When was the last time, if ever, you got a piece of mail at work? In the digital marketing age, it has become way more common for virtual mailboxes to be filled with mail from B2B companies than actual mailboxes. Email has made it easier to target more people in less time, thus decreasing the overall cost to appointment. This might explain why, according to a study by Mondo, companies planned to increase their digital marketing spend by 80% over the next year. However, there can still be value in a high quality B2B direct mailing campaign even at the increased cost. Sometimes that extra investment can have huge impacts on a company’s bottom line.
1. Makes it easier to target high value contacts
When trying to reach high-level decision makers, Executive Assistants can quickly turn into every salesperson’s worst nightmare. They can make getting your message to a key contact at the company rather difficult. High-level contacts at even midsize companies are getting tons of emails and calls in a day, and often their assistant is filtering it out for what they feel is the most important information. With direct mail, a high-level decision maker is often the one opening their own mail making it easier to get your message directly to the top of an organization.
2. Thirty times the response rate of email
According to a study by the Direct Marketing Association, direct mail boasts an average response rate of 4.4%, which is amazing compared to the average email response rate of 0.12%. This means that while you can bombard everyone across your target market with an email, you still may not be setting the amount of appointments you need. On the other hand, spending a little more time and effort on a customized direct mailer to key contacts at companies in your target market can get you a better response and in the end better appointments.
3. Direct mail causes action NOW
In the same study by the Direct Marketing Association, 79% of leads said that they would deal with a piece of mail right away compared to only 45% for an email. Often with email, it can be easily lost in the multitude of messages in a leads inbox. We all like to think we can come back to an email later, which is how you end up like me with 100 marked emails that I promised to get back to when I had more time. With direct mail, there is a push for response since people feel like they are more likely to lose a piece of paper. By putting direct dials for your sales team, and even email addresses, you force a call to action even if the message is the same as an email.
4. The value proposition means more when it comes in the mail
A value proposition is the key to any good marketing piece. Why should the lead choose you over anyone else? According to the Direct Marketing Association, 56% think printed marketing is the most trustworthy of all marketing channels. Therefore, a direct mail piece can easily sell your value to a potential client than even the most well crafted email. Throw in a personalized message to the lead and an info graphic that is relevant to their industry, and your direct mailer just went a whole lot farther in securing a new client for your company.
Email marketing has its perks when it comes to generating sales, however the extra time and money on a direct mail strategy can open markets in ways emails never could. Do I think everyone should close out of their email, bust open Word and start writing letters? No; but if there is a challenging market, a need for executive buy-in, or just a new idea for the company on the horizon, I suggest giving direct mail a try. Because, 80% of people say they enjoy receiving mail and nothing says that mail can’t be used to improve your company’s sales along the way.
Author, Allison McLaughlin
Manager Data Strategy at LeadJen