The topic of integrated direct marketing has been discussed for years and fiercely debated. But everyone agrees on one thing: it’s not just a buzzword.

Having said that, you would be mistaken if you said direct mail is an „add-on“ to a modern integrated direct marketing campaign. You might be forgetting that for many years, direct mail was the ONLY way to reliably reach consumers at home and was employed extensively because it was so effective.

Perhaps it was employed too much because over the years customers became increasingly irritated by what they termed „junk mail.“ (Except when they discovered a coupon for their favorite pizza, of course!) Because of that, some direct mail clients turned sour on the medium, even though it was still an incredibly effective direct marketing channel and remained a cost-effective response vehicle.

However, in a „return to the future“ development, USPS direct mail is enjoying a renaissance of sorts in the opinions of both clients and their agencies. You see, in today’s cluttered media environment, consumers are smothered with email, web ads, mobile ads, texts, TV and radio spots all day long. Research has shown that consumers have chucked their past irritation to direct mail and are receptive again to opening a piece of physical mail.

Moreover, statistics show that 85% of consumers look through and read certain direct mail pieces every day. 75% of the public report that they are scanning their direct mail more deliberately during the past 12 months to look for coupons and other discounts. 40% of prospects say they have tried a new business after receiving a direct mail piece and 70% have re-entered a customer relationship with businesses they had previously ceased patronizing.

Although consumers may be getting less USPS direct mail, they’re getting more targeted direct mail — pieces that have interest and value for them as individuals. This is because direct mail agencies are getting choosier about what they mail and who they mail it to. This is why direct mail is making a comeback in the integrated marketing mix.

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For years, the answer to that was easy: direct mail was good old, USPS delivered letters and postcards. These days, there isn’t a single „one-size-fits-all“ answer as to what exactly constitutes it. Truth be told, the definition of direct mail seems to change every day.

Now that it’s no longer limited to the USPS, direct mail today can also be email, a text message, an instant message, a Facebook post, or any of a number of different kinds of social media communiques, from chat room interaction to a wiki entry.

The method of delivery for direct mail is important, sure. (And we’ll go into the pros and cons of direct mail media below.) But even more important is distinguishing between direct mail and display advertising. Ads placed on the side of a website, and in an actual physical newspaper, are not directed towards anyone; they are billboards hoping frantically to catch anyone’s attention that happens to glance over. Conversely, direct mail marketing focuses on speaking to people, treating them as individuals and getting as specific as possible.

In a perfect world, a fully-realized marketing approach that includes both old and new media may be the way to go. Herewith, a brief summary that will help clarify your thinking regarding your options.

USPS Direct Mail Advantages

*Less annoying: People may dislike ‚junk mail,‘ (at least when it comes at inopportune times) but they hate spam more;

* More involvement: Printed mail is tactile, attractive and can even smell good! All of which serves to command attention;

*Better lists: Because direct mail has been around longer, you’ll likely have better access to solid lists, as opposed to email lists that are collected online.

Disadvantages:

* Cost: Designing, printing, mailing and list costs are not cheap; email, by comparison, is cheap as dirt;

* Response rate: The typical response rate for direct mail is 1 to 2 percent. It’s not unheard of today to beat that response through targeted email;

*Not so green: Direct mail produces paper waste which is often not recycled.

Email/Text messages Pros

*Cheap: Even if response rates are small, you’re talking less loss than an investment in a printed DM campaign;

* Quick: Not only can recipients receive email as quickly as you can send them, replies can just as quickly come back to you;

*Tweakable: You can change headlines, pump up offers, even completely overhaul the entire piece in seconds, and send out the next blast in minutes, not days.

Cons

* Will your email even hit the inbox? With spam-blocker software use growing, it’s problematic. People are loathe to click on email, even from companies with whom they’re familiar.

*Lists: Decent email lists are hard to come by; you never know how good they are beforehand. But this is a problem with regular print mail, as well. Pick your mailing company wisely.

*Be careful: The CAN-SPAM law is of the highest importance. The general rule is you can’t email to any recipient who hasn’t given their thumbs-up to it, even if that approval was to a third party.

What’s the take-away from all this? Do your homework. Then choose the medium — or media — which is right for your campaign.

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Not long ago, marketers used to argue constantly over the strengths and weaknesses of email and traditional direct mail. Now, a truce has been declared: both media are powerful when couple with each other in a single campaign. The ability to apply these tools is now wide-spread, but not as frequently employed as they should. You should keep in mind these five elements that form the backbone of your campaign: Brand, timing, lists, Calls-To-Action and assessment.

1. Branding

This is the heart of the campaign: the branding message. Your e-mail should contain the same slogans, logos and other identifying marks used in the print piece,and both channels must reference the other. For example, the email subject line should repeat the envelope headline or a prominent head in the postal piece. Keep the subject line REAL short-30 to 40 characters-and make it extremely benefit-driven. The „from“ line should exactly match the name used on the printed piece. The channels have different strengths but the message should be the same in both. Create custom landing pages that are identical to your print offer. Feature the url in every piece and link to it from your e-mails.

2. Timing and Frequency

Entire books have been written about when to send email — what day of week and time of day. While the answers are not clear, the statistics are compelling for the timing of a coordinated email/DM campaign: direct mail should come first, the email about a week later. The snail-mail goes first because it tends to hang around longer than email, which is usually either read, trashed or pushed out of sight in two or three days.

3. The List

The job of compiling a mail list for these kinds of coordinated campaigns is obviously twice as hard as other DM campaigns because you need a list with both kinds of addresses. Remember: always add the recipients name to the „Dear“ line. This signals some kind of pre-existing relationship with the recipient. Avoid using too many graphics and pictures. And keep the size of your entire email under 60kb.

4. CTA

Your calls-to-action should be very visible; in email, use text in addition to image-based links to guarantee they can be viewed even if images can’t be displayed. Your CTA should be in the top half of your email so it can be viewed in most preview panes.

5. „After Action“ Reports

Some marketers insist on quantifying success by judging results from each channel, but that’s wrong-headed. The results should be viewed together as either successful or not. For example, the prospect may respond to an e-mail for convenience sake, but it is entirely possible the postal piece closed the sale. Or the customer may phone in an order after reading both a direct mail piece and/or an e-mail.

Both media must work in coordination for an effective campaign and results should be assessed that way too.

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