Why Mail Won't Die
March 10, 2015   Dave Lewis

...and how to keep your mail alive...

Back in 2009, marketers were asked what marketing channel’s budget they would cut to fund increased interactive marketing. The top three channels on this unfortunate list were, in this order: Direct mail, newspapers, and magazines. A full 40% of marketers were prepared to reduce their direct mail first in order to spend more on interactive marketing, whatever that is. Five years later, it turns out spending on direct mail has actually grown each year since 2009. At the same time newspaper and magazine advertising has dropped like a frozen carp. General printing has continued its swan dive as well with double digit losses in terms of employment, establishments, and revenue. So in this sea of this red ink, how has direct mail somehow managed to stay afloat? Well, a big part is that mail IS interactive. Or at least it can be. Properly done, direct mail doesn’t compete with interactive marketing – it is a part of it. The same study that provided all of these figures identified some of the strengths and weaknesses among various marketing channels. Direct mail stands out for its strength in “active” acquisition and transactional communication. You can reach new customers and conduct a transaction with them. For some marketing efforts this is a uniquely powerful combination – take fundraising, for example. Direct mail allows you to reach out to a prospective customer or donor who doesn’t know you yet, and turn them into a customer. The marketer initiates the conversation, and doesn’t need permission to do so. Email and search marketing can’t do this. Newspaper and magazine audiences are shrinking, and are certainly not interactive. Direct mail is unique. Still, the world is changing. While direct mail spending has grown slightly since 2009, it has not kept up with GDP. The number of mail pieces has dropped too, meaning the cost per piece has risen. Some of this is attributable to rising postage, but it really has more to do with more targeted, more strategic mailings. There is an expectation of better results per mail piece as data segmentation and response technologies continue to improve. So, if you are dependent upon single channel “traditional” direct mail, you can expect to see substantial declines in the coming years. Diversifying your messaging through multiple channels, with direct mail as the “anchor” channel just makes sense. Be sure to create strong offer-specific web landing pages compatible with web and mobile platforms. Support your direct mail with email marketing where possible, particularly on member renewal and customer retention campaigns. Provide a variety of links – PURLs, QR codes, web links, shortened URLs – whenever possible. Be, well, interactive. Don’t be the channel that gets cut to fund the next new channel. BE that new channel!

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