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Direct Mail Marketing May Be Dying – Direct Mail Is Surely Not Dead!
A strong opinion or statement can invoke an equally strong challenge and thats one of the wonders of blogging. It’s also what just happened today when the marketing team at Hubspot posted a strong email to Stephen Kearney at United State Postal Service insisting direct mail is dying. The message to the USPS spelled out that direct mail marketing is a dying medium and there is no point hanging on the hope that it will help offset their $2.8 Bn losses last year and possibly bigger losses this year. Hubspot cited that high costs, lack of data, availability of plenty of cost effective options and the fact that no one likes to read them as the reasons that direct mail marketing is on its way to a quick and sure demise. I would tend to agree with these points and acknowledge direct mail marketing as a popular medium has declined.
However, readers came to the resuce and made in my opinion, a strong case for direct mail marketing and highlighted why it’s not dead and still a viable marketing tool if used correctly. Just because there are other options available like online marketing, it doesn’t mean that direct mail marketing is completely irrelavant. Whether you use the online medium, telephone or direct mail really depends on your scenario and there are still many of them where direct mail is a good option.
The effectiveness and cost of direct mail has taken a beating over the last years and sometimes due to poor execution. As others have shared, one of the mistakes that people make is sending out direct mailers to unqualified prospects which is a waste of time, money and paper too. Even the most well crafted direct mail which creates interest and prompts response can be ineffective if gets to the wrong receivers. Commenters on the post have left very valuable suggestions on how to leverage the advantages of direct mail marketing and make it work for you. We have just one more for you:-
Invest in qualified, accurate and higher quality direct mail lists
Different marketing tools for different situations. Choose whats best for you. As for direct mail, looks like we can’t call its time of death. Not for now at least.
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Related posts:
- History’s Most Expensive Direct Mail Campaign: Now Thats Innovative!
- 5 Reasons Why Should You Use A List Scrub For Direct Mail Marketing Campaigns
- B2B Direct Marketing Lists: Right Place & Right Person
- Email Append – Giving Your Dying Leads A New Purpose In Life
- Cold Calling Is Dead. Long Live (Smart) Cold Calling.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Great post, Neil.
I think Chris Uschan put it best in the comments to my original post: “you need to do what works for your company and if it's direct mail, mail away”.
I completely agree with that … I just think that what “works” will less and less be the outbound, direct mail.
January 8th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Thanks Rick.
I agree. Inbound is in and it will only gain ground and direct mail will continue to decline but it will still have some place. Perhaps a smaller one.
January 14th, 2009 at 12:37 am
I've never seen so many commenters disagreeing with a Hubspot post before. It's kind of funny.
Direct mail isn't dying, there is simply more ways to engage consumers. Sure, mailings are plagued with problems but so are email and inbound marketing tactics. They all have their fair share of issues.
And Hubspot's comment about direct mail being expensive is laughable. I have spent a year of my time and effort learning how to do inbound marketing as well several thousand dollars. I've bought books attended seminars and webinars, listened to podcasts, read emails and blogs. And inbound marketing is something that constantly changes so you have to keep learning. But it's all part of my arsenal.
It's like you said “Different marketing tools for different situations.”
January 14th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Yes it does seem from the comments that direct mail is not dead yet for sure. Companies like Dell are making the most of inbound marketing as well as social media in their strategy but I still get a direct mail catalog or specs for a new line of products once a month so direct mail is also still an important part of their mix. Inbound marketing is smart and effective for a lot of businesses so I have no doubt it will continue to gain momentum but outbound is not likely to be wiped out completely any time soon.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:56 am
This is also about Direct Mail Marketing. Your info are awesome. Here goes mine.
A simple internet search will give you results for thousands of direct mail marketing firms. After checking some of the sites, you will realize that most of them are generally the same, but, their prices and quality can vary.
With email marketing gaining massive popularity, customers are curious about the benefits and features of direct mail marketing, in comparison. You may even be considering switching over to email marketing from direct mail marketing. After all, you can’t beat the cost.
Direct mail marketing is a way for companies to connect with potential customers and market their products and services. Most direct marketing solutions firms have pre compiled mailing lists that they can sell to you.
March 5th, 2009 at 3:57 am
@espdirect the use of email marketing is extremely widespread and the lower costs are undoubtedly why it remains so popular. However surveys have shown a downward trend for email marketing as marketing automation and lead nurturing applications are gaining momentum. Products like Nurture which offer a lower cost on demand lead nurturing solution are likely to gain in popularity since they have an edge over traditional email technology and are becoming just as affordable.
May 15th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
If you are starting up a new business, then marketing and advertising can seem almost like a foreign concept to you. It is never easy to find a marketing technique for your service or product that your business is trying to sell as what works for one business will not necessarily work for another.
In today’s market there are many options available such as flyers, newspaper advertisements, infomercials, as well as many other forms of advertising that are extremely expensive and might not be right for your business. However, one type of marketing that has proven results is direct mail marketing.
May 19th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I don't think DMM is dead by any means, but the email version is definitely taking over. What are some good strategies to use to make sure your diract market email doesn't get pushed to the spam folder?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
True. The challenge of ensuring your emails don't go into spam folders is a big one – with lots of moving parts to the solution. We will cover this in a separate post very soon.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Direct mails have been a prominent and popular marketing gimmick for many years. To get their message across, marketers have used direct mail marketing for decades, so, it is a proven and good marketing channel.
For your overall marketing program, Direct mail is a good strategy. However, it requires a bit of research and planning.
For years Direct mail has been used and it worked fantastically, till the email marketing took a lot of its ‘market share’. Still direct marketing survives well. Direct mailers have a long history of a proven marketing medium. Direct mail marketing postcards has some best practices and it has been discovered that it still works and conversion rate is higher than email marketing in some cases.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Direct mails have been a prominent and popular marketing gimmick for many years. To get their message across, marketers have used direct mail marketing for decades, so, it is a proven and good marketing channel.
For your overall marketing program, Direct mail is a good strategy. However, it requires a bit of research and planning.
For years Direct mail has been used and it worked fantastically, till the email marketing took a lot of its ‘market share’. Still direct marketing survives well. Direct mailers have a long history of a proven marketing medium. Direct mail marketing postcards has some best practices and it has been discovered that it still works and conversion rate is higher than email marketing in some cases.