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E-mail Versus Direct Mail:
Which works better?
by Ivan Levison
Using opt-in e-mail can be a great way
to generate leads and sales. But so can regular snail mail. Here's a
quick guide to the pros and cons of direct mail and email to help
you choose the right way to contact prospects and build your
business.
Email Pros
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Email is cheap. Which is why
spammers love it. They don't care whether response rates are low
because their costs are negligible. If you want to reach a large
number of people and if you have access to a solid, opt-in list,
go for it. A test sure won't cost you an arm and a leg.
-
Email is fast. In two senses.
First, your production time is minimal. As soon as you get an
idea to test, you can write a motivating email, and hit the send
button. Second, your prospect gets your email instantly so
responses can start pouring in within minutes. Speed, from start
to finish, means you can be a super-agile marketer.
-
Email is a fabulous testing
medium. As a result of the speed I mentioned above, you can
get virtually instant answers to your marketing questions. Is a
cross-sell offer going to be a winner? Send a group of prospects
an email and you'll have an answer. Have you written two great
headlines but can't decide which one to go with? Do some email
testing and get your answer fast!
-
Downloadable fulfillment pieces
are instantly accessible. For example, if you're offering
prospects a White Paper filled with valuable information, they
can click through to your landing page, fill in a little
qualifying information, and download your White Paper in under
two minutes. The fact that they don't have to wait long to get
their free fulfillment piece boosts response rates.
Email Cons
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The email "environment" is poor.
Thanks to the spam avalanche, sorting through email messages is
a real drag. That means your prospects are looking for messages
from colleagues, family, and friends, and everything else is
out. And fast.
-
Email messages have to be
(relatively) short. When prospects are going through their
email, they want information quickly. So long copy is out.
Complex offers are out. Supporting facts and arguments are out.
-
Emails limit your creativity.
An all-text email is obviously visually quite boring. The
message is the whole ball game. Even in an HTML email, you can
throw in some color and photography, but the look is never
great. Let's face it. With email, your graphic designer is
fighting with one hand tied behind her back.
-
Great email lists are hard to
find. Yeah. List brokers promise you a high-quality "opt-in"
list but you're often playing with fire. The simple fact is that
the direct mail list business is a lot more mature and
you can find ethical and helpful list brokers if you shop
around.
Direct Mail Pros
-
The direct mail environment is a
good one. Sure, people call direct mail "junk mail." But
they use the term with a lot less anger than they do when they
speak of "spam." When you read through your email, you're
sitting at a desk staring at a monitor and you're busy. When you
sort through your postal mail, you're probably much more relaxed
and feel less put upon. This difference in receptivity is, in my
judgment, incalculably important.
-
Direct mail gives you the space
you need to tell the whole story. If you write a compelling
letter, readers will stay with you. They will NOT stick with you
in an email.
-
In direct mail, you can use
emotion. In your letter or flyer you can inspire, frighten,
cajole, convince, make cogent arguments, and motivate. Readers
just don't want that in an email. They want you to tell them the
facts and get out. Which, for a writer like me is very limiting,
indeed.
-
In direct mail you can include
different pieces you can hold in your hand. I'm talking
about a colorful flyer, a testimonial sheet filled with raves,
objective product reviews, you name it. You never know what's
going to capture a reader's interest or attention. With an email
you get pixels on the screen and nothing more.
Direct Mail Cons
The bottom line? Direct mail can be very
cost effective but there's no question that your front-end costs are
going to be higher. That's the only big "con" I think you have to
worry about.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from the pros and cons listed above, email
and direct postal mail both have their advantages. Lately, direct
mail has been in a bit of a decline, partly because of the economy
and partly because email marketing has made inroads. My own feeling
is that direct mail will be making a huge comeback as
spammers continue to destroy a legitimate marketing channel.
My advice? Keep on testing email but don't neglect the proven,
money-making power of a letter package or self-mailer!
Ivan Levison is an
award-winning freelance direct response copywriter who creates
direct mail sales letters, emails, and ads. He publishes a free
monthly newsletter. Visit his website at
http://www.levison.com
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