YOUR BUSINESS SPRING 2019 - 196

YO U R B U S I N E S S _ P R O M OT I O N

Why physical
mail is still as
relevant as ever
Innovations in digital technology have revolutionised
many aspects of how we work and conduct business, but
some more traditional concepts have survived, such as
physical post, says Lenny Wood from Frama UK

to respond or engage directly. The
downside, however, was highlighted in
a study of email analytics by Litmus,
which revealed that more than half of
emails are deleted within two seconds
of being opened. And the actual open
rates were only 21% and 29% for
acquisition and retention respectively.

A breath of fresh air

As well as important customer
correspondence, physical mail
provides an increasingly unique way
to approach a market with company
messaging: direct mailing.
Direct mail is sending a physical
letter or promotional message to a
group of people or businesses with a
customised or targeted message.
In this world of clogged inboxes
and untargeted "catch-all" emails,
physical mail provides a number of key
advantages over its electronic cousin:
1 Getting personal Digital marketing
often misses a sense of personalisation.
An email may be addressed by
name, but there's always a feeling of
artificiality or templating. Physical mail
is delivered direct to the desk of the
recipient, is often much more visually
pleasing and comes across as having
more effort put in to its production.
2 Tangible impact Direct mail can
take many forms. Different shapes,
sizes and media can be used to create
more impact. Vouchers, invitations,
badges, QR codes are all visually
interesting and drive response rates.

With one communication channel fit
to burst, how do you ensure that the
most important messages reach their
recipient? The answer is paper.
Simply put, paper drives action.
When a letter is sent to confirm an
appointment, it has authority. The
recipient will stop and take a moment to
absorb the information. Perhaps it will
be placed somewhere on view so as not
to be forgotten. This is a powerful tool.
Now apply this principle to business
invoicing. The invoice is sent as a physical
item and when it arrives the recipient
is driven to act on the information
because it comes with formality,
authority, weight. It is a tangible
request, not "just another email".
This demonstrates how retaining
or adding physical mail to your
communication channels drives
engagement and can be used as a
powerful tool for improving cashflow.
Many companies send important
correspondence by email, and with
links to booking systems or payment
portals can make it easy for customers

Be direct

FRANKING YOUR
MAIL WILL SAVE
14.3% ON A
100G 1ST CLASS
SERVICE AND A
MASSIVE 32.7% ON
100G 2ND CLASS
LETTERS WHEN
COMPARED WITH
THE STANDARD
STAMP PRICE*

*THIS IS THE SAVING MADE VERSUS THE COST OF
POSTAGE. THE INITIAL COST OF THE FRANKING
MACHINE MUST ALSO BE TAKEN IN TO CONSIDERATION

S

ince the advent of email, much
of our business communication
with potential customers is
conducted through the medium.
But with spam messages now accounting
for 53.5% of all email traffic worldwide,
it's becoming harder than ever to cut
through the noise and deliver your
message to the intended recipient.
YOUR BUSINESS SPRING 2019

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