Amazon and Google Declare the Age of Direct Mail is NOT Dead!

Does opening a piece of ‘snail mail’ seem archaic to you? Do you find your mail box overstuffed with ‘junk mail’? Wonder if the billions of pieces of direct mail sent out each year have any positive impact? Do you think stamped paper delivered by U.S. Postal Service (founded in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and Ben Franklin) will be soon replaced by e-mail? Think again! Direct mail is NOT dead. Or so it would appear, if you are on Amazon’s or Google’s mailing list.

Recently I received a mailing from Amazon Music with a limited offer of 3 months of Amazon music for only $0.99. The personalized and cleanly designed letter directed me to a website where I was invited to ‘start today’. Imagine that, the most sophisticated e-tailer on Earth, which is threatening traditional bricks and mortar retailers with apparent extinction, mailed me a traditional personalized, stamped and sealed envelope with a folded offer letter inside! I could hardly afford to go wrong at just $0.99, so why not try it?

The following day, Google mailed our office a tri-fold, full color brochure encouraging our business to sign up for Google Ads to boost marketing impact for our company. A data infused ‘sell sheet’ with engaging icons explained the many reasons why Google Ads would obviously be a key catalyst to grow our business by reaching people searching for our services.

The reasons why we should become Google’s customer included a.) The majority of mobile device users make a purchase after researching on their smartphones, b.) 82% of smartphone users search to find local businesses, and c.) nearly $30 billion will be spent by 2020 on mobile ads. The message is clear, get on the bandwagon or get left in the wagon’s dust. The well-crafted piece included an attention getting call-to-action $150 credit offer, if we would only sign up by December 31st. The tear away coupon even had a promotion code we could use to sign-up on-line to immediately begin benefiting from Google Ads’ services. The multi-fold brochure was like an unveiling, with each turn of the page revealing yet more hopeful opportunities for our business success, by engaging their service. Hey, maybe we should consider this in our marketing mix for 2019!

Why do two of the biggest companies in history still use ‘outdated’ and ‘low tech’ direct mail? Because direct mail works! Think about it; we are physically and spatially oriented beings. We engage our world with our senses including tactilely, auditory, and visually. Information presented on physical paper engages 3 of those senses in ways electronic information doesn’t. Also, direct mail allows us to absorb information at our own pace, without the pressure of having to hit the ‘delete’ key so we can jump on the next item in our overflowing inbox. We can think about the information as presented, set it aside until we have a quiet moment, or write a thought, comment or question in the margin for further investigation. And the piece can engage us in a creative manner that may allow us to think ‘outside of the in-box’ and maybe, just maybe, make a better decision.

Finally, direct mail to an accurate list updated by a service like FreeNCOA.com puts the reader in charge to either ‘take the next step’, delay a decision until additional information can be considered, or pitch the piece into the recycle bin (to someday return as another direct mail piece). The ‘snail mail’ delivered offer, allows us to engage our decision making process in a manner that is completely customized to our personal preference.

Another reason direct mail works really well is marketers have time to refine and prequalify their target market. In the above example of Amazon’s mail piece they already know that I am a prime member and can pull in outside data as well from companies like BrooksIM appending demographics including music presences and qualifications like estimated credit score age, income and/or homeowner. One third of a direct marketing response rate is made by selecting the correct target market.

So before you think direct mail is dead, just ask Amazon and Google, and then open your mailbox!

Article by David Garrett at Brooks Integrated Marketing (BrooksIM) in Bonita Springs Florida, specializing in hygiene services for B2C and B2B clients, to assure high impact and economic mailing list accuracy. BrooksIM also provides data enhancement to clients’ lists by adding phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and social media links for omni-channel customer targeting, as well as profiling for new customer acquisition. Do you love direct marketing? We would love to hear from you and discuss data driven ideas to make your next campaign a success. Contact Us Today. Website: www.BrooksIM.com or call 1-800-531-2601

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