04


Spring 2020


DIRECT MAIL


and improve. The companies that take a break from marketing will be at a competitive disadvantage when normalcy begins to return again,” Witkowski says. She also suggests that if you are a B2B organization, you should be reviewing your planned marketing activities and considering temporary, alternate ways to deliver your content and services, while committing resources to developing planned re-engagement campaigns that include leveraging direct mail when the economy begins to awaken. “You can choose to lead, or you’ll lag behind,” she says.


“I think the ROI on direct mail will be


even higher than it was before,” Witkowski says, “especially if you are savvy enough to coordinate it with a USPS program such as Informed Delivery or a digital marketing strategy. Print and digital combined will still remain as the silver bullet of marketing.“ She goes on to say, “I also know that a couple of months is enough time to develop new habits and to enjoy this new slower pace that has been forced on all of us. Mail somewhat subsided during this time, and electronic consumption increased, but the tables will


Trish Witkowski’s


turn.” There is no doubt in her mind that mail will have higher value and relevance as consumers come to appreciate tangible touch and messaging over digital disruption. Receiving direct mail in our mailbox that we can tuck away for viewing at our discretion is much more peaceful than waiting for a digital ad to run through its first four seconds so we can click the almost invisible “X” in the corner to delete it. n


TIPS FOR THE COMEBACK Now is the time


to tell your story. You typically have 3–5 seconds to get people’s attention with your direct mail. For the next few months, you likely will have 10–15+ seconds. Over the last decade, people have never had so much time and so little distraction. Leverage it for all it’s worth.


Make a plan. It sounds obvious, but if you want to hit the ground running when this all calms down, you can’t be sleeping at the wheel. Become a believer in the refresh function. Make sure your website is refreshed, get new resources online, and have your latest brochure ready. Give your company a reason to reconnect and come out looking stronger than your competition.


Know Stability


your list. Mail is and will continue to be primarily about your list, followed by your offer, and then imagery, relevance, and timing. No part of that formula will change. The key is to know your audience and the challenges they’re going through and to match your marketing and offer to meet that need, or at least be sensitive to it.


and strength


are crucial. For the rest of 2020 and quite possibly into 2021, you will need to constantly remind people you are still here and ready to serve your audience. Nothing communicates this better than a well-designed and well-written direct mail or marketing piece that finds its way into the hands of your audi- ence and can be there for them to look at for days to come.


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