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Today I had planned to share some tips on e-mail marketing. However, after I received an e-mail (vs a mailed piece) from the US Postal Service promoting a series of webinars on how to, ironically, create successful mail campaigns, I decided to post-pone my post about e-mails and discuss this question instead: If even the struggling USPS has had to embrace the era of e-mail marketing in their attempt to get people to mail more, should this officially signify the end of snail mail marketing campaigns for small businesses and organizations? My answer would be yes…and no.

As our society becomes more and more “plugged-in,” any small business or organization not incorporating some type of e-mail campaign into their marketing plan is definitely missing out. E-mailing is significantly less expensive, “greener,” faster, less labor intensive, and provides more information/tracking capabilities with links. However, just as you should diversify your financial portfolio, your marketing “portfolio” should be just as diversified, and a strategically employed snail mail campaign may still be a very beneficial asset for your portfolio.

Let’s take a closer look at some common beliefs about e-mail vs. snail mail campaigns:

Myth #1: E-mail messages are more likely to be read by the intended recipient because they land directly in someone’s inbox vs being pre-screened and tossed by someone else.
True & False: This can be very true. However, e-mail messages also have issues with being deemed “junk mail”. Many don’t survive SPAM filters or the recipients’s over-filled inbox and are just as quickly deleted as a mailed piece would be tossed. And, in some cases, you may have a better chance of having your message land directly in the hands of your intended recipient and given more consideration if you mail it. Since mailing has become more of a novelty, your message may be less likely to compete with as much junk mail as it does with SPAM these days. Plus, there’s just something to be said about being able to actually see and feel a message vs having it pop up on your computer screen. Sometimes it pays to spend a little more and do things differently than what the rest of the pack is doing. You also need to consider your market… although most of us are, not everyone is “plugged in.”

Myth #2: E-mail messages have a better response rate than mailed messages.
True & False: Snail mail postcard campaigns are considered “successful” with response rates of 4%-7%, which can seem pretty dismal considering their cost. Whereas, e-mail campaigns boast success rates of 10-25% and typically cost the sender next to nothing. Definitely seems like more “bang for your buck,” right? Actually, that depends on who you are trying to reach. With snail mail, you can buy a list if you wish and/or send out your message to anyone and everyone you want to, which makes this a great method for generating leads from people who haven’t heard of you. In contrast, in order for you to stay out of trouble with e-mail companies and not be deemed a “spammer,” recipients on your e-mail lists are supposed to either subscribe to be on your list or have some previous contact with your business. It can take time to generate new leads from people who actually sign up on your your website or blog to receive your messages. Sometimes you get lucky and people forward on your e-mail to associates and generate new leads for you, but this rarely happens. Therefore, your e-mail messages are most likely to be read by people who are already familiar with you and what your business or organization has to offer. So naturally, the response rate for this group is much more likely to be higher than for those who have never heard of you.

So how do you decide when doing a snail mail mailing is worth the cost?

1) Is your message directed mainly to your current clientele?
If so, an e-mail message will most likely suffice, otherwise a mail campaign might be a good option.

2) How strong is your message? Do you have an incredible offer, news item, special event, new line of business, etc. that will likely generate a very clear call to action with new leads? If so, a snail mail piece may be worth the investment. If not, strengthen your message to make it worth the cost.

3) Is your message dependent on strong images/graphics? Although e-mail blast programs allow you to create image-rich messages, some e-mail clients (and smart phones) have trouble with images. If your message contains images that are essential to marketing your product (and not just used for interest) you may want to consider supplementing your e-mail campaign with a snail mail campaign. (Or at the very least, make sure your e-mail has links to a website or PDF where someone can see the image if it doesn’t appear on their browser well.)

4) If you printed the potential mail piece, could it be used for something other than just one mailing? These days, the availability and affordability of short, digital printing runs almost makes the old rule of having to run a large amount to make it worth your printing investment a non-issue. However, most of the time, you will still get a slightly better deal per piece if you can print more at a time. So if the piece can be used in multiple ways (i.e. multiple mailings or handed out at convention or tradeshow instead of a brochure) it may make it more worth the investment to create, print, and mail your piece vs just e-mailing it.

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