Direct Mail less expensive per lead than email, PPC
Lower Cost Per Lead means with Direct Mail – what is old is new
We at Boingnet like to think of ourselves as somewhat contrarian (building a great tech software company on the South Shore of Boston rather than in Cambridge?). As those of us who have made careers in the tech business know, often the conventional wisdom of what works in tech is a self reverberating echo chamber (emanating primarily from a stretch of office parks between San Francisco & San Jose CA). We always get a kick out of reports that upset the apple cart, and found one last night that certainly fits the bill. In this case with direct mail – what is old is new.
Direct Mail is Less Expensive Per Lead than Electronic Media
Seriously – this is not April 1st! As the constant bombardment of email boxes continues, and new channels like social & mobile are still being figured out, a renaissance is happening in the old snail mail category. The DMA (an industry org that all direct marketers are familiar with) points out that despite the higher production costs associated with direct mail (as compared to email & PPC), direct mail actually delivers higher conversion rates. Reasons are varied & numerable, but as people’s snail mailboxes have become less cluttered (and their email boxes more), each well thought out mailer stands out more.
Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
Of course we Boingneters use this news to accentuate that the best way to drive Direct Mail response rates is to create a personal online destination (pURL + landing pages/microsites) that can really engage each of your prospects in a highly relevant, personal way. Fortunately for us, the Online Marketing Institute agrees “Try adding your existing landing page URL to direct mail. Some buyers really prefer to respond online, and this may bring in more business at zero additional cost. This becomes even more effective when you use a personalized vanity URL that is easy to remember and to type—www.ABCcorp.com/John.Smith makes it simple for customers to use even though they can’t cut and paste.” This certainly reflects the experience that Boingnet customers have told us they’ve seen, that tying great direct mail to online conversion techniques yields big numbers of highly qualified leads.
OMI also gives a shout out to the idea that direct mail can be used as a Drip Marketing tactic – if you start a campaign online, you can follow up later with direct mail. Boingnet is a huge proponent of creative uses of drips, and with our upcoming v2, we’ll be beating the drum hard on this concept.