Think direct mail is no longer effective? Recent studies show otherwise.
A number of recent studies shed new light on the effectiveness of direct mail advertising. Here are just a few.
Since 1987 the United States Postal Service has conducted an annual study of mail received and sent. Here are some of the results from the most recent study:
- Advertising mail represents 62% of all mail received.
- 79% of households said they either read or scanned the advertising mail they received.
- One in three households said they made one or more purchases as a result of receiving the advertising mail.
- Contrary to the prevailing opinion that direct mail is "junk" mail, a majority of respondents reported paying attention to the advertising.
- In a Pitney Bowes survey, 1,100 U.S. college graduates were asked about their preferences for receiving information from the school they attended. The survey found that 54% of respondents have a strong preference for direct mail. Only 23% chose email as their preferred method of communication. The alumni also preferred print mail for correspondence and news from their alma mater, 57% to 31% over email.
In 2009, Bredin Business Information published the results of a survey of 741 U.S.-based businesses with fewer than 500 employees. The survey revealed that over 43% of respondents said they relied on direct mail, including letters and postcards for information and services.
In another 2009 study; this one by Harris Interactive; 2,265 adults 18 and over were asked about their media preferences. A majority considered printed material easier to read than its digital equivalent. A whopping 68% said they feel more comfortable when they have something on paper rather than on a computer screen.
If you have abandoned, or never considered, direct mail as a viable part of your media mix, perhaps it's time to reconsider. Despite all the arguments, direct mail remains a proven way to communicate with customers and prospects.
At Barton Springs, we can provide turnkey programs for direct mail marketing, from consultation and design to printing and mailing. When you're ready to take advantage of the power of direct mail, call us, we can help. (7/5/2010@1:45 pm)
-jim
A note about "Take Note!"
Welcome to "Take Note!" Here we will share information and insight on printing and print buying as well as the effective use of printed materials in your advertising and marketing programs. Additionally, to keep you coming back, this page will offer what we call Pocket Specials, money-saving opportunities on a variety of products available from Barton Springs and our extensive network printing partners. These specials will not be advertised anywhere except here. New information and new specials will be added frequently so check back often to see what's new. (5/26/2010@9:45 am)
-jim
It's Fred's Fault.
My friend Jim, a representative for a trade printer in Round Rock, says it's all Fred Smith's fault. He is referring to Fredrick W. Smith, Yale graduate and founder of Federal Express. The problem of which Fred stands accused is instilling in us the unshakable belief that anything we want, we can have ... TOMORROW. Let's call it the FedEx syndrome. Whoever is responsible, the FedEx syndrome has made a lot of money for a lot of people, not just Fred Smith.
In printing, as in most things, failure to plan ahead is very expensive. A full color print job (in quantities 500 and above) from a quick copy shop like Kinkos can cost twice as much as the same job produced at normal production times by traditional offset printing. And, the quality of offset is vastly superior. To the higher cost, you can add a greatly-increased increased margin for error. If it's not a recipe for disaster, it is certainly one for disappointment.
Everyone needs rush jobs on occasion and Barton Springs is fully equipped to meet those needs. But, in these tough economic times everyone is looking for ways to cut expenses. Good forward planning is a way to do so with absolutely no downside. (5/26/2010@9:45 am CDT)