Welcome to the Brave New World. The future is here. Everything is now digital. Everything you need to know or buy pops up on your screens. Usually when you least want it.
Yet, for some reason, my physical, on-the-street, IRL mailbox is filled with these things we used to call mail. Leaf gutters, windows, oil changes. You name it, some business is trying to “market” to me the old-fashioned, analog way.
There must be a reason for this. Surely they are not just throwing their money away for nostalgia.
Then I receive, ironically, an e-mail from E-Marketer about an upcoming webinar on the state of…wait for it…direct mail. One of the teaser bullet points said that 79% of those surveyed take digital action when they receive snail mail marketing.
I really got nostalgic at that point. I remember the halcyon days when we launched huge direct mail campaigns with major contesting in the hopes that we could find a diary keeper or two. It was often quite effective.
Could this strategy be effective in today’s PPM world? Abso-freakin’-lutely.
There is a finite amount of PPM meters in every market. While we do not know who has them or where they actually live, we have enough data to narrow down our targeting specs. In olden times, we’d blast tens of thousands of mailers to “hot zips” that could have a diary household. Now, with the use of our EXACT AGE and HOT ZIP reports, we can help stations execute a direct marketing campaign much more efficiently.
I said direct because this strategy can be used for both digital and direct mail campaigns.
However, given the above 79% figure, it seems that radio is missing an opportunity to extend its reach.
Direct mail can still be a useful tool. It is also something you can do inexpensively on your own, though I would recommend you use an experienced vendor for this. They know what offers actually work and can take the data we generate to produce a strong tactical plan.
I get that marketing a radio station in today’s environment often comes under the “wishful thinking” category. But if that 79% figure is accurate, it is certainly worth exploring this option. After all, many of your on-air clients are probably investing in it right now.
Feel free to tell me I’m full of it: [email protected]
