Margie Dana

At a recent NEDMA event (that’s New England Direct Marketing Association, of which I’m an enthusiastic member), we learned about direct mail trends and technologies. I attend educational sessions on direct mail whenever I can. (If you’re in print, design, production, paper, and/or print buying, I suggest you do, too.

My favorite presenter was Jane Larson. Jane works for the USPS as a Senior Sales Executive, Mailing, based in Providence, RI. Before I give you the highlights of what she said, I must give her props for being an animated, quick-thinking and thoroughly entertaining speaker. I do a ton of public speaking and have hired dozens of speakers for my past conferences, so I know what I’m talking about.

Here’s why she excelled as a speaker: for a long time, the AV in the room didn’t work, so she had no slides to show. Did that trip her up? Hell, no! As a skilled public speaker, Jane gave most of her presentation from memory, using no notes, and not skipping a beat. (Side bar: As a Jersey girl, I loved hearing her pronounce “coffee” as only the folks from NY/NJ do, as in, “cawfee.” She got embarrassed, had a good laugh, and from then on, replaced the word with “caffeinated beverage.” LOL!)

Back to her session on “It’s Not Your Grandma’s Postal Service.” I won’t recount all that I learned from Jane, but the bits you will find most interesting are these:

Why use mail – and not e-messaging, including mobile texts and emails? Mail is relevant and valued. It delivers results and it connects. Plus, it matters.

The following stats come from the Mail Moment Survey of 2012, which analyzed how people react to getting their daily mail:

– 80% of consumers look at their mail daily as a valuable news source

– 75% of consumers like to see what’s in the mail

– 63% of mail is kept for at least two days

– 65% of consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of direct mail

She also referenced a December 2012 article by Heinz Marketing, out of Redmond, WA, which said, “B2B marketers are making direct mail a more prominent part of their marketing mix again.” This was, in fact, the first trend that Heinz listed in their piece called, “The 10 most important B2B marketing trends from 2012.”

Finally, here are the six direct mail trends that Jane outlined for us:

1. Dimensional mailers. We’re talking 3D mailers, folks. Unique, eye-catching mailers that don’t “just sit there.” We saw great samples from Jane as well as from another speaker from Structural Graphics in CT. These pieces engage the recipients.

2. Self mailers.

3. Postcard marketing.

4. Increased segmentation.

5. Personalized mail.

6. Integrated technology. Think QR codes, AR codes, and NFC (Near Field Communication). I would also add PURLs to this group, because they entice you to go to the web and click on a specific URL.

At the end of the day, the message I took away was this: B2B as well as B2C marketers shouldn’t kick direct mail to the curb. It plays well with mobile marketing, and oftentimes, it stands out as the most effective marketing channel.