The reality is that direct mail is still a vital component of a comprehensive marketing plan. A strategy that incorporates digital and traditional media will generate the best results.

In 2009, marketers are estimated to have spent about $149 billion on direct marketing, which accounts for 54.3% of all ad expenditures in the country, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Measured against total U.S. sales, these advertising expenditures will generate approximately $1.78 trillion in incremental sales. There are benefits to both tools.

Benefits to email marketing:

·        An email newsletter is cheap to distribute. No printing costs, no postage.

·        A properly run email campaign will allow the issuer to obtain valuable analytics. You will know how many people opened the email, and how many people clicked on the enclosed links.

·        There is a perception that the printed piece is hard on the environment, wasting valuable forests and energy costs to produce and distribute.

Benefits of Direct Mail:

·        High deliverability factor
   -  USPS provides address updates for direct mail contacts - not so with email.
   -  Most emails have between a 33% to 67% undeliverable rate.

·        Synergy - Direct mail can support and enhance a great email program. Royal Mail, Britain's Post Office, did a study and determined that an email marketing program supported by a direct mail program increased the effectiveness of the email program by 65%.

·        Stimulate web traffic - Sometimes the only way to get people to your online presence is through the printed piece.

·        Keep your company's database current - Mailers, with attached personalized URL's, drive people to a landing page that has the customer update all of their contact data.

·        Believe it or not, there is still a big portion of the market that is not Internet savvy! - There needs to be a way to contact customers and prospects that opt-out of your email messages.

·        Environment - Today, most of the paper used in a printing operation comes from FSC certified forests. These managed forests actually have a positive environmental impact.

John Jantsch, author of the book "Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide" had this to say about Direct Mail:

"...one of my favorite forms of advertising for the small business-direct mail. The reasons I like direct mail are pretty simple, but it all leads back to my prevailing principles when it comes to analyzing any form of advertising.

1. Does it allow you to specifically target your Ideal Prospect?
2. Does it provide a high return on investment?