When considering the direct mail vs. email marketing strategy question, there are excellent reasons to deploy each. Yet this fight has a clear winner. And guess what? It’s both.
Email Marketing Platforms + Direct Mail Services = Your Brand Wins
Correctly utilizing email marketing platforms and direct mail services provides value that supersedes the weight each channel hits on its own. Together, their effectiveness is multiplied. Let’s look at the numbers.
Related: How Much Does Direct Mail Cost?
Direct Mail Advertising Stats
Direct mail has many strengths. For one, people still love to get mail! The USPS tells us 71% of all consumers are excited to discover what the mail brings every day. They also report that consumers see an average of two direct mail pieces per day—compared to 157 emails. Since we receive far less physical mail than digital, direct mail advertising remains more of a novelty—and a place to outshine competitors. Its tactileness also helps it cut through clutter, and this feature gives it a longer shelf-life than digital mail. People are usually more relaxed and open to the messaging since they’re not on-the-go while opening mail, a factor to note when considering direct mail vs email.
Related: Direct Mail: Stronger Than Ever in the Digital Age.
Similar to email marketing platforms, direct mail advertising is also highly targeted and can be personalized for maximum engagement. Response can also be tracked effectively with a QR code (bonus points if you incorporate UTM tracking) ,custom promo code, or other call to action. And while response rates for direct mail vary widely, The Data & Marketing Association (DMA) notes that direct mail response rates are five to nine times higher than any other advertising channel at 9%, with email, paid search, and social media at a 1% response rate. These responses will then convert online. In fact, the DMA finds that 92% of direct mail recipients have been driven to online or digital activity, and 87% have been influenced to make online purchases—both impressive stats.
Related: 7 Elements of a Successful Direct Mail Piece.
Email Marketing Platform Stats
Direct mail services work well on their own, but they’re markedly more powerful when they team up well with email, a cost-effective marketing strategy that is highly targeted, personalized and fast to deploy. While email response rates are not as high as with direct mail services, they are still an eye-opening 20% for the top performers. And emails link directly to offers and conversions so email marketing strategy can be easily tested for messaging/targeting impact. Further, emails metrics like open rate, click rate, and even share rate can be tracked for continuous improvement. Although response rates are lower, ROI is generally higher than direct mail, due to the low cost of email.
Related: When is the Best Time to Send Emails?
Direct Mail Services AND Email Marketing Platforms: Use Both!
So don’t think “direct mail vs. email marketing strategies.” Instead, think both. As you strive to reach your prospects through various touch points along their customer journeys, you’ll want the strength of both channels. Surround them with branding and increase exposure without overdoing communication through one medium. People prefer multi-channel marketing.
You can launch with direct mail advertising and then move the conversation online with a series of personalized emails, deploying relevant email marketing strategies as you track consumers’ online preferences. And remember this rule of marketing: it can take up to seven exposures for a customer to be moved to buy, so each touchpoint makes a difference. Together, direct mail and email make a powerhouse team. To see how direct mail advertising and email marketing strategies jointly strengthen and boost conversions and ROI, reach out today—and knock out the competition.
