Rumors of the death of direct mail have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, dimensional direct mail is arguably one of the better channels available to reach busy executive decision makers these days. Why? Because most companies have abandoned sending physical promotions in favor of digital communications. As a result, when someone does get a tube or box in the mail it is far more likely to be opened and reviewed than a LinkedIn invitation or an email.
The mail room clerk delivers a big UPS or FedEx package at 10am. It sits on the table in your office waiting to be opened. There is always a bit of mystery about the contents. By 1pm curiosity consumes you. You cannot help but inspect the outside of the package. Vaguely marked return address labels offer little clues as to the contents. Is this package something I should be expecting or is it an unsolicited promotional mailer?
By 3pm you open it. It is a calculator with a link to a website that offers a free ROI analysis. Maybe it is of interest. But let’s suppose it is not – taking the worst case scenario. Even if it is something you don’t want there is still a certain amount of guilt to just throwing it away. At 5pm when your meetings end you start walking the halls trying to pass it off to others in the office. By 6pm if you have no takers then you start considering taking it home to the kids. But in the process you’ve exposed the dimensional mailer to several other people who it has made an impression upon. Score!
Example of a Dimensional Mailer
Compare the attention that the dimensional mail got as compared to an email. Even the best written email can be easily deleted with one keystroke or sent to a spam folder never to be seen again. LinkedIn invitations have become very popular in recent years with the advent of Social Selling. But LinkedIn direct messages are easily ignored. Voice mails are equally expendable. Many executives have their assistants filter through voice mails and transcribe or delete them.
