Reason 4: The Audience Doesn’t Want Email

This is an aspect that my example did successfully.  They made me proactively opt-in to get email rather than direct mail, however, many people don’t.  In the fervor to cut marketing costs some companies have switched all communications over to email, no exceptions.  I’ll ignore the obvious problem of that not being an opt-in list and go for the subtle one, who said the audience preferred email?

Sometimes email just isn’t right.  I sign up for many email communications but in some cases I prefer direct mail.  An example, my weekly circular ads, sure I can go online and virtually shuffle through sale ads but I like physically having it.  I don’t know why, I just do.  That is the case for many companies, coupons being a notable case.  Some people love getting paper coupons, cutting them out, and filing them away.  Somehow the effect is lost when they have to print them and then cut them out.  For some reason the extra step is perceived as a major inconvenience even if the coupons are easier to find.

The other problem with pulling the rug out on the direct mail recipients is that there are still computer illiterates and functionally illiterate.  Obviously this demographic depends on what the company offers.  Software vendors probably don’t have this problem but many companies do, especially product and service companies that sell to the general public.  Keeping direct mail alive with email campaigns allow companies to keep in touch with their clients that prefer, or need, the paper.