Direct Mail Marketing in 2012

Marketing professionals are always striving to innovate. Let's face it, the idea of trying something new in the field of marketing is nothing new. Firms continually vie to stand out from the crowd and create campaigns that grab hold of people. Once you break through the barrier of scepticism you can start having a conversation with your target audience, but you often need a bit of pizzazz to get to this stage. This is partly why digital marketing has enjoyed such a rapid ascent in the past year. Despite the global economy teetering on the brink of disaster and overall marketing spend falling, digital has experienced double digit growth - partly because it is new. Business to business email marketing, social media strategies and video advertising have all gone from strength to strength. But as everyone adopts these new marketing solutions they start to lose their edge and many firms are already beginning to realise how successful direct mail campaigns can be if they revolve around top quality business lists. Some analysts are even calling direct mail marketing a breath of fresh air in an increasingly digital world.

So is it time to revert to direct mail?

Just as with any successful marketing strategy, it makes no sense to put all your eggs in a single basket. While direct mail still offers a strong return-on-investment and constitutes an effective use of quality data from up-to-date business lists, it works best in conjunction with other marketing channels. There are a huge array of ways in which direct mail can be used in business to business marketing campaigns and just as you would have in the past, you need to think about how best to use the channel to engage your audience. Direct mail should not be seen as an added extra - much like social media was when it first arrived on the scene - but as a potential sales goldmine to be integrated into your wider marketing strategy.

This is key! Direct mail needs to become one of the cogs that will keep your marketing strategy turning. Combining it with database marketing techniques, social media strategies and online video campaigns will make it much more successful. Integration should be the driving force behind the adoption of any advertising technique, whether it is a tried and tested one like direct mail, or a brand new one like location-based social media marketing. Making sure that your strategies are complementary and consistent will instantly boost their success.

Another key consideration should be the message. Direct mail, just like any other form of marketing needs to be engaging. You cannot add all the bells and whistles associated with on-going digital campaigns as it needs to get to the point quickly and concisely. The ubiquity of email marketing, for instance, and the ease with which marketing messages can be sent to thousands of potential clients has shifted the mindset of marketing professionals. But as email marketing gets more expensive and more prolific, effective targeting becomes a must. The same is true of direct mail. Starting with a rock solid business list populated with up-to-date information will allow for better targeting - this is the cornerstone of successful direct mail strategies.

One of the most important things to bear in mind is that the number of firms using direct mail has fallen. In part, this is down to the rise of digital advertising. Even SEO has helped hamper the growth of direct mail. In the past direct mail was the only way many small firms could advertise; now it has become a niche channel. One advantage to this is that it is much easier to exploit. You'll no longer be competing with hundreds of pieces of direct marketing material, but a handful so your business will automatically gain a slight advantage.