Mail On!

by Robert Hendrickson

 I understand why people find it difficult to respect something called "junk mail" and "snail mail". Not the most reassuring titles when it comes to spending hard-earned marketing money. There's also the problem of people considering "old-fashioned" direct mail obsolete compared to the current 'all-things-digital' marketing mindset of most advertisers. But I've always approached marketing decisions based on what works, not what's currently fashionable.

And when done properly, direct mail works.

As with most things in life, there's a right way and then there are other ways to approach any task. No other area in business operates on such a wide array of "other ways"  than marketing. Ask a business owner which marketing tactic work best, what's the best time to run radio ads, why are newspaper reps more excited about selling webpage ads than print ads and you'll get as many opinions as there are participants in the question. These varied personal opinions have pushed the use of direct mail as a formidable means of marketing to the sidelines. And that's unfortunate given the power a properly designed direct mail campaign can provide.

There was a time when direct mail deserved its bad rap... back when mailing lists were just names and addresses of people willing to provide the information. Want to win a prize, register for a drawing, attend a class? Sign-up here. Some type of high-hype direct mail piece was sure to follow. Soon those bribe-lists got so large garden centers stopped sending direct mail... too expensive to send things to all those people. And they were right. Thankfully POS systems put an end to lists of names in favor of customer data. It became possible to not only know who was actually shopping and what they were buying but to segment customers into those who like a company and those who love a company.
And what did most garden centers do with this amazing information as regards to direct mail? Not much. I've heard all the reasons. "Too expensive... people don't like receiving junk mail... email is cheaper... the next generation doesn't read stuff unless it's online." With so many excuses it's easy to see why direct mail has fallen out of favor with many retailers. Approaching direct mail properly requires planning... it can seem expensive when compared to other options... there's a mixed view on the real purpose of direct mail... marketing responsibilities have been assigned to employees with an aversion to any marketing that doesn't take place online. I know the challenges.

But let's look at the opportunities.

We'll begin with an exercise in word association from a recent consumer survey:
Direct Mail Marketing: happiness  excitement  surprise
Digital Marketing: distracting  disruptive  intrusive

Those were the words used in a report by research firm Phase 5 named Breaking Through The Noise, who interviewed consumers to gather their attitude toward direct mail from retailers compared to digital marketing efforts. From this research alone direct mail should be winning the hearts and minds of retailers.

Look... I'm all in favor of digital marketing. A well designed weekly enewsletter is the very first marketing tool I help clients develop (emphasis on "well designed"). But if accurate shopper data is available through POS information, the first "real money" our budget assigns is for direct mail. My preference is to send large, full color postcards to top spenders (product and seasonally adjusted) at least six or more times a year based on garden center variables (size of company, product emphasis, etc). It's not unusual for a small size garden center to have enews and direct mail be the core of their entire marketing plan. For larger size centers, direct mail money for eight to ten postcards comes off the budget first, other marketing options are then determined.

Here's the main reason why I feel direct mail deserves more respect... appreciation. With all the information a POS system can provide, a retailer knows exactly which customers support their business at levels far exceeding the rest of the customer base. These people have proven to deserve special attention. All they're waiting for is to know the places where they shop recognize the fact. This recognition can begin by staying in touch by sending direct mail communication designed to provide what the survey says is most important when it comes to mailings from retailers...

Noticeable
Memorable
Useful

Noticeable and memorable are achieved through design. Useful is accomplished with content. Here's a sample of a direct mail postcard addressing both...

Note: While I feel announcing the change in seasons, an invitation to a special function or the  introduction of new plants and products are reason enough to send a well designed postcard, it's hard to wean retailers off of product pricing and coupons. This goes back to agreeing on the purpose of a direct mail piece... is it for promotion or communication? My leaning is long on communication, short on the promotion. These aren't strangers you're communicating with, these are people who already enjoy doing business with you. The temptation to view all marketing as a means for promoting sale prices creates a discount dependency that's hard for retailers and consumers to resist.

The other findings from the Phase 5 survey that encourages me toward direct mail has to do with impressions... not the number of, as digital sales reps like to espouse (in spite of the fact that only 0.06% of website viewers click a banner ad including those always-on 18 to 34 years olds). I'm talking about the type of impression a company can make when sending a well designed direct mail piece.

According to consumers surveyed...
57% feel valued when retailers contact them through direct mail
55% have a better impression of retailers who contact them through direct mail
55% believe direct mail is the medium that can provide the best impression of a retailer
At the beginning of this article I said I approach marketing based on what's been proven to work. When it comes to direct mail, I'll defer to the marketing wisdom of Bob Seger...
"Call me a relic, call me what you will,
  Say I'm old-fashioned, say I'm over the hill.
  Today's marketing ain't got the same soul,
  I like that old time direct mail roll."

Mail on.