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[/responsive]Lead generation – it’s behind most of what we do in B2B marketing, and it’s crucial for keeping the sales funnel full. If you aren’t getting the results you need, it might be time to take a fresh approach to the channels you are using.
“In today’s online world, not too many marketers use or even think about direct mail,” writes George Passwater in Business2Community.
“It’s usually a multitude of online areas, but using this avenue can bring big results. Since email and other online messaging can get caught in a busy decision maker’s spam box, direct mail has a more direct approach – offline. In fact, many B2B marketers still use direct mail as a main lead generation source for their business,” Passwater continues.
It’s this direct approach that seems to be effective, especially when you can marry the advances in digital printing technology with customer and prospect data to create more relevant messaging.
When you plan your direct mail campaign, design it from the beginning to be as effective as possible. Passwater recommends you use a strong call to action, and consider offering incentives for responding. When done properly, direct mail marketing has proven time and again that it offers solid return on investment.
“Direct mail ranked as the number one (88%) planned marketing channels for 2012, followed by web/micro-site, email, and social media,” according to Maggie Young in The B&B Blog, who cited an average return of 1300% on direct mail investments. That’s huge, especially if you consider that on average only 11% of promotional emails are even opened, let alone read.
As Passwater notes, with fewer marketers using direct mail your piece will have a better chance of being seen and read, rather than buried in the avalanche of daily digital bombardment. Direct mail can help you stand out and be seen, critical when trying to create effective branding and awareness.
“Generating leads from your marketing efforts don’t always need to come from the same ideas. Mix things up and try some old or new or different options to boost lead generation and your bottom-line,” Passwater advises.