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The new “DMA 2015 Statistical Fact Book” is out. Laurie Beasley, President of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc., was chosen to write the intro to this year’s Direct Mail Marketing section. Here are Laurie’s key findings for effective direct mail:

For decades, direct mail was the workhorse of direct marketing. Then came the Internet, and some marketers migrated to far less expensive contact methods like email, online advertising and search marketing. The total number of direct mail pieces mailed each year steadily declined.

However, direct mail has been holding its own in recent years and some indicators point to a resurgence. According to the most recent USPS Household Diary Study, overall mail volume was down only slightly and standard mail volume actually increased. In fact, the percentage of total mail volume attributed to direct mail has steadily grown year by year, from 39.9% in 1990 to 56.9% in 2014.

Lower overall mail volumes should make it easier for a marketer’s piece to stand out in the mailbox. But since the decline is primarily in first class, the competition in standard class advertising mail has become more intense. To increase direct mail effectiveness, marketers might want to consider making their pieces less promotional and more “official looking” like increasingly rare bills and statements (since more and more transactions are done online) to get the attention of a busy consumer.

As in past years, there are some encouraging trends. Response rates for most marketers have declined significantly since 1987, which accounts for a lower mail volume. But response rates for department store direct mail have increased 2.5 times during that same period. When mailing first class, both department stores and credit card marketers have seen their response rates double between 1987 and 2013.¹

Department stores may have better geographic and customer information that allows them to target more selectively. Credit card companies may have better data on their best prospects, justifying the higher cost of first class mail. Does better data translate to better response? That hypothesis is supported by user diaries, where most retailers get very high scores for “read immediately” and “found useful”²

Better targeting with higher response rates makes direct mail more affordable. But the ultimate cost per order or per lead are always what count, and better response rates and better conversion with direct mail can offset the postage and printing costs that you don’t have with electronic media.

Direct mail is also one of the most trackable and measurable of all media, boosting the quality of analytics for the campaign overall. A multichannel marketer knows when mail is arriving, and can use this knowledge to turn on the tap for other touch points such as email and telemarketing. Thus direct mail benefits other media and can boost the overall effectiveness of the multi-touch campaign.

For a final bright spot, take a look at the “will read immediately” numbers on Figure 1 below. Positive intent by 22-24 year olds increased from 35.6 to 41.2 percent 1987 to 2013. Perhaps marketers have learned how to target emerging consumers with relevant messages and offers.

Figure 1

A new generation is reading your mail, and paying attention. Now it’s up to you to train them and nurture them to become lifelong consumers and enthusiasts for direct mail marketing.

Find out more about the Direct Marketing Association here. Order The DMA 2015 Statistical Fact Book here.

For more information on how to create more successful direct mail programs, download our guide 10 Ways to Optimize Direct Mail Campaigns.

¹ The DMA 2015 Statistical Fact Book, USPS Household Diary Study, 2014, p. 61.

² The DMA 2015 Statistical Fact Book, USPS Household Diary Study, 2014, p. 68

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Laurie Beasley, President, Beasley Direct Marketing

This blog was authored by Laurie B. Beasley, co-founder and president of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. Beasley Direct is a Silicon Valley direct marketing agency that has managed search, email, online, and demand generation campaigns for nearly 100 companies. Ms. Beasley serves as President of the Direct Marketing Association of Northern California. She manages the eMarketing Roundtable for the BMA Northern California (www.NorCalBMA.org). She is also an instructor of online marketing at UC Berkeley Extension and teaches for the Online Marketing Institute. Ms. Beasley frequently speaks on online marketing and demand generation topics for marketing organizations, including the DMA, BMA, AMA, Tech Council, and the Online Marketing Summit.

The post Effective Direct Mail Makes a Comeback: Why It Can Be More Effective Than Ever appeared first on Beasley Direct and Online Marketing.

News Facts:

• John Thyfault, Vice President of Search and Social Marketing, and Laurie Beasley, President of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. will be featured as post-conference certification intensive speakers at the Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference, DMA2014, in San Diego, CA, October 29-30 2014. With the rules for search changing at an unrelenting pace, this two-day session will make sure marketers are well equipped to optimize their organic search marketing. The session will start at the basics, then move quickly on to more advanced topics including: keywords, measurement and analytics, link building, and optimizing social media for SEO. Find out more by going to dma14.org/conference/post-conference-intensives/.

About us:

Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. (www.BeasleyDirect.com) is known for bringing the latest marketing strategies to online and direct marketing. Beasley Direct provides services in email marketing, search engine optimization, print advertising, social media, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, website design, media planning, direct mail marketing, lead generation and nurture campaigns, and database management. Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. helps clients in both B2B and B2C marketing and is privately held and headquartered in the Silicon Valley suburb, Morgan Hill, California. For more information, go to www.BeasleyDirect.com or call Laurie Beasley, President, at 408-782-0046 x21 or email lbeasley@beasleydirect.com.

