November 2003
Direct Marketing vs. Other Marketing: Where Are We Now?As many of you know, do-not-call lists have been employed in most states now, and a
federal, nation-wide list may be forthcoming. Some of you may already have joined a
do-not-call list. And why not, the telephone call is an annoyance, an intrusion into out private
lives. Legislators have heard our demands and made it illegal for someone to contact us after
we've made it known we wish not to be contacted.
Door-to-door sales are making a slight comeback as do-not-call lists thwart telemarketers.
But door-to-door is inefficient, and cost-prohibitive as it requires manual labor and
transportation which are very expensive. So expensive that no one can afford to employ
door-to-door sales on any significant scale.
Spam-blocking software has grown into a sophisticated industry. As frustration grows over
the amount of time spent dealing with Spam, a niche has opened in the software market
for applications to help users bypass, block, or delete Spam before it can annoy its intended
recipient. At least with direct mail, the recipient sees your message before they
decide they are not interested.
Some still rely on fax marketing but most have abandoned that as the print quality of fax machines and their delivery reliability are both questionable. But faxes are like email and telephones in that we own the device and we feel the security of those devices are our responsibility. But the mail is not only not owned by us, it is secured by the USPS, still perceived as a government agency by most people.
There are do-not-mail lists in use today. Many non-profit mailers use these in their acquisition
mailings to remove people that wish to not be solicited. But there is no law enforcing the use
of do-not-mail lists as there is with telemarketing do-not-call lists and Spam. Why? Because
direct mail is non-intrusive.
And don't we prefer to know with whom we're dealing? Where did that fax come from? Is it
someone you can call and talk to or will you get just a fax machine? Who actually sent
that email? The reply-to address is probably not there or is a bogus address that will lead you
nowhere. And think twice about clicking that "remove me" link they gave you. Many of
those are just collections sites amassing addresses to email to again and again and again. And
who is on the other end of that phone call? Is he really calling from the company he is
soliciting for? Most likely not. But he does have your name, address, phone number, and
possibly more personal details like your social security number, birth date, names of other
family members, account numbers, etc. I'll bet you're not feeling very secure now.
But not so with direct mail. The post office has very tight regulations and makes
accountability a priority. The USPS even has its own police force of postal inspectors whose
job it is to protect you and me.
Here's how we score it:
| Marketing | Personal | Efficient | Return on investment |
Piece in hand |
Unobtrusive |
| Telemarketing | Yes | ||||
| Fax Marketing | Yes | Yes | |||
| Door-To-Door Sales | Yes | Yes | |||
| Email Marketing | Yes | ||||
| Direct Mail Marketing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Want to know more about the effectiveness of direct mail? Try:
Free Online Instant Estimate http://www.mailCCI.com/estimate
Return On Investment Calculator http://www.mailcci.com/direct_mail_ROI.asp
Direct Mail Quiz http://www.mailcci.com/direct-mail-quiz
Marketing Tips http://www.mailcci.com/direct-mail-tips/mailtips.asp
Personalization and Customization http://www.mailcci.com/variable_data_printing