With such a daily deluge of emails it’s little wonder that 51% of emails are deleted in under two seconds.**
We probably don’t need to say anything more about the challenges facing digital marketers. But those two seconds do explain why online content marketers are supporting more and more of their activities with offline content and why they’re increasingly going back to print.
Even the digital giant Google uses direct mail to market its Adwords services to millions of current and prospective advertisers each year.***
Why would they do that? Isn’t print old hat, expensive and just well … very 1995?
The answer is no, no and no again. In 1995 there was so much direct mail about that we called it junk mail. Now the junk has moved online, and paper-based marketing is cutting through the noise. Printed materials can be disruptive and engaging – and this all leads to results for businesses. It’s the tangible stuff that gives you direct access to your customers, and gives customers a real flavour of your brand. It can be picked up, drawn on, shared, admired and even pinned in pride of place on the wall.
This recent report from the Direct Marketing Association* sums it up perfectly:
‘Print has become the quiet among the noise, a welcomed break. We should all be using this to our advantage by sending powerful, relevant, and timely printed media as an integral element in our marketing mix.’
It’s true, printing does cost more than hitting send on an email campaign but in terms of its longevity printed materials are harder to part with, and they’re in the home or workplace for way, way longer than two seconds.
The facts.
Print hangs around for:
When a neuromarketing firm compared paper-based marketing to digital media for Canada Post they found that direct mail requires 21% less ‘cognitive effort’ to process than digital media, ‘suggesting that it is both easier to understand and more memorable’. And in terms of that all-important brand recall, of the consumers who only received the digital versions – 44% could remember the brand, but for the direct mail recipients the brand recall rose to 75%.***
The long and short of it is that print gives you a bigger, and longer, bang for your buck.
It’s also true that offline direct marketing print does ask more from you, the marketer. A successful campaign takes creativity, planning, and a strong brand image. But it pays off when you get it right. According to Royal Mail’s research, receiving something in the post beats email and TV hands down for:
This isn’t about replacing one with the other; direct mail should sit as a tool in an integrated campaign. Email can pre-announce a mailing or remind a customer about an expiring, mailed out, offer.
If you’re thinking, ‘OK, you might be on to something here’, but you still need convincing that it’s right for your business, then take a look at how we’ve helped local Kent businesses get results through improved print and signage materials.
Your Travel Group reported a year-on-year increase of 27%, and a significant uplift in recognition, after we updated their brand identity and rolled this out to their marketing collateral including flyers and proposal packs. Find out how we did it here.
AM Surveying and Block Management
AM Surveying & Block Management saw a 40% increase in company turnover after we updated their brand image for the first time in thirty years and rolled this out to their signage, office décor and printed materials. Find out how we did it here.
Convinced?
If you would like us to help you achieve your growth objectives, we can offer you advice and share our experience and expertise, without giving you the hard sell. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you kickstart your online marketing activities with some offline marketing.
Call Managing Director Mark Bidewell on 01622 677541 or email mark@madebybison.co.uk
Find out more about our print for marketing services on our website.
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