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Don't Write Off Direct Mail

Return to News Items February 3, 2010
 

The following excerpts are from the Wall Street Journal article "Firms Hold Fast to Snail Mail Marketing" by Teri Evans. You can find the complete article here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703481004574646904234860412.html

Looking to cut costs amid the recession, Alicia Settle initially thought it would be a good idea to eliminate her company's annual direct mailing.

Her cost is about $20,000 for the direct mail campaign for Per Annum Inc., which sells city diaries, albums, and planners. But after switching to email last year, she saw a 25 percent drop in early orders compared with the same period the previous year.

"We realized we had made a huge mistake," says Ms. Settle.

The affordability of e-marketing has prompted many small companies like Per Annum to slash traditional direct mail budgets. But some companies that were quick to switch are finding direct mail is not so easy to dismiss.

Ms. Settle says that at first she blamed the economy for the dropoff, until she "started hearing from customers that they never got their "reminder" in the mail." She quickly sent a postcard mailing in June, which recouped the 25 percent loss.

But times are changing. Boiler-plate methods of the past, such as sending a flier to a mass audience, often aren't cost effective. Instead, business owners are creating personalized mailings, which may include special offers or other valuable information, and sending them to a hand-picked list of current and prospective customers.

Here's another example from the WSJ article:

To save money, Peter Taffae, founder of ExecutivePerils, a wholesale insurance broker, stopped his small firm's humorous postcard mailings last year. The four-color cards showcase his company through satirical movie themes, such as "Full Metal Policy" and "Singin' in the Renewal." According to Mr. Taffae, "After two or three months [of no postcards], we got a lot of emails and phone calls asking us, 'Did you take me off your list?' I figured if even 1% complained, then a much larger percentage were thinking about it." He restarted the postcard mailings in November.

To restart your direct mail campaign - or to expand it - just give us a call. We'll be happy to discuss ways of personalizing your mailings so they get attention and increase sales.

 
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