What Direct Mail Marketing Can Do for Small Businesses

Making the decision to start a business is never easy. Despite growing support for small businesses, the path of entrepreneurship is rife with challenges. Previously, we wrote about 6 tips to becoming a successful Internet entrepreneur. These tips included developing patience, finding the right problem to solve, and striving for continuous learning.

While these tips are essential for success as a small business owner, they’re not the only things you need if you’re looking to make a splash in the market. Concrete ways forward are definitely important, and finding out how to market your product or service is one of them. You’ve definitely heard of digital marketing through social media or SEO, but if you want to go big on a local level, then direct mail marketing may just be the solution.

1. High ROI

One of the key benefits of direct mail marketing is just how good of an investment it can be. In a list of statistics compiled by Small Business Trends, it was found that direct mail marketing’s ROI often averaged around 18 to 20% per campaign.

That’s a huge return, especially given how simple the process is. If you’re looking for an affordable solution to your marketing woes, then that’s proof enough that direct mail could be a good fit for your business.

2. Versatility and Creativity

Want your campaigns to be unique and memorable? Direct mail offers incredible opportunities for stretching your creativity. It’s incredible just how much you can do with something as simple as a paper postcard.

For example, marketing solutions company Triadex Services recommends making use of die-cut postcard to add a little more spice into your mail designs. Postcards and coupons can be die-cut to fit your business, creating another fun little layer of interaction and excitement for your customers. It’s a simple and easy way to make an impact, without the need for expensive campaigns.

3. Better Impact

Although there are definitely benefits to digital marketing, one of the downsides is retention. With so much information floating around, it can be hard to craft a campaign that really sticks with your market. This can be especially difficult for entrepreneurs, who have to go up against companies with bigger marketing budgets and better resources.

Direct mail marketing helps you cut through all the noise, however, thanks to the simple fact of being physical. A study found that the mail had a 35% stronger response in the areas of the brain associated with memory encoding when compared with social media. That means that direct mail materials are likely to be remembered longer than digital ads, which is a huge benefit for any business.

4. Integration Opportunities

Finally, one of the great things about direct mail is that it doesn’t need to replace your digital marketing efforts— it can actually strengthen them. According to Business.com, direct mail marketing is useful because it can be coupled with mobile and online marketing efforts.

Direct mail can offer great opportunities in terms of creating multiple points of contact for your customers. You can use your mail materials to point customers towards your e-commerce store, for example. Customers can also receive exclusive discounts and offers if they sign up to your mail program, which can be redeemed through your website or other online portals. Using direct mail doesn’t limit your options— it broadens them.