Direct Mail: Your Voice in the Community

Those who assume print media is a non-viable channel to advertise their services and goods do themselves a disservice. The truth is, this avenue is still one that brings business to your door, and if you eschew it, you miss valuable opportunities. One key factor that is often overlooked is to consider to whom you send printed mail. Below, we’ll discuss why print advertising is effective, how to utilize it, and what it can do for your business. ​

The Tactile Species
Even in the Digital Age, people are still responsive to what they can touch. That’s because humans of every age are a tactile species. We remember things we touch. That said, if you’re investing a portion of your advertising budget in print media, you want to target the most responsive portion of your market. The individuals you most want to reach with your printed mail aren’t those who already know you or use your service. 

Rather, you want to reach out to those who have yet to serve. Business savvy entrepreneurs accomplish this by obtaining mailing lists of households and businesses that share characteristics with existing clients. These demographics are available as public information, and touching base with them can substantially increase your future business. 

Why Mail Works
Once you have your mailing lists and you’ve zeroed in on your demographics with the help of a mailing shop, you’re almost ready to start your printing campaign. However, pause to consider how you can integrate printed mail with other media to increase your reach. Studies have indicated that direct mail outperforms e-mail by a three-to-one ratio when response rates are calculated. 

That’s significant, but you can increase your customer response further by integrating print with your digital presence. Include a personalized URL or coupon code and your business web address. This accomplishes two goals. First, it offers potential clients a bonus they can access online. Second, it offers them a digital channel through which they can access your company and be exposed to the offerings of your brand. 

Tracking is an additional benefit of offering potential customers a coupon code that can be redeemed via the Internet. It allows you to quantify the success of your direct mail campaigns. This will also help you refine your future data use—which demographics responded most, where was performance at its weakest, and how can future campaigns improve upon these statistics? 
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It’s always important to keep in mind that, while direct mail taps into a basic human attribute that links touch to memory, it won’t be the answer for every demographic. It is, however, an ideal tool to access niche markets within younger generations broadly assumed to be “digital,” and speak to older generations that respond strongly to printed media. 

Material printing puts your message, your company’s mission, and the products or services you provide directly into people’s hands. It offers them a direct opportunity to see you, to tell others about you, and pass information to different audiences who may have need of your services. At day’s end, this is what it means to do business within a community.