Direct Mail
Why we love direct mail more than ever...
Every advertising medium has its advantages. When you have a relatively small and well defined target audience, as is frequently the case in business-to-business marketing, a direct mail campaign is often the best way to go. Here is why:
More precise targeting
Databases today can be sort selected to reach the precise audience you want to reach. It goes beyond position and responsibility to pinpoint by geography, company size and other relevant factors. The more you can eliminate waste, the more you can afford to spend reaching your highest potential audience. The 40/40/20 rule of direct mail success claims that 40% of a mailing’s success comes from the list, 40% from the offer and 20% from the creative. We agree, but at the same time believe that if the list is not 100% on target, the other elements will have 0% impact.
Time to make some noise
Powerful messaging and nice packaging is only a part of what a creative direct mail campaign can do. We’ve incorporated sound chips, 3D lenticulars, pop-ups, candy, toys, gloves, lunch pails, bugs, watches, tools, and other trinkets to get attention. And it works!
Direct mail has more impact
Or at least it should. With the right packaging, it can stand out in someone’s inbox and say “Hello – I’ve got a message for you.” With direct mail, the package can be integral to the message. Here is where the little guy can stand out more than the big boys with the right message and a clever packaging job. We love dimensional mail because small boxes get opened by gatekeepers and often passed on to the big cheese. What other media gets delivered by an executive’s most trusted advisor?
So old it’s new again
Direct mail has been around a long time. In recent years, email has taken the leading role for targeted direct response. Yet, because there is so much of it, people often “junk” emails that come from an unfamiliar sender – preventing a marketer from being invited to their inbox ever again. This leaves more room in the snail mail inbox for creative direct mail to stand out, get noticed and trigger positive action.
Pushing the envelope
Direct mail is going to be more expensive on a cost-per-touch basis than any other media. Yet it can have greater impact. This is why it is essential to pare down the list and become friendly with the U.S. Post Office. There are dozens of techniques that can be employed to reduce postage and handling. And at Young Company, we pursue them all. We’ve gone to the seminars and worked with a few highly reliable sources that enable us to push the envelope and keep costs to a minimum.
Response is what counts
Young Company conducts multi-touch campaigns using a variety of media for many clients. When we run direct mail and email to the same audience, we get a higher return from the direct mail. Of course, these are highly targeted lists and somehow great direct mail breaks through.