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| Print/Mail Center Management Tips |
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August 2008
Greetings!
Direct Mail vs Email
Document operations managers may occasionally be drawn into conversations about whether or not the direct mail marketing pieces they produce are still relevant and useful in today's digitally-oriented world. Even though some of the younger crowd may look upon "snail mail" as a quaint practice that is maintained only for the convenience of the elderly (you know, all of us over-40 people), it is clear that the medium still serves a useful purpose. Marketers don't spend money on methods that do not generate acceptable results. If email was bringing in an overwhelming amount of business compared to direct mail then you can be sure that the budgets for printing and mailing marketing material would dry up in a hurry.
There are valid arguments for both marketing
communication methods. They both have their
strengths and weaknesses and are effective in
different ways. For that reason, the best approach is
probably one that has both physical and electronic
mail delivery components. I'm confident that we will
continue to send direct mail as long as the return on
investment remains within a reasonable
range.
DELIVERABILITY
Consumers can opt-out of direct mail solicitations by
signing up with the Direct Marketing Association.
There are other lists that have sprung up as well,
many with an environmental orientation. Passing the
mailing list against the suppression lists filters out
some potential customers, and honors the consumer
preferences.Email communications have filters too, they are just not as organized. Corporations, consumers, and internet service providers all attempt to filter out unsolicited email messages. Send too many messages that are reported as spam and an ISP can block all your emails from reaching any of their customers. Even if the messages don't get filtered out, there is a chance that they won't be delivered to the recipient. 15% of US residents move each year and only 85% of them file change of address notifications with the Post Office. One could argue that this is still better than the 35% of email addresses that change each year, with no centralized change of address facility.
ACCESSIBILITY
A large percentage of US adults have internet access
and check their email on a regular basis. The last
figure I saw reported 70% internet accessibility at
either home or work. But internet access is not free for
consumers. They must pay an ISP for the privilege. At
times, they may have to cut back on the luxury of
broadband connectivity, making the delivery of feature-
rich email marketing messages more challenging.
The popularity of hand-held internet devices has
forced marketers to find a way to communicate their
messages on a screen that may be less than 4
square inches.On the other hand, the USPS delivers to every household in the country, six days a week, at no charge to the recipient and it is the document creator that controls the presentation format, not the consumer.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Sincerely,  Mike Porter
Print/Mail Consultants
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