Deciding whether or use email marketing or direct marketing to boost your business sales is a lot like choosing to wear red socks or black socks. There’s no real right answer. If anything, the answer lies in whatever you’re most comfortable with. For certain, if you have a small business, you’re going to have a limited marketing budget which means you need to get the most out of every marketing/advertising dollar you spend.  

According to Corpnet.com, there are some serious pros to consider when it comes to direct mail. For instance, direct mail can be used just as effectively for business to business (B2B) marketing and also business to consumer (B2C) marketing and advertising. You can make a splash by sparking the mail viewer’s interest by utilizing thick card stock along with personalized envelopes or even a postcard that contains a stunning photograph. With direct mail, visual impact means everything.  

You can also offer a free gift inside your direct mail package. The gift will purposely make the package or envelope appear clumpy, and viewers will tear it open out of curiosity. When they get their prize you will have made them smile, and perhaps they will give your business some consideration on both a conscious and a subconscious level. Direct mailings like these are said to be more effective than emails since many businesses, large and small, receive dozens if not hundreds of emails every day, most of which are deleted prior to opening. 

Here are three pros of direct mail marketing over email marketing: 

 

  • Precise Targeting

 

When using direct mail marketing you can pinpoint customers and businesses located inside a specific region or geographical location. You can use the direct mailing as a gateway that leads the recipient to a website or a nearby location to continue the sales procedure. Marketing expert, Marina Erulkar, says that an e-commerce business could use direct mail to create a product or brand awareness, and in turn, drive respondents to their company website. Direct mail is a tool to “break into consumers consciousness.” From there you steer them to your website and perhaps even a sale.  

Direct mail seems to work well for brick-and-mortar businesses like boutique clothing stores, restaurants, nail salons, and other similar operations since it can be used to generate interest inside a specific community, or so claims Corpnet.com. Business owners can offer coupons for anything from a free drink along with the purchase of an entre or a free t-shirt with clothing sales of $100 or more. This is said to be an effective way to lure potential buyers in your door.     

 

  • Brand Awareness Messaging

 

If your business is all about something new like cryptocurrency or digital art for instance, direct mail is said to be a better initial option than email for enticing potential customers and getting them to view your website. Erulkar is a big fan of direct mail when it comes to message awareness and branding. It allows a business owner to target in on customers with an almost laser precision. Once that happens you can direct them to the company website sales page and not only continue the sales cycle on a digital basis, but allow it to take over.     

 

  • Upfront Budget

 

Despite its effectiveness as an attention getter, direct mail generally will require a major budget commitment. What this means is, you’ll be spending a lot upfront. It also means your message better be on target, and that the creative part of the mailing be as perfect as you can make it. Even the postage you use better be right. All this takes a lot of work and certainty.   

Office supply stores, both brick-and-mortar and online, can help you save upfront costs by offering mail templates that assist you with company logos and even copy. They can also help you with special paper stock, personalized envelopes, and printing services. This is said to be a great option for new companies who wish to take advantage of direct mail but on a limited budget. 

Erulkar goes on to say that there are two drivers of the cost of direct mail: distribution and postage. Postage alone will take up close to 50 percent of your marketing budget, so it’s important to explore ways to mitigate those costs like going with a cheaper postage class. Regardless of postage class, the US mail can be trusted to get your direct mail marketing package where it needs to be. 

In the digital age when businesses are relying more and more on email marketing for getting their message across to potential buyers, traditional direct mail remains one of the most cost-effective means for grabbing their attention and getting their foot in the door. Once that happens, you can lead customers to a dynamic, user friendly website that will entice them into buying your products.