The Value of Print - Part 2

(continued from 12/20/10 post)

E-mail marketing
Due in part to its low cost, the relative ease of conducting a campaign, and the growing availability of e-mail lists, e-mail marketing is increasingly seen as an alternative to direct mail marketing – especially to reach the under-30 year old demographic. However, recent research suggests that digital marketing may not be living up to its original promise. In a survey conducted by Harris Interactive in July 2009, of 2,265 U.S. adults age 18 and above, a majority of respondents stated that printed media is easier to read than the digital equivalent (though they did prefer the immediacy of the digital media). Of those surveyed, 68% said they felt more comfortable when they have something on paper rather than on a computer screen.

One problem with e-mail marketing is deliverability of the message. In February 2010, the president of Return Path, an e-mail deliverability company, commented on deliverability. “Almost 95% of email messages at one point in 2009 were classified as spam, according to a recent study,” said George Bilbrey, President, Return Path. “As ISPs battle the onslaught of spam, the risks increase that legitimate senders will find their emails mislabeled as spam or junk and not reach consumers’ inboxes.”

Return Path also found that for the first six months of 2009, 20% of consumer e-mail ads sent by their Mailbox Monitor system were undelivered. Of those, 3.3% were sent to “junk” or “bulk” e-mail folders and 17.4% were not delivered at all. The undeliverability rate was even higher for business e-mail addresses, particularly those protected by spam filters. On average, only 72.4% of commercial e-mail is delivered.

Combine direct mail with e-mail marketing
The best strategy for communicating with customers and prospects is to use a combination of direct mail and e-mail marketing. According to an Ipsos survey conducted in 2007, 67% of respondents performed online searches for more information on a company, service or product after receiving an “offline” message.

Results from ExactTarget’s 2008 Channel Preference Survey supports the strategy of combining direct mail with e-mail. Respondents in that survey gave direct mail a score of 3.9 (out of a possible 5) as an acceptable marketing method and gave e-mail a score of 3.7. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said they made a purchase because of a marketing message received through direct mail, and 65% said they made a purchase because of an e-mail.

Print is here to stay
Despite the pace of change affecting printing, it remains a proven way to communicate with customers and prospects. Direct mail marketing, when combined with e-mail, is more effective than e-mail alone. And the affordability of full color means that direct mail pieces can be eye catching and appealing to the target audience.