The DMA2014 Annual Conference & Exhibition: The Global Event for Data-Driven Marketers is the world’s largest gathering of data-driven marketing professionals. At DMA2014, which will be held October 25-30 in San Diego, the focus will be on igniting customer engagement. We’ll help you discover innovative ways to engage 1:1 with customers via relevant, responsible, and real-time messaging — and drive response. We do this through leading-edge case studies from global brands; more than 70 conference sessions designed for team development; premier networking events; the 2014 Exhibit Hall featuring hundreds of the world’s top companies; and much more. With strategic partnerships with top marketing organizations, DMA2014 delivers the most cutting-edge content to all areas of focus and interest. For additional information, or to register for the six-day data-driven marketing event of the year, please visit www.thedma.org. For information about DMA2014 exhibition and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Wilson Vargas at 212.790.1468 or wvaras@the-dma.org.

About Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
The Direct Marketing Association (https://thedma.org/) is the world’s largest trade association dedicated to advancing and protecting responsible data-driven marketing. Founded in 1917, DMA represents thousands of companies and nonprofit organizations that use and support data-driven marketing practices and techniques. DMA provides the Voice to shape policy and public opinion, the Connections to grow members’ businesses and the Tools to ensure full compliance with ethical and best practices as well as professional development. In 2012, the Data-Driven Marketing Economy (DDME) added $156 billion in revenue to the U.S. economy and fueled more than 675,000 jobs. The real value of data is in its exchange across the DDME: 70 percent of the value of the DDME — $110 billion in revenue and 478,000 jobs — depends on the ability of firms to exchange data across the DDME.

Contact:
Laurie B. Beasley
Ph: 408-782-0046 x21
Fx: 408-782-9604
lbeasley@beasleydirect.com

Laurie Beasley, President, Beasley Direct Marketing

John Thyfault, VP Search and Social Marketing, Beasley Direct Marketing

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The new “DMA 2014 Statistical Fact Book“ is out, and its chock-full of fascinating new statistics on direct mail advertising.  My conclusion:  Direct mail….it’s back!

Direct mail fans may yearn for the good old days, pre-Internet, of magnificent Time-Life publication packs, coffee tables groaning under the weight of catalogs and brilliantly written subscription mail. However, the fact is that this oldest of direct response media is enjoying a renaissance.

Higher Income Households “Will Read” Direct Mail

It may be true that response rates are not as high as in that Golden Era—but in most categories they’re down only slightly, if at all. The “DMA 2014 Statistical Fact Book” reveals some marketers, such as retailers, are seeing dramatically higher response to their direct mail than in the 1980s.¹ Another bright spot is higher income households, those earning $65K per year or more. Their “find it useful”, “will read” and “will respond” evaluations are up virtually across the board compared to 1987, according to household diaries.²

Savvy direct marketers are taking advantage of these trends. The “DMA Statistical Fact Book” also reveals quantities mailed in most sectors have increased year after year since the recession ended in late 2009.³  (See Figure 1 for details by sector.) However, the direct mail that’s going out today is very different from the generic mail of the past. New production, personalization and formatting options make it much more interesting and relevant to the recipient.

Figure 1: Direct Mail Volume By Sectors.

Source: DMA “2014 Statistical Fact Book” and Mintel

Debunking Direct Mail Myths

As direct mail becomes more targeted and efficient, the myth this medium is “expensive” is debunked. To a modern marketer weaned on email and pay-per-click, direct mail postage and printing costs may seem high. You wonder how can you possibly make that investment back in results—but statistics say you will.  Sophisticated marketers look past raw numbers to the ultimate cost per order or per lead—that’s what really counts.

We’ve found that CPO/CPL costs for direct mail are in line with print and pay-per-click: not all that much more than email, and significantly less than telemarketing.⁴ (It’s not that the days of other media are over. But as online and email audiences become saturated, the cost of an incremental lead or sale is higher and direct mail once again becomes appealing.)

Direct mail is also the most trackable and measurable of all media, boosting the quality of analytics for the campaign overall, and these metrics continue to evolve. Today’s multichannel marketer knows when mail is arriving and when people are reading and responding, and uses this knowledge to turn on the tap for such other touch points as telemarketing.  Thus direct mail benefits other media and boosts the overall effectiveness of the campaign.

Young Adults, 24 Years and Younger, are Among the Most Direct Mail Responsive

Finally, people like to get mail. They enjoy the experience going to the mailbox and finding something interesting to look at and hold in their hands. (They may not like to get bills, but those are increasingly processed online without ever going in the mail.) An encouraging sign for direct mail marketers is that very young adults, 24 and younger, are among the most mail-responsive groups today.⁵ Figure 2 provides details by age group.

