According to recent survey by Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), only 23% marketers believe that social channels will positively impact in getting new customers.

The CIM’s study, which looked at Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn also found that over 30% of the 1,500 marketers polled suggested that their social media activity in 2011 was “not at all effective”.

With Direct Marketing still being on the top of every marketers’ agenda, what for some seems to be an ‘old school’ method, for most is still the most reliable, value-for-money and trustworthy way of gaining new customers and bringing more business in current challenging economic climate.

A special direct marketing report in Marketing Week has highlighted that direct mail is still very much alive and kicking.

Despite the recent mail strikes and rise of online communications, research shows traditional direct mail is still very popular with marketers and can be used effectively to drive traffic, especially when combined with new media initiatives.

A healthy 62% of digital campaigns are seeing an increase in return on investment when combined with direct mail according to research carried out by media group OMG. Research also shows that direct mail campaigns motivate consumers to buy and ask for information online.

But simply putting a website URL at the bottom of a direct mail communication is not enough any more. Direct mail needs to be smart, relevant and add value. With so many upcoming tasks to fill people’s minds, businesses need to think creatively to motivate consumers to take the communication further.

Unilever recently launched its largest integrated campaign for Surf washing powder to promote its new fragrance, Twilight Sensations.

The marketing drive will use targeted direct mail to reach half a million people in the UK. These consumers will be directed to the website, which provides laundry and fashion advice.

Understanding when to strike with direct mail campaigns such as the Unilever Surf promotion is a vital consideration when planning a direct mail campaign. Recent research carried out by GI Direct shows that 70% of UK adults were between five and ten times more likely to respond to personalised offers.
The timing of the campaign is also essential. More than half (66%) will be more likely to respond to direct marketing if it is received at the right time.

For advice about how to use direct mail effectively in your marketing campaign, give us a call.

We are delighted to announce that Outmere is now able to help you design and produce your direct marketing campaigns.

Through our creative partners, we are able to deliver great design and persuasive copy to ensure your direct marketing really positions and promotes your brand and increases response rates to drive more sales.

As direct mail marketing experts, we have a good understanding of what makes people tick. We know that it’s not good enough to simply make something look good.

Our design partners will work with you to establish a strong proposition and recommend the most effective creative approach, formats and messages for your budget giving you the measurable results you’re after whether for print mail or email marketing.

Contact us now or read further information on how we can build your direct mail or email marketing campaign.

From designing your emails to building your contact list and tracking and analysing results, Outmere can manage your entire email marketing campaign from start to finish.

Our email marketing service allows you to send newsletters and promotions quickly, simply and securely.

Getting the message right Email is a very personal form of one-to-one communication and has it own rules that are different to ‘paper’ direct mail. We can ensure you get your message right for email and ensure your campaign is pitched correctly to your target audience.

Design services Emails need to catch the eye of the recipient and intrigue them enough to take action. However, even the most fantastic design will fall short of expectations if no one sees it. Our specialist design partners will design and produce HTML emails that get opened, read and clicked on.

Contact list build and management Sending your mailing to a poorly managed and incomplete mailing list is a waste of time and money. Outmere can help you build and manage your contact list through our data management service so that your database is always up to date.

Sending and tracking Our rigorous data cleansing process and anti-spam protection will ensure that spam filters don’t block your email. In addition, our tracking system will allow us to see who opens your email, which links they read and when they read them. We can provide this information and campaign statistics to you in a detailed report.

To find out more about our email marketing service, contact us now.