The internet has revolutionized the way we all live and interact with each other. The marketing and advertising world is no different. As we evolve with technology, it seems only natural that industries based on appealing to our interests do too. As a result, many people see e-mail marketing as the final frontier of direct advertising, but is that accurate? Not exactly, because:
The Market is Over Saturated
Be honest- when was the last time you actually opened a sales e-mail? When most people see an e-mail with a subject line that says something like, “We have an offer for you!” they delete it before they even open it. That’s if they even make it past a spam filter that every single e-mail service comes standard with nowadays.
E-Mail Marketing Can be Intrusive and Annoying
Marketers try to get around spam filters with creative or just plain sneaky subject lines, designed to trick people into opening and reading them. It should come as a surprise to no one that people who are tricked into opening these e-mails are not likely to buy whatever product they’re selling. Studies have shown that people find e-mail and social media marketing somewhat intrusive, especially when they didn’t subscribe to a list to get the message in the first place.
The Return on Investment is Lower
E-mail is an extraordinarily cheap form of marketing. If you wanted, you could set up a free Gmail account and start one right now. Buying leads, lists, or using services can add up in a large scale operation, but it’s still cheaper than a direct mail marketing campaign or phone campaign. But is it effective?
The short answer is no. Sure, for the price you can send your message to a lot more people, but that bigger pool means nothing when only a couple actually open the e-mail, and even fewer care enough to read or buy your product. So, even though you’re paying less to reach more people, those people are significantly unlikely to open or even read that message, not to mention buy the product or service it’s selling.
The Risk Is Higher for the Reader
Remember the Nigerian Prince scam that circulated a few years ago? Most people do, and those who don’t surely have gotten a few viruses or malware from opening the wrong attachment. While most unwarranted e-mail is relatively harmless spam, the fear of the possibility of a virus or scam often makes people just disregard e-mail entirely if it’s not for a service they signed up for.
So How Do I Reach More Customers, Then?
Start a direct mail marketing campaign. Not the generic white letter with “Boy, have we got an offer for [CURRENT RESIDENT]”. No, start a variable data printing campaign aimed directly at each customer. People are much more likely to open, read, and consider buying when they have a personalized piece of mail in their hands. There is no spam filter for the US mail, there are no viruses or malware that steal your identity if you open a mailer, and older demographics that tend to have more disposable income greatly prefer paper mail to electronic. The return on investment is much higher, too, with most people who start a variable data printing campaign seeing a return of double or triple their initial investment amount.
While an e-mail can reach thousands of people for a few dollars, only a handful might actually read it. If you want a marketing campaign that shows real results, try a direct mail marketing campaign. When you’re ready to start, call Brooks Litho to set up a consultation.