By Erwin Busselot, Director Business Innovation & Solutions, Ricoh Graphic Communications, Ricoh Europe
Every minute of the day 694 thousand videos are viewed on TikTok and there are 4.2m Google searches. The debate on how to capture attention has never been more relevant. Sophie Grender, director of new business Marketreach, told attendees at the DMA’s (Direct Marketing Association) recent Discover the Power of Direct Mail webinar organised by the British DMA (Direct Marketing Association).
She went on to share mail’s superpower in being able to disrupt today’s digital world.
When an average person spends 22 hours a week online it can be hard for all the messages to be processed and retained. But with just 3.5 items of mail per week landing on the front door mat the processing it achieves is incredibly high. Marketreach figures shared by Sophie report:
79% of mail is opened,
71% is read,
41% prompts a commercial action.
It can play a key role and deliver a strong return on investment at every stage of the customer journey.
Adverts online or on TV don’t perform as well – some have a just an average of 6.5 seconds play. We are also increasingly adept at avoiding watching adverts, with just 10% being watched online and 30% on TV.
Direct mail commands attention. We spend 2 minutes 30 seconds with business mail, 1 minute 48 seconds looking at advertising mail and 1 minute 4 seconds reading partially addressed mail.
Factoring in attention the cost per minute is 0.13 euro for advertising mail and 0.08 euro for door drops. This compares to 0.10 euros for television and 0.08 euros for out of home advertising. Gamification – adding game design elements – can help here by engaging the recipient and encouraging them to spend more time reading the direct mail piece than originally planned. Which can often lead to higher order rates.
Direct mail also builds positive brand perceptions with 58% of business mail and 50% of addressed mail warmly received.
This is particularly so when the medium is used creatively. Examples highlighted included Toolstation sending QR codes to customers that, when scanned, took them to their favourite department for fast and easy ordering.
Also shared was how Jaguar Land Rover encouraged recipients to book a test drive with a start button mailer. When pressed, the button, that looked exactly like the one in the car, connected the would-be purchaser to the test drive booking.
Last but not least general British retailer Argos created a scannable catalogue that took the shopper directly to the checkout.
These examples demonstrate how direct mail can be combined creativity with online connectivity to deliver a seamless communication to action experience. Specialists like Interactive Paper can even bridge the gap between printed direct mail and a smartphone, taking Calls to Action to a whole new level.
Minimum engagement is required to achieve maximum returns.
Digital printing technology can support highly innovative and engaging campaigns. Intelligent and accurate data capture can help define receptive recipients. Versatile sheetfed and high speed inkjet systems, such as the new game changing RICOH Pro™ Z75 B2 sheetfed inkjet press and the Ricoh Pro™ C9500 colour sheetfed press, can support the curation of targeted content that is delivered to a pre-determined select group. QR codes can be added to drive action, enable accurate measurability, or ensure a seamless collaboration of physical and online channels.
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