When a Manhattan doctor looking to grow his business realized that over 50 percent of his patients lived over five miles from his office, he turned to direct mail instead of online marketing to reach potential patients in his own neighborhood. And it worked—for what turned out to be less than half the cost and half the time of a digital campaign.
While a majority of small businesses invest in some form of online advertising, many are discovering that the quality of response from time-tested direct mail delivers better results overall. Marketing industry research suggests that fifty percent of U.S. consumers prefer direct mail to email and that postal promotions produce a 300% greater response rate.
By applying many of the same formulas perfected with digital promotion (personalization, timed delivery, compelling offers, and simplified methods of response), direct mail is the new medium for neighborhood businesses to connect with nearby customers, build their brand, and tailor products and services to hyper-local needs.
“The key to successful direct postal promotion is to use high-quality personalization, graphic design, and printing, and to avoid all of the cliché trademarks of old-school direct marketing. Barcoded addresses, generic postcards, and cheap paper don’t cut it anymore,” notes Hilmi Yurdusever, president of Authorize Local, a New York agency that specializes in direct mail.
“The impact of a promotional message being delivered to someone’s home and a consumer actually having a tactile relationship with the message is very powerful. If businesses follow the new rules of engagement and allow a professional agency to handle the design, delivery, and analysis of a campaign the results can be immediate and lucrative,” added the Authorize Local spokesperson.
Authorize Local has provided direct marketing services to a long list of local, regional, and international clients seeking to establish long relationships with consumers and commercial businesses. For information on how to successfully design and implement a direct mail campaign, email sales@authorizelocal.com, call (212) 481-0570 or visit www.authorizelocal.com.
