We get it: e-mail marketing has a strong theoretical pull. Cheap, fast, and with ostensibly massive reach, e-mail marketing seems magical. Write up some clever copy, couch it in decent design, upload your list and click SEND. Bam. You’ve accomplished your customer outreach duties for the month.
Feels good, doesn’t it?
Sure, until you open your own e-mail box. It dawns on you as you move through solicitation after solicitation after solicitation. You’re hitting DELETE or UNSUBSCRIBE constantly and muttering under your breath. Makes you wonder: How effective is my e-mail marketing in actually reaching people and delivering a compelling message? Do my mass e-mails motivate people to act?
Maybe
One of the best things about e-mail marketing is the immediate feedback it offers. Your e-mail campaign software likely offers analysis in droves. Check it. Consider your open, click-through and bounce rates. Consider your unsubscribes. If you’re doing it wrong, your data is going to speak for itself.
If you’re doing it right – and by that we mean sending consistent, meaningful messages that bolster your brand and create stronger relationships – then e-mail communications can be a valuable mix in your marketing strategy.
But for your business’s sake, do not rely on this channel exclusively. Because it’s exploited by spammers and overused by even the best marketers, e-mail communications done poorly or exclusively can diminish your brand.
A Better Way
Consider that right now, in the midst of the booming digital age, direct mail is seeing a remarkable resurgence. That’s because of its power to cut through the noise; to offer clean, clear, compelling messages that your customers actually hold in their hands.
Smart businesses combine meaningful direct mail marketing with e-mail outreach.
Consider:
According to Royal Mail, people appreciate what they can see and touch 24% more highly than something they can only see.
The Direct Marketing Association found that direct mail unquestionably outperforms e-mail, generating a 4.4% response rate, whereas e-mail sees, on average, a 0.12% response rate.
When they do respond, 79% of direct mail readers do so immediately, compared to 45% with e-mail.
Reaching Neighbors has direct mail programs that can work in conjunction with your digital efforts. Our campaigns are designed to last. To help grow the relationships you’ve worked so hard to establish. To build trust that leads to greater customer loyalty and long-term success! Contact us to learn more.
