The power of direct mail and printed newsletters

Statistics underscore the power of direct mail and printed newsletters

Amid all the noise, clutter and complexity of our digital world, printed direct mail is still one of the most creative and effective ways of engaging potential customers. If you don’t believe me, take a look right now at your inbox. Are you overwhelmed? How many emails have attracted your attention? Will you be reading all of them or a select few?

According to Canada Post, when it comes to virtually any marketing campaign, direct mail gets noticed, opened and read because our brains are hard-wired to pay more attention to it due to its tactile nature. In fact, studies show that marketing campaigns that integrate direct mail with digital elements elicit 39% more attention (i.e. time spent) than digital campaigns alone. Today, savvy commercial printers, marketers and agencies realize that they absolutely must incorporate direct mail into their promotions to be successful.

A huge 66% purchase rate

I’d be willing to bet that the inbox on your computer is currently full of marketing messages and other offers that can be distracting at best, and annoying at worst. Physical mailboxes aren’t! And as mentioned, direct mail is tangible, so it’s much more engaging than an image on a computer screen – which is much easier to forget than a printed message you can physically set aside for future perusal. Combine all of these factors and it’s not surprising that about 66% of consumers here and in the U.S. have purchased a product because of direct mail. Yes, email can be effective. But today it’s a very crowded battleground for an audience’s attention.

Most of us have dozens or even hundreds of unopened emails, and realize that more are coming. How many will you open or never read? Printed newsletters, on the other hand, garner better readership and elicit subsequent actions. Today, successful business owners are revisiting this powerful and tangible marketing tool. Plus, with their more informative and entertaining style, newsletters can dominate when it comes to better engagement with customers and potential clients.

Don’t forget, with a simple mouse click, recipients can either bypass your email newsletter without even opening it, or worse, delete it. And, if you catch them at a very busy time, some might even opt out of receiving your emails altogether.

A better response rate

Your printed newsletter, on the other hand, will at least be touched and seen. According to several online searches, email newsletters can average click-through rates from .5% up to 1.6%. However, a printed direct-mail newsletter can generate a 3% to 5% response rate. To give you another comparison, Mailchimp pegs the average click-through rate for all emails across all industries at 2.62%. Statistics also show that emails have a small “opening window” that begins to plummet after the first hour of sending. For example, how likely are you to go back and open an email you skipped over earlier? However, nearly everyone sorts through his or her printed mail at least weekly, if not daily. Plus, many people set aside printed mail that they deem important, for future reference. Studies have also concluded that because our brains associate text with the physical world, most people find the process of focusing while reading digital print extremely challenging. Give your prospects a colourful printed newsletter that they can physically hold and interact with, and concentration is seldom an issue.

Finally, a printed newsletter also symbolizes professionalism and a commitment to your clients that’s difficult to convey with e-newsletters on a computer screen. At the end of the day, you need to balance the inexpensive nature of e-newsletters (i.e. no printing needed) with the many advantages of a printed format – not the least of which is showcasing your shop’s creativity and exceptional print quality. Finally, if you feel you don't have the time or the staff to create an engaging monthly newsletter, we can help.

Tony Curcio Editor, Graphic Arts Magazine tony@graphicartsmag.com