In a world where consumers can be exposed to a brand’s marketing message in seconds via social media, email campaigns, online ads and a plethora of other digital channels, direct mail, such as postcard campaigns, are surely a distant memory – consigned to the annals of marketing history.
Think again.
Direct mail takes many forms – from leaflets and fliers to an old-fashioned enveloped letter. However, when it comes to maximising marketing spend, The DMA recently discovered the humble postcard sits above the rest, with 52.5% of potential recipients claiming they will read a postcard, compared to only 30% for an enclosed letter.
There’s no time like the present…
Recent research from JICMAIL has found that direct mail response rates are at an all-time high, driving traffic to brand websites through URL and QR codes. In particular, an 11% annual increase in engagement was experienced from 2019 to 2020. This is largely due to people becoming a captive audience working from home, and a revival in the channel due to GDPR impacting other digital marketing efforts.
With Black Friday and Christmas just around the corner, and so many consumers at home due to COVID-19, postcards offer an extremely efficient and flexible marketing tool for any type of business.
Even in the digital age, large brands such as MyProtein are using postcards as a cornerstone of their marketing campaigns.
Here are five ways postcard marketing can benefit your business…
Cost-Effectiveness
Postcard marketing offers excellent value for money for marketers. Due to the bulk nature of the printing and mailing, they can be delivered for as little as 28p per lead. When you factor in that the combined response rate for B2B and B2C campaigns sits at 11.6%, postcards offer unparalleled return on advertising spend & a great cost-per-acquision.
Quick and easy to create
Postcard campaigns are extremely quick and easy to create. With SendVia’s user friendly postcard campaign platform, all you need is a simple piece of A6 artwork, some targeted messaging and a list of contacts. They can even be printed and mailed on the same day as the order is placed!
High read and response rates
Due to the personalisation, the targeted messaging and the fact direct mail cuts through the marketing “noise”, people do actually read postcards. Due to the lack of envelope, they’re easily picked up and read and cannot be ignored. Just make sure your front page is eye-catching!
Even once the postcard has been set aside, the reader (and anyone near them!) will have been exposed to your branding and their brand recall and recognition should mean that when it comes to needing your product or service, you’ll be the first name on their lips.
Multi-channel integration and data reactivation
As alluded to above, while we live in a digital age, brands are finding that by combining their digital channels with targeted postcard campaigns, they are seeing great marketing results. The API connectivity of postcard campaign platforms means that consumers can be sent tailored, personalised mail based on their unique sales journey. It also means brands can have postcards sent out automatically based on rules that they set.
Further to this, the recent tightening of GDPR legislation has left many brands with large lists of data they cannot communicate with via digital channels. However, the rules on communicating with opted-out date via the post is different to digital channels and means brands can use postcard campaigns to reactivate lost digital data. Check out this case study, highlighting how MyProtien did just that.
Fast, powerful results
The limited space offered by a postcard forces brands to use clear, concise messaging and powerful imagery. When combined with a powerful, clear call to action, this results in the marketing message being delivered with maximum impact – producing magnified marketing results. Postcards are effortless to read and effortless to understand.
Why now?
There has never been a better time to create a postcard campaign. With Black Friday and Christmas on the horizon, alongside the considerable growth of eCommerce and more people being at home than ever before – it is a hugely effective addition to your marketing strategy.
If you want to utilise the power of the postcard, check out SendVia’s postcard campaign builder to launch your very own campaign.
