byAlma Abell

With so many people choosing to get their information digitally these days, it’s fair to wonder if there’s even room for printed or direct mail advertising. There are, however, many reasons why there are so many direct mail marketing companies still around, the main one being that direct mail still works.

What is Direct Mail?Direct mail marketing is exactly what it sounds like—mailing marketing materials directly to your potential customers. The science to it is in minimizing your cost and maximizing your benefit by targeting the right households to mail to, rather than simply sending pieces to every household in town.

Direct mail marketing companies use many types of mail pieces to help your business. You can send catalogs, brochures, postcards, and coupons. You can even send surveys or other self-mailers. Another interesting tactic is to send a small, inexpensive gift. The idea is to send something that will attract attention and distinguish itself from other mail and make the recipient want to read it and keep it around.

Why Direct Mail Still WorksDirect mail marketing has something that television and the Internet do not necessarily have. When you view a television commercial or web ad, you may enjoy it, think about it, even talk about it with friends, but you won’t necessarily remember every detail. You may even forget the details the company that made the ad wants you to remember, like the product name, the website or the phone number to call to order. With direct mail, if someone sees a piece of advertising and likes it, they can keep it on hand in tangible form, in its entirety, and even share it with others.

Combining Direct Mail with an Online PresenceDirect mail does not have to be at odds with online marketing—in fact direct mail works best these days when combined with an online presence. A product brochure might direct a customer to visit a website to order or a catalog might advise that you can read a product’s reviews on a particular website. A postcard might give people a chance to win a prize by submitting their email to a mailing list, or a mailed coupon may offer a discount for ordering online. New ways in which marketing can be integrated across all media are still being discovered every day.

Here are some ofbenefits of using direct mail services for your business.

Direct mail is an important tool to add to your marketing arsenal, and a good direct mail marketing company like arandell can help you get the best possible benefit from it. Visitwww.arandell.com to see the printing and mailing solutions available to help build your catalog printing and marketing plan.