Snail mail as a marketing tool : is it still worth it?

Although online marketing has become a hot topic in recent years, more traditional marketing methods should not be forgotten. If you’ve got a growing business and you’ve already explored the avenues of online marketing, maybe it’s time to consider some other ways that you can reach new clients and grow your business.

In this case, we’re going to be looking at the power of snail mail as a marketing tool and if it’s still worth investing time and energy into. Although regular mail may seem like a huge task as compared with e-mail marketing which only requires a few quicks, we’re here to offer concrete reasons why you might invest in traditional mail marketing!

Snail mail as a marketing tool; why it works!

Snail mail VS e-mail marketing?

Of course, with the digital climate we are living in, it’s no wonder that you may doubt the effects of snail mail as a marketing tactic. E-mail marketing seems almost too easy, offering you a way to reach a specific group while allowing your computer to do the majority of the legwork. Not only is it less work to start an e-mail marketing campaign, there are other factors and metrics involved that let you know about the habits and nature of your clients.

However, there are some serious advantages for reaching an audience by way of a traditional mail campaign. Although many may relate regular mail with junk mail, there couldn’t be anything further from the truth. As a matter of fact, people’s inboxes are so overloaded with unwanted e-mails, a well-crafted e-mail marketing campaign could go completely unnoticed.

Further, the directness of snail mail marketing campaigns can offer an increased effectiveness that will allow you to target your audience in a more resourceful manner. Now, have we piqued your interest? If so, consider these strategies for approaching snail mail marketing!

Strategies for snail mail marketing

Be aware of your target 

As you would with an e-mail marketing campaign, it is important to be aware of where you're sending your mail. Traditional mail marketing will be most effective if you know the name of the person you are sending it to. If you already have a book of existing contacts, this is an excellent place to begin. However, make sure that this information has been recently updated. It would be a frustrating and time-consuming feat to send carefully package letters to customers that no longer exist or have moved to a new address.

As mentioned, it is not uncommon for a person to receive between 10-50 individual e-mails a day. However, the beauty of direct mail is that it’s rare for this much stock to arrive in a single day. For this reason, working with traditional mail greatly increases your chances of reaching the intended person or persons. 

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Call to action!

Regardless of the format, all successful marketing campaigns will take one thing seriously: a call to action. Once you have clearly defined who you’re writing to and what exactly you’re looking for, you can begin to consider what will compel prospective customers to read your mail. Consider taking a look through the mail you’ve received in the last few weeks. What calls your attention and what doesn’t? Take notes and think about adopting some of the tactics that the compelling mail offers. Try to avoid clichés, over-punctuating or using all capital letters as these things will come off as unprofessional.

Essentially your call to action will need to clearly define what these prospective customers will get if they respond to your request. Make sure your letter states your product or services, while also being intelligent and concise about why the person reading needs it! Make your call to action simple, as well as informing your potential customers what will happen next. Think about including a coupon or other incentive for them to interact with your business.

Integrate the traditional and the digital

Just because you are using a traditional form of advertising to gain new customers, doesn't mean you can’t also explore the digital realm! In most cases, if a new customer is reading your letter, it is likely that they will look your business up online. For this reason, do not completely ignore the digital side of marketing and make sure everything is up-to-date online, including the aforementioned incentives or offers you are informing your customer about. Testimonials will also work to expose new customers to the benefits of your business from real clients.

Tracking new customers

Tracking your customers by way of snail mail might seem tricky, but in fact, it’s much easier than you may think. Although you may have to wait a week or so for your mail to reap a reward, if you’ve offered special incentives, make sure you’re working with Google Analytics. Google Analytics will allow you to track customers by way of your landing pages or other instances of their interaction with your website. This can help you take note of callbacks and responses, capturing the necessary data for you to decide whether the snail mail incentive has been worth your while.

Now, we’re hoping you’re convinced that snail mail is right for your business, as it offers a well-rounded and effective marketing strategy!