Marketing Strategies: Direct Mail vs. Email

Direct mail dates back to 1,000 B.C. when an Egyptian landowner advertised a gold reward for the return of one his slaves—all finely scripted on a piece of papyrus. For a marketing strategy that ancient, you would think direct mail’s days might be numbered, right? Think again.

Proactive Marketing released a report comparing direct mail and email marketing outcomes in the U.K. There are a total of 12.1 billion direct mail letters and 74 trillion emails sent out every year. Approximately
70 percent of recipients say that they feel like they receive too many emails, and 57 percent of people abandon their email addresses due to receiving too many emails.

Here are some of the report’s findings:

• The average direct mail lifespan is 17 days, while the average email lifespan is two seconds.
• Direct mail has a 4.4 percent response rate, while email has a 0.12 percent response rate.
• Direct mail generates 10 percent more customers than email.
• 79 percent of people respond to direct mail immediately, while 45 percent respond to emails immediately.

Results showed that 63 percent of people prefer direct mail for brochures and catalogs; 62 percent prefer direct mail for welcome packs; and 62 percent prefer email for news and updates.

Although direct mail has a higher response rate, a strategy implementing direct mail and email produces a higher response rate.

Customers spend 25 percent more when companies use direct mail and email marketing, and direct mail and email marketing strategies achieve better brand awareness, increased ROI and customer experience.

While based on people who lived in the U.K., the results seem applicable to U.S. markets. Visit goo.gl/CnX6zr to read the full report.