19 Jun 12
Response Rate High
by Fiona Melling, Account Manager
In a world where we are inundated by media messages it is fair to say that most marketing professionals are always striving to be innovative. Companies persistently strive to have their message stand out from the crowd. Interesting news has come from the Direct Marketing Association's latest Response Rate Report which exposes that direct mail response rates are outperforming digital alternatives. Although there has been a drop in direct mail response rates over the last ten years they continue to be well above those for digital channels. Today’s direct mail response rates average at 3.4% but were at 4.37% 10 years ago. This drop may look like a lot percentage-wise however the direct mail response rates remain well above the 0.12% average for an opt-in email. Does this mean that companies are going to make a u-turn from their emarketing plans?
We can all see that b2b email marketing, social media strategies and video advertising have all gone from strength to strength over the last few years but some sceptics claim that as everyone adopts these new marketing solutions they start to lose their edge. It has been argued that many firms have seen how successful direct mail campaigns can be if they have top quality business lists at the heart of them. Direct mail marketing is being called a breath of fresh air in an increasingly digital world. This coupled with new statistics showing DM response rates 30 times better than email will surely help boost the DM industry.
Following on from the release of the Response Rate Report, the DMA in the UK has launched a campaign called The Real Difference to showcase direct mail and increase investment in the channel. The main objective of the print campaign focuses on the positive impact direct mail has on the economy and society. This can be seen as point to help industry members applaud their work and the sector as a whole particularly in the face of declining spend on traditional DM channels and potential new EU data protection laws that could have a negative impact.
