Consumers may have noticed, in recent years, that there is less junk mail clogging up their traditional mailboxes. Nowadays, most of the snail mail people receive is in the form of bills. Even that has declined with consumers opting to receive bills electronically.
Of course, the new junk mail now arrives in email boxes. It’s hard for an insurance company to stand out in an email junk folder that receives at least 25 competing marketing newsletters and Viagra spam every day. Now is a good time for companies to become marketing contrarians.
Get Noticed
It’s better to compete against a couple of boring-looking credit card bills in a traditional mailbox than to attempt a prospect to open an email based on a catchy subject line. The coolest email-marketing template in the world is useless, if no one opens the email.
With direct mail marketing, companies not only can personalize their sales letter and the envelope, they have a much better chance of a prospect reading the content.
Interesting-looking snail mail is so rare, today. If marketers can find what cues drive prospects to open snail mail, they can design envelopes consumers are sure to open, says Craig Simpson of Entrepreneur. A cue could be handwriting, envelope color or just a real stamp.
Stick Around
Direct mail that is relevant to a prospect is more likely to stay opened and be noticed than email, Andrew Field of Marketo writes. A sales letter on a kitchen table is a lot more prominent than an email offer stuffed in an electronic folder.
Consumers are more likely to read long-form marketing information about an insurance policy in print form partly because there are fewer distractions when reading. There is less temptation to click away or check voicemail.
Better Attachments
A promo code can be pretty easy to lose on a cellphone, but a refrigerator magnet, a keychain or a pen included in a direct mail envelop can keep an insurance agent’s name and company logo top of mind, Grace Yuen of Vertical Response reports.
Direct mailing can be an easy and effective form of insurance agency marketing with help from companies like Southwest Direct. Outsourcing is the hot thing today. It saves companies money and allows agents to focus on selling. High quality print marketing products can increase response rates. A recent study showed 77 percent of consumers look through snail mail as soon as they receive it, Simpson says. Most consumers check their email only once a day. Direct mail can get you results faster than email.
Southwest Direct is a communications firm that allows businesses to outsource their direct marketing efforts, including insurance agency marketing.