Figure 2: Response to Standard Mail By Age of Head of Household. 

Source:  “DMA 2014 Statistical Fact Book” and USPS Household Diary Study 2013.

To sum up, direct mail is back—unless you believe, like many of us, that with all its advantages for marketers, direct mail never went away.

Learn More About Optimizing Your Direct Mail Advertising Programs

To find out more about how to optimize your direct mail programs, you can access a new guide written by Laurie Beasley. Whether you are an experienced direct mail marketer or one of the increasing number of e-only marketers who have never used direct mail, this guide contains useful suggestions and best practices to optimize your direct mail campaigns. Access 10 Ways to Optimize Your Direct Mail Campaigns now.

Find out more about the Direct Marketing Association here. Order The DMA 2014 Statistical Fact Book here.

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About the Author, Laurie B. Beasley

LAURIE B. BEASLEY is co-founder and president of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. www.BeasleyDirect.com, a Silicon Valley direct marketing agency that has managed search, email, online, direct mail, and demand generation campaigns for over a hundred companies. Ms. Beasley serves as president of the Direct Marketing Association of Northern California DMAnc.org.  She manages the Online Roundtable for the BMA Northern California www.NorCalBMA.org. She is an instructor of online marketing at UC Berkeley Extension and teaches in the Level 2 Certification program for the Online Marketing Institute www.onlinemarketinginstitute.org .  She frequently speaks on online marketing and demand generation topics for marketing organizations, including the Online Marketing Summit, Interactive Marketing Week, DMA Annual Conference, and the Marketing Executive Networking Group.

About Beasley Direct and Online Marketing

Beasley Direct and Online Marketing, Inc. www.BeasleyDirect.com, is a full service Silicon Valley direct marketing agency that has managed search, email, online, and demand generation campaigns for nearly a hundred companies. The company provides multi-channel campaigns for B2B and B2C.   Clients include SAP, Rovi, Safeway.com, Omnicell, Apple, and more.

Direct Marketing Association of Northern California DMAnc.org is an educational and networking organization that meets monthly for educational topics and workshops.  We offer an on-site certificate in online marketing workshop series in conjunction with the Online Marketing Institute.

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News Facts: Laurie B. Beasley, president of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc., will be teaching a six-week, live online course on Demand Generation & Lead Conversion for the National Direct Marketing Association starting May 2, 2014. Register now.

The pressure for B2B marketers is on. Modern B2B buyers have an increasing tendency and capacity to research purchasing decisions online long before they engage with Sales. They are empowered with information, and winning over modern B2B buyers requires organizations to revolutionize their marketing approach. This course will help today’s B2B marketer set goals with the Sales department, manage the touch points for lead qualification and optimize communication channels.

Practical challenges will be addressed, such as:

Challenge: Did you know? On average, it takes 6.8 people to make a decision in a 100 person company. The buying committee is changing marketing.

Solution: Learn how to segment your lists and craft messages to better target decision makers during this six-week course.

Challenge: Sales teams demand higher quality “sales-ready” leads to hit their numbers. It can take 7 to 13+ big touches to generate a qualified Sales opportunity. The marketer is on the hook to manage and deliver qualified leads.

Solution: We’ll discuss what marketing automation can do to help the process, and more importantly, how to make it fit in with your strategic goals.

Challenge: Is lack of resources your go-to excuse for lack of effective lead generation campaigns and qualified leads?

Solution: We’ll also talk about the analytics and reporting needed to track your efficiency and adjust resources.

Join Laurie Beasley from the comfort of your own desk, for an interactive, hands-on 90 minutes filled with case-studies, six Fridays, beginning May 2nd through June 13th to gain the skills you need to meet your strategic goals. Register now.

Instructor Bio:

Laurie B. Beasley

Laurie B. Beasley is co-founder and president of Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc., a Silicon Valley direct marketing agency that has managed search, email, online, and demand generation campaigns for over a hundred companies. Ms. Beasley serves as president of the DMA Northern California Chapter.

 
 
 
About us:

Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. (www.BeasleyDirect.com) is known for bringing the latest marketing strategies to online and direct marketing. Beasley Direct provides services in email marketing, search engine optimization, social media, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, website design, media planning, direct mail marketing, lead generation and nurture campaigns, and database management. Beasley Direct Marketing, Inc. helps clients in both B2B and B2C marketing. Beasley Direct Marketing is privately held and headquartered in the Silicon Valley suburb, Morgan Hill, California. For more information, go to www.BeasleyDirect.com or call Laurie Beasley, President, at 408-782-0046 x21 or email lbeasley@beasleydirect.com.

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