Do you still remember when letters were the norm? Perhaps baby boomers and millennials would know. Today’s generation sadly did not experience the joy (and excitement) of receiving mail at home.
Back in the early 1990s and 2000s billing statements were issued through paper mail. In recent years, they are sent either through email as electronic statements, through chatbots on social media platforms, or straight via mobile apps. In this day and age of digital communication, you might be thinking letters are now obsolete. In reality, it is far from over, especially in marketing.
While most brands are moving away from sending snail mails as a form of marketing, a starting company should leverage this strategy to stand out among its competition. Here are the reasons why you should consider allocating budget for traditional direct mail marketing:
It boosts your brand’s authenticity
According to research, 9 in 10 consumers are likely to purchase from an authentic brand than a dishonest brand. For short, consumers want brands to “walk the talk.”
In research done by Mindlab UK, it suggested that receiving greeting cards increases the emotional attachment of the person to the brand. The cognitive activity was measured in the form of stimuli using neurotransmitters.
Emotional attachment is heavily linked to brand loyalty. In a study made in the Philippines, restaurant Jollibee maintains its dominance over global fast-food giant McDonald’s mostly because of emotional attachment. Market researchers say it is because the brand is associated with the childhood memory of many local customers. Mainly because, Jollibee sent greeting cards and toys during their birthdays.
Sending out letters through traditional mail helps you improve the reputation of your brand. Psychologists would often say tangibility matters in marketing, hence solid direct mail letters do matter.
It makes your customers feel special
Marketers today are busy building and engaging with online communities around their brands. New job titles such as community engagement strategists and social media managers have increased in number over recent years with the development of social media and other digital platforms. Their task is to get people to rally for the brand and convert them not just into customers, but defenders and advocates of the brand.
Building online communities as a marketing strategy have already been proven effective for brands such as Sephora, Disney, and Starbucks. Although it is important to note that these businesses have existed already before the advent of social media. They already have offline communities around their brands to start off. For a new brand, it is essential to build a strong base of loyal customers so they could speak positively about your brand, starting a ripple effect on social media. To do that, you need more personal connections with your target audiences.
On personal connections, marketers today recognize the importance of both individual and household-level marketing. Household-level marketing sustains the interest of not just the individuals within but also the people that influence the targeted consumer. Sending out direct mail letters helps build strong personal connections as they make your brand available in the household and the immediate family.
3 reasons why envelope color matters in direct mail
1. It helps you communicate your brand effectively
Color is heavily linked in branding as it conveys a message without the use of words. For example, the color red delivers urgency, power, and strength. The color orange may relay creativity, enthusiasm, and warmth. In fact, every successful brand has a dominant color scheme such as Coca-Cola (red), Facebook (blue), and Starbucks (green).
2. It sets the tone of the message
Colors help your reader quickly judge the content of the mail. As discussed previously, the red color preludes a sense of urgency. This is the reason it is mostly used in price tags, especially if there is a big discount. Gold meanwhile signifies importance and often this is used in envelopes for very important customers.
3. It makes your mail stand out
If you had to pick an envelope among piles of white envelopes, which one do you choose? Of course, you would likely pick the colored envelope. Indeed design and style matters, but the color is what stands out first.
This ensures that your mail is recognized and read by the person you sent the letter to. In fact, it may only be the reason why the customer would open the letter: because they like the color.
Luckily, there are many websites where you can buy colored envelopes in bulk for marketing mails. Be sure to look for the best ones so you can make the most out of your marketing strategy.
Good luck!
