In today’s Internet world, direct mail seems very obsolete. However, it does still work as a tool to drive traffic to your website, believe it or not! Creating the website is only the first step, you need to get some traffic numbers if you want to start seeing a profit. There are reasons to try and get mailing list leads for use with direct mailings.
Many people get tons of emails each day that just automatically get deleted. But, for some reason, these same people are often compelled to flip through their mail, even when it is not letters or bills. This is the perfect opportunity for you to gain exposure for your company or your brand. It is perceived as more personal to get direct mail, as compared with email. One reason for this may be the fact that it is free to send 10,000 emails, but it costs money to send a couple hundred flyers in the direct mail, so many people still see this as a valid way to get information about reputable companies.
Another reason that direct mail continues to be effective, despite the technological advances of email, is that many people will leave their mail sitting on the table or counter for a few days, until they get around to sorting it. If you have a direct mail advertisement that has come from good mailing list leads, it is far more likely to get noticed than if you send an email that is instantly deleted without ever even being opened. If your website is on the mailer and visible to the recipient, they may be more likely to check it out.
Targeting an audience is also easier with direct mail, meaning that you may have more of the recipients turn into customers if you get the right mailing list leads. Determining how to reach an online audience only can be difficult, whereas advertising in direct mail with companies that are likely to be frequented by your target audience may help to increase your website traffic.
Marketing studies continue to reflect that customers still like paper mail. Although few people can live without their email, they are often very likely to find new businesses or new products through the paper mail. Nobody throws out a postcard without seeing who it is from, but plenty of people delete emails without reading them if they do not know the recipient—an unknown sender of email could infect your computer, but having a problem (other than perhaps a paper cut) from sifting through the paper mail is less likely.