Marketers leverage a ton of tactics to reach their targeted audiences. Especially when trying to reach key business decision-makers or influencers! Cue the barrage of repeat emails, calls, texts, and connection requests via LinkedIn. Can you hear the crickets chirping?
So, when is the ideal time to use direct mail in the sales prospecting journey? Right away and often before anything else!
Wait a minute. Shouldn’t I wait until my target audience is further down the funnel? Or when they haven’t responded to my other outreach requests? It’s a nice thought and it’s not wrong, in fact, its what most B2B marketers are doing. Yet, is it the best time in an account-based marketing or B2B marketing approach?
Well, let’s think of the first fundamental problem you’re trying to solve for as a marketer. Attention matters above all else, right? If you don’t have it, all your time, energy and efforts into other approaches is a complete waste.
Direct mail is one of the most effective channels for B2B marketers. So, for marketers, does it make sense to delay this approach to when nothing else is working?
Often, marketers rely on the quick to market marketing approaches and tactics. Or the MVP (minimum viable product) approach.
Now, I’m not saying that using the MVP or quick to market strategy is a bad thing. It’s a way to act fast and test the validity of your assumptions. Which is good. But, is this your primary thinking when employing your ABM or B2B outreach strategy? If so, you may have the tendency to delay direct mail efforts due to effort it takes to get it right.
It’s true, direct mail is an investment of time and resources to do it right. But when done correctly, it often yields higher results over other mediums and approaches. It also provides you with a clearly defined way to track the attribution to a meeting or other call-to-action.
If you’re still not convinced, here’s three reasons why you should be taking direct mail seriously.
The landscape of direct mail marketing is like a chameleon. It adapts to an evolving climate of market trends. Although technology and innovation seemingly dominate our daily life, direct mail is still one of the most impactful means of engaging a target audience. In fact, direct mail makes receivers more motivated to respond to your offer over digital media.
Direct mail has the highest success rate of reaching target audiences. Based on studies conducted, it equates to about 50% more opportunity over email, messages, social, etc. to make an impact.
When planning a direct mail campaign, focus on how to get your audience to open the mail-piece. Dimensional mailers are a sure-fire way to attract and captivate curiosity to open your mailer.
Once you have the attention of your audience, your “foot is in the door” so to speak. It’s now the time to start gaining trust based on the messaging and the experience you deliver.
Given the investment to do it well, it allows you the ability to thoroughly refine your approach.
Direct marketing to account-based individuals, allows you to create a moment of truth with those who matter most. When you gain their attention, before their ready to buy or act, you’re positioning yourself above competitors who are vying for the same business.
Most of your competitors are tapping into digital marketing first, giving you the advantage. Marketers have flooded the channels of communication with spamming and incessant videos. When you see marketers going in the digital direction, it’s the best time to take the opposite path!
Imagine you are on the TV reality show, “Deadliest Catch.” You are on the boat heading to the open waters to crab. Do you want to go where other boats are already crabbing or do you want to find a honey hole that is full of crab with no boats in view?
To find those crabs you must rely on navigational and sonar equipment rather than other fishermen. You use the best sonar on the market, not a cheap one that only goes a few feet below the surface. This sonar may require an investment, but it yields a phenomenal return.
As a marketer, you want to use the right approach at the right time and place. You want that mailer to reach deep into their psyche to gain their full attention. It may not be crabs, but you will have a bite in one way or another!
The majority of marketers postpone engaging their audience with direct mail further down the funnel. Which means YOUR opportunity to capitalize on their mistake is great.
In conclusion, direct marketing in an account-based marketing approach should be deployed immediately. Your audience is on a higher playing field which calls for a protocol of higher-end marketing materials. The value of your approach needs to be commensurate with the opportunity.
