Reason 3: Direct Mail Is Still Working?

The most confusing benefit of direct mail that gets thrown aside when doing email is when direct mail is working.  Is delivering email cheaper than direct mail?  Of course and it can be a valuable way to cut costs.  However, it needs to be on the prospect’s terms not ours.  If the prospect is happy with the direct mail and you are tracking a gain on it, why stop doing it?

Usually the answer is we can optimize and get the best marketing return possible.  While I love the thought and support the initiative, trying to bump people to email unless they proactively request it is not a one-to-one switch.  Give them an opportunity to get email but don’t stop direct mail unless they want it stopped. Many times people have gotten used to direct mail and don’t have the same response to an email.  In this case we are flushing away engaged prospects.

Track your results and if direct mail is working, keep doing it.  It might not have as high an ROI as an email campaign but if you’re netting a profit from it, keep doing it.  Like anything else, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.