However you get the word out to prospects (and customers) about your training business, there's a good chance you think the days of real, physical mail are long gone. But if you are relying entirely on electronic methods to deliver your message, you could be making a big mistake.
Mail Is Valued
We assume that because the volume of physical mail is declining, the value of mail is also declining, but that's just not the case. Both soft and hard data point to the value people place on receiving items in the mail.
One survey showed that a little over one-third of businesses asked thought consumers "value their mail," but when the consumers themselves were surveyed, two-thirds of them said it had value. Businesses are abandoning mail, as one marketing strategy, faster than their recipients are.
Consider:
- If getting the mail was a non-event, why would there be such an outcry about the Post Office's proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery?
- You notice when there is something interesting in the mail, whether it is a personal communication or a well-designed piece of business mail. Do you think you are the only person who responds to mail?
- People look at all their mail, even if they throw some of it out. By contrast, e-mails may not even be seen, due to firewalls and spam filters. And many people automatically delete anything from a sender, or with a subject line, they do not recognize. By contrast, you know you handle each piece of mail, giving it at least a moment's consideration before putting it in the "junk" pile.
- The less mail people get, the more that physical mail stands out! Years ago, your direct mail piece would have been one drop in a flood. But as your recipients' mailboxes are less and less full, your communication more easily gets their attention.
- Physical mail is, well, a physical experience. Do not underestimate the power of handling the mail, and the visual formatting options of mailed pieces, compared to e-mail or Twitter.
- Regular mailing allows you to gradually become familiar to the prospect over time, building on a standard, repeated "look" to your material that is hard to match with e-mail.
Not OR But AND
This is not an either-or discussion. I'm suggesting that you seriously consider adding some mailed pieces to your mix of marketing activities, not that you necessarily replace any current communications.
After all, surveys have shown that mailed pieces can be very effective in getting people to visit web sites. As you become familiar through your mailings, those prospects are likely to become more receptive to your e-mails and phone calls.
Plus, with today's technology, it is easy and affordable to manage high quality mailings. Postcards can be extremely cost-effective, perhaps mixed with the occasional letter to a prospect.
And do not overlook the power of a hand-written, physically mailed thank you note to someone who took the time to meet with you or to take your phone call. Consider the novelty, and the impact, of a hand-written note to follow up on an e-mailed article or white paper.
If you think "everybody knows" that physical mail has gone the way of the dodo, you may be in the majority -- a majority that includes your competitors, who are not using direct mail. Be smarter than they are. Incorporate real mail as a powerful element in an effective overall marketing strategy.
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