Are You Executing a Modern Direct Mail Campaign?

You've got to admire direct mail marketing. One of the oldest forms of advertising around and it continues, in 2013, to be a relevant part of many businesses' marketing budgets. While many marketers are jumping from the hot next digital trend to the next, direct mail is the old workhorse that continues to create brand awareness and generate new customers (it might surprise you to know that several digital giants like Google also uses mail marketing).



But advertising has changed since the days of the Pony Express. Mailing someone a flyer to tell them about your grand opening doesn't quite look the same today as it did 50 years ago (or even 10 years ago). So the question I ask you is this- Are you executing modern direct mail campaigns?

Direct mail continues to thrive despite the rise of digital marketing, but the best campaigns incorporate digital. Rather than thinking of your mail and online marketing as two separate entities, when both are working towards a common goal, you can increase the likelihood that you'll reach your goals. Additionally, digital can be used to better measure the results of your campaign. Driving your mail recipients to a URL with a landing page gives you a tremendous opportunity to continue to market to them and update potential customers with company information like new products or sales.

Direct mail can also be a great way to gather more information about the people on your mailing list, in order to better market to them and improve the likelihood they will become customers. Just as one example, let's say your business is pretty active on social media, but you want to gather more information from your followers in order to send them a mail piece. Try creating a social landing page that promises special promotions and exclusive deals. You can even go as far as asking users what type of products they're interested in, and then create personalized mail based on their interests. This is just one example in an area where you can get very creative with your marketing.

The point is, just because mail has been around forever doesn't mean you shouldn't consider updating your tactics. Digital marketing is not the enemy of the direct mail campaign, but an ally in the ultimate goal of creating new customers for your business. Create a modern mail campaign and execute a more efficient and profitable direct mail marketing campaign.