trend that we are going to see, it’s a trend that DMM’s must get up to speed with right now. - Tighter Budgets
With more services there will, of course, be more costs up front. It won’t be long before companies and small businesses start to realize that their ROI increases tremendously with these effective campaigns, and they will be more willing to make a committed effort to this new way of integrating traditional and newer marketing methods. Until this is realized many will start off with smaller budgets and sort of test the waters, but, in the long run, they will come around and fully invest.
The vast majority of people access some sort of social media, check their email, and browse the internet using their smartphones. Being able to deploy direct mail campaigns integrated with digital channels, all while making the experienced personalized is a must in 2016 and beyond.