These days, it’s easy to get bogged down with online marketing. Sending an email, or creating a social media post can often be a quick and efficient method for reaching a lot of customers and potential customers. But email marketing isn’t necessarily always the best method when it comes to reaching customers. Direct mail marketing can also be a powerful force you can call on whether you want to keep existing customers or bring new customers into the fold. So, the decision of email vs direct mail marketing comes into play.
What is direct mail marketing, though? To put it simply, direct mail marketing is when you send physical mail directly to your customers. This could be anything from bulk offset postcards, to commercial swag and merchandise. Your direct mail marketing could include coupons, free samples, or any number of other offers to incentivize customers to choose your business.
So why are so many people asking about the benefits and drawbacks of email marketing vs direct mail?
Benefits of Email
To really understand the best ways to use email marketing, you should know that there are two main varieties, and each one has benefits and drawbacks. Email direct marketing works similarly to regular direct mail marketing. You choose certain elements of your customer base or those who fit the demographic of your customer base, and send them personalized emails containing information or offers relevant to their interests. This might include things like coupon codes sent on a customer’s birthday or information about updates to products they’ve bought previously.
These electronic direct mail examples are perfect for those businesses where customers provide their email addresses and a certain amount of personal information when using your services or buying your products. People tend to receive a lot of emails on a daily basis, so directly marketing to them is a great way to catch their eye and help your business stand out in their inboxes.
The other main kind of email marketing is email blast marketing. Also known as an eblast, or e-blast. This is, in many ways, is a much more straightforward prospect, but is unfortunately much more likely to get caught in a spam folder, or deleted immediately. An eblast involves sending a one-size-fits-all email to a large list of email addresses with little to no consideration about the relevance it might have to the person who receives it. If you’re wondering about how to create an eblast, you should be aware that there are now regulations in place to prevent companies from blindly sending mass emails to huge numbers of email addresses with no way to opt out, so make sure you’re following the rules if you plan on using this kind of marketing.
Benefits of Direct Mail
Direct mail has a number of benefits, but one of the biggest is being able to focus your efforts on specific areas and demographics. Whether you’re targeting returning customers or potential clients, ensure that your money and effort are spent on communicating with the people most likely to spend money on your goods and services. This is a great way to maximize your return on investment.
Quality graphic design and printing services are key components of a successful direct mail marketing campaign. People who receive your standard postcards, menus, or coupons are much more likely to respond favorably if they receive top-of-the-line print material. There are many options when it comes to finding great graphic designers and print shops, but a reputable print shop is generally regarded as your best option for ensuring that your materials are delivered looking their best, on time, and with the least hassle possible. In fact, you can streamline the entire process with a company like Gold Image Printing, who go as far as to provide an entire direct mail service that even includes online design tools!
Direct mail marketing can seem a daunting process, which is why it’s important to do your research. If you’re running a restaurant, it can be hard to figure out the best way to get menus with coupons for free delivery into the hands of new or existing customers. Navigating the online maze of kinds of paper, and convoluted bulk printing pricing, can be complicated too, so working with a high-quality print shop is a great idea. There are tons of ways for a restaurant to benefit from various kinds of printed material, including some you may not have thought of! You can find out more by following this incredible restaurant printing essentials guide.
Any business looking to develop a direct mail marketing strategy could benefit from a Paper Thickness Guide to ensure you find the perfect paper stock, or a guide to help you through the sometimes confusing process of Bulk Printing and You.
Direct physical mail can also have a psychological effect on the person receiving it when compared to an email. Emails are easy to delete without ever opening and reading them. In contrast, people have to interact with direct mail in a way that can increase the likelihood of them reading and responding to it.
Synergizing Your Mail Marketing Strategies
While direct mail marketing and email marketing might seem like mutually exclusive endeavors, it’s actually in your best interest to use both! However, it’s important not to fall into the trap of dismissing direct mail due to the lower initial cost output of email blasts. What looks great printed and in hand often loses some of its charm through a computer screen, and customers tend to spend more time interacting with direct mail, which can’t be underestimated. You can make sure your artwork is as well matched as your actual marketing strategy by taking advantage of these amazing artwork guidelines. They’ll ensure that whatever blend of email and direct mail marketing strategies you decide to use, both will look absolutely amazing.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, no one knows your business better than you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have all the information you need to make an informed decision about your direct mail vs. email marketing strategies at the tips of your fingers.
It’s always best to explore your options fully, and finding the right printing and graphic design services is a great first step to improving marketing results for your business.