By Brice Sanderford | July 9, 2009
The direct mailing business has not seen many drastic changes in recent years. Create an appealing offer, make a list of recipients, purchase the supplies, and send out your offer in mass. But in today’s market the traditional direct mail approach is proving to be less and less effective. Only the most planned out and effective direct mail campaigns prove to be worthwhile. The simple truth is that many of us cannot afford to spend the time or money that it takes to gain a significant ROI from direct mail.
Where was it that we made a wrong turn? Was it believing that the process we had was good enough already, or was it knowing that change was in order, but not having the dedication or resolve to adapt to the approaching obstacles?
The current state of the economy has made inefficiencies in the direct mail industry all the more painful. Less money generally means less spending, and when you are a marketer that is the last thing you want to hear. Even worse is that the direct mail was already facing a growing list of obstacles before the economy took a nosedive. The everyday consumer has grown tired of the 560 pieces of “junk mail” they receive each year, environmentalists have attacked the industry on all fronts for its massive amounts of waste, and online technology is rapidly changing the way consumers live and shop.
So what are we to do? Some of us are brainstorming new and innovative ways to cut back on waste, to make their products more environmentally friendly, and to make sure that their lists are getting to people who actually want them.
Companies like Dukky are trying to do more than just survive the recession; we are aspiring to flourish through it. By allowing the consumer to choose from lists of up to 40 offers, that were traditionally sent to the consumer one at a time in direct mail, we give them the ability to decide real value for themselves. The personalized URLs on each of the mailers move the marketer’s relationship with the consumer to move online. We then tap into the power of viral marketing and allow consumers to share their favorite offers with friends in their social networks. Bets of all, our online dashboard lets marketers see when, where, and by who their offers are activated and used, finally giving brands the ability to know just how effective their offers are.
We are not saying that our recent innovations will they solve all of the problems that direct marketers face today. We simply believe that this is a start, and for the times we’re in, a start is good enough.
The direct mailing business has not seen many drastic changes in recent years. Create an appealing offer, make a list of recipients, purchase the supplies, and send out your offer in bulk. But in today’s market the traditional direct mail approach is proving to be less and less effective. It takes a lot of time and money to get a significant ROI from direct mail the old fashioned way.
Where was it that direct mailers made a wrong turn? Was it believing that the process we had was good enough already, or was it knowing that change was in order, but not having the dedication or resolve to adapt to the approaching obstacles?
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