Spring 2014 | P2P Magazine |
15
MAILING
Directmail remains vital
in the connectedworld
The case forDirectMail as
avaluable communications
tool is compelling.
A ‘letterbox to inbox
2013 report’ conducted
by theDirectMarketing
Association (DMA), Europe’s
largest professional body
representing thedirect
marketing industry, found
that people continue to
valuedirectmail andprinted
communications frombrands.
Continued...
Of those surveyed,79%admitted that
theyact ondirectmail immediately,
almost half opted to retainprinted
items theyhave receivedand
57%declared it tobe the ‘most
trustworthy’of allmedia channels.
The study reported that over the past
few years, brands have increased their
marketing spendon digital channels, in
tandemwith the rise in the number of
consumers conductingmore of their
social lives and personal business online.
However, in the rush to follow
consumers online, theDMAwarns
itwould be amistake tooverlook
traditionalmethods, such as printed
directmail,which, according to survey
respondents, offers some qualities not
found inother comms and is an essential
part of the overall brand experience.
Makeyourmarketingpersonal
In
MarketingWeek’s
forecast of
marketing trends for 2014 senior
marketers at some of theUK’s leading
brands predicted that the biggest trend
formarketing in2014would be around
increasing personalisation and relevance
in communication.
Researchquoted in the article, (O2’s
The Rise ofMe-tail
study) states that
56%of consumerswould bemore
inclined touse a retailer that offered a
good personalised experience – the study
also indicated that this could lift sales
by 7.8%.
According toNeopost, in aworld
where audiences canfiltermarketing
channels easier than ever before,
deliveringmarketing content that
is relevant and tailored to different
demographics has never beenmore
important. In a blog post
.
co.uk/blog/why-it’s-time-make-your-
marketing-personal-2014), the company
analyses personalisedmarketing,
helping business owners andmarketing
managers understandwhat itmeans
andhow to implement it into their
campaigns.
NeopostOperationalMarketing
Director Phil Hutchison said:“Adding
value to your relationshipwithnew and
existing customers alike doesn’t require
amulti-billion pound budget or a drastic
overhaul of yourmarketingmessage - it
relies on creating relevant campaigns
that engage customers by treating them
as individuals.”
Reducing the cost
To encouragewider adoptionof direct
mail and reduce the associated costs,
internationalmerchant group PaperlinX
has announced a brandnew service
calledmaillinx. In essence, this brings
users of directmail together, enabling
bulkmailers to sell space in their
envelopes to companies that don’t
mail on a regular basis.
For smaller businesses, the
opportunity to buy space and advertise
within a compatible company’smailing
offers a cost-effectiveway to extend
their reach anddeliver keymessages that
can be targeted by industry and location.
Withmaillinx, sellers can pre-load
future and repeatmail jobs and publish
these to potential buyers. By selling
available space in envelopes to smaller
advertisers, bulkmailers can directly
reduce or evenwhollymitigate the total
cost of theirmailed communications.
By bringing advertisers together,
maillinx reduces the overall cost of
mailed communications,making them
amore attractive and cost-efficient
marketingmedium.
Anewdelivery channel
Perhaps one of the biggest barriers
to companies choosingmailed
communications over email is the
rising cost of postage. RoyalMail has
announced further hikes in the cost of
stamps effective fromMarch31 – a First
Class stampwill rise by 2p to62p and
SecondClasswill rise by 3p to53p.
GROUP
International
merchant
group
PaperlinX
has
announced
a brandnew
service called
maillinx
