Stop wasting money on unproven marketing trends! I put together 10 stats to inform your marketing plan — and budget — for the rest of the year.

1. More than TWICE as many people (135% more!) will respond if you personalize your marketing with a first name

Every time you receive an email with your first name on it, you’re experiencing personalization, like the one you may have received to access this newsletter!

With email, personalization is nothing new…

But personalizing your direct mail piece — which costs pennies extra per piece —  can increase response by a whopping 135%!

Here’s an example of what that looks like:

So, how does this sort of next-level customization happen?

For most businesses, this means starting with WHO will receive your marketing.

Using a mailing list, you can laser target your ideal prospects and send attractively-designed mail pieces that communicate directly to them.

We can’t personalize digital ads online with first names — thank goodness, because it’d be kind of creepy to see Google ads with your name on them all over the internet…

But matching your mailing list to your mailer design is both VERY affordable, and more importantly:

You can expect more response (leads!) according to the stats.

Now, get this next one:

2. Half of ALL Americans LOOK FORWARD to checking their mail

Yup, even in our digital age, the majority of people (81%) still pay attention to their mail!

Moreover:

55% of consumers report that they “look forward” to what they’ll receive in the mail.

A recent Gallup Poll backs this up — they found that 4 in 10 Americans get excited to check their mail.

That’s huge!

It means your mail is not intrusive to most prospects, like email and digital ads can be in our ad-saturated online worlds.

Now imagine this:

If prospects see their name pop out at them from their mailbox — which is hard to miss! — your personalized mailers make an instant impression… not my opinion, by the way! I found a statistic to prove this point coming up…

But first:

3. 70% of people flat out WANT you to market to them with direct mail

According to the Direct Marketing Association, 70% of consumers prefer to be marketed to with direct mail over digital.

Now, get this:

4. Your prospects can remember your business better when you use direct mail

So not only are prospects:

• Checking their mail (81% of them!)
• 55% of consumers report that they “look forward” to what they’ll receive in the mail.
• They prefer to be marketed to with direct mail (70% from #4)
• AND they’re 70% more likely to remember your business from your direct mail

When prospects remember you, they’re MUCH more likely to call you and become new customers!

5. 82% of millennials TRUST a business immediately if it uses direct mail

Interesting, right?

Eighty-two percent of millennials will trust your business for the sheer reason that it has been printed on quality paper and delivered by the United States Postal Service.

Given millennials will soon be the caretakers for the Baby Boomer generation — and millennials are slated to outnumber their parents’ generation…

You definitely want to ensure your marketing is reaching these people because there’s a LOT of them (73 million in the U.S)!

And creating trust in your business should the #1 goal of your marketing…

You need TRUST before you can win leads (and customers)!

Speaking of print…

6. Your business is 20% more memorable in print

A 2017 USPS scientific study measuring how our brains react to print advertising showed that we are 20% more attentive and engaged when we’re viewing print advertising — again, vs. digital.

So apparently, print is definitely NOT dead!

7. Your prospects are tired of 50% of their emails being spammy junk

A staggering 50% of emails that go out every day are considered spam, and I don’t know about you, but I hate spam!

This paints email marketing in a bad light, so let me clarify:

Unsolicited email marketing should be avoided. So many people feel like it’s an invasion of privacy!

BUT following up with leads that have AGREED to give you their email is a great idea.

When email marketing is used as an automated follow-up tool or your hard-won leads, it is an excellent sales strategy that I recommend and use!

Just keep in mind:

Over 269 billion (billion with a “b”) are sent around the world every day.

Anyone can send an email —

But it takes more legit planning and budgeting to mail a professional direct mail piece…

Which is probably why prospects prefer direct mail when being marketed to (#3 above)!

8. You can be 1 out of 2 direct mail ads seen every day — or 1 out of 200 digital ads

This a HUGE opportunity for you!

There’s less clutter in prospects’ mailboxes (according to the USPS, consumers only receive 2 direct mail pieces per day = SO little).

That means:

It’s easy for YOUR marketing message to stand out.

As a quick comparison:

One source states that people see about 200 digital ads (on their desktops alone) every day. That doesn’t even include mobile ads, and mobile smartphone use exceeds desktop use!

But don’t get me wrong…

You should keep your digital marketing going… but it should coordinate and complement your direct mail campaign!

9. Enhancing your direct mail campaign with online ads can increase your leads by 28% and your response by 400%

Twenty-eight percent could be on the low end too, a figure supplied by Nonprofit Pro Magazine…

One of my dental clients, Dr. Kevin Tanty, generated a 349% increase in new patients from a consistent direct mail marketing campaign that has featured monthly mailings of 6,000 pieces since July 2017.

Playing a large part in that success?

The Google ads, Facebook ads and Instagram ads that all accompanied his direct mail campaign using our Everywhere Small Business package.

(I don’t want to toot my own horn, but this campaign package was DESIGNED to make a coordinated 3-part campaign  — Google, Facebook/Instagram and targeted direct mail — extremely easy and reasonably priced for business owners.)

Here’s a visual that shows you what an Everywhere Small Business campaign looks like…

Here’s their mailer:

Front:

Back:

Here’s their Google ad:

And here are their Facebook and Instagram ads:

See how every element, from the direct mail piece to the digital ads, match?

This is a key part to making your business appear everywhere!

The more prospects see your business, the more familiar they are with your business. Familiarity creates trust, which creates calls once someone needs your services.

So no, direct mail IS NOT DEAD.

And it’s gained even more life with an added online component!

Take this as proof:

10. Retargeting can increase your marketing response by 400%

That’s right.

Integrating Google, Facebook or Instagram retargeting ads into a direct mail campaign can 400X your response…

Yet, adding these digital elements to your direct mail strategy costs just PENNIES extra per piece if you use Everywhere Small Business.

The campaign above is just one example of an Everywhere Small Business campaign. And you saw those results!

So, in closing:

If you hear “print is dead” touted by some naysayer, let this article remind you that when you mail consistently to a targeted mailing list, you CAN see results and grow your business throughout the entire year!

Need help planning a marketing campaign for your business, or have questions about Everywhere Small Business? Call one of my marketing experts at (800) 628-1804 — their advice and help is 100% FREE.

Or, you can email me directly at Joy.gendusa@postcardmania.com.

Best,

Joy

P.S. We made our Small Business Owners Growth Summit FREE and VIRTUAL! Register here for free and join us LIVE September 21-25, 1-3pm EST.