The majority of businesses are increasing the amount of direct mail they send out to customers but research suggests that over half of this heads straight for the bin.
A study by Prontaprint revealed that 63% of UK firms now send out more direct mail than this time last year, with one in 10 mailing such correspondence out every week.
But 55% of direct mail is thrown straight in the bin and 19% of staff who handle post admit to filtering out post to prevent perceived junk mail reaching its intended recipient.
According to the research, personalised mail items increase response rates by up to 10 times, boosting rates to up to 30% compared to a 2-3% ratio for mass mailings.
“For small businesses, where sales leads and customer contact information can often fall through the cracks, being able to market pinpointed prospects with postcards, flyers or personalised notes is a great opportunity,” claimed Keith Davidson, head of marketing at Prontaprint.
“A well-designed, road-tested direct mail package represents a cost-effective sales tool all on its own, especially if personalisation is used hand-in-glove with measurable objectives, an effective advertising message, design, special offer or response reward, call to action and, ultimately, the deal closer,” he added.
The poll of 1,000 companies also revealed that 76% had heard of personalising direct mail and 67% had received and remembered receiving such correspondence.
But 58% thought that personalised mailing was a new concept, suggesting many small firms have yet to take advantage of this method of marketing.
“Today‘s state-of-the-art personalisation techniques mean there is no excuse for firms not to be able to target their specific audience and increase their response rates,” said Davidson. “Direct mail gives you complete control over who sees your marketing, in contrast to advertising in print, online-mail, websites or television.”