Effective Direct Mail

Mail and the Business Decision Maker
Reach me.

Commercial Mail to the Business Sector: In late 2005, the U.S. Postal Service® conducted research designed to assess the role of commercial mail in a business environment. The research consisted of 74 in-depth, two-hour interviews with business executives in a variety of functions across several key industries. The findings examine how business recipients perceive mail and reveal such key benefits as access, relevance, and shareability. Also referenced, USPS® “Mail and the Internet” white paper.

Mail means business to businesspeople.

You need to get your message to business decision makers. But they may not get it by watching TV today. Their spam filters may be set to “maximum eradicate.” Some prefer CDs to radio. And many have an assistant who refuses unsolicited phone calls like an uptight drill sergeant. So how are these decision makers getting the message? According to research, they’re reading mail.

Insight 1
Mail gets unique access to business professionals.

Mail has outstanding access to its intended recipients. According to research, mail bearing only an address or title – not a name – still gets routed to the person most likely to use or need it, regardless of who receives and sorts it. Though businesspeople open mail intermittently, as it typically isn’t “time sensitive,” mail offers senders many advantages:

• Is perceived as personal and is reviewed.
• Does not face the strict filtration of e-mail.
• Faces less competition for attention than e-mail.

You can add more value and input to your message by sending it via expedited services.
Ignite immediate response with Express Mail® service or Priority Mail® service.

The Value of Mail: Mail gives your message a greater chance of being considered because it nearly always reaches its intended recipient and is reviewed.

Insight 2
Businesspeople keep useful mail.

The research found that businesspeople view job-relevant mail as a resource and keep a “library” of useful messages, whether in a file, a drawer, or by pinning them to a bulletin board. This allows people to reference and share content in the future. According to the research, this mail library:

• Enables recipients to easily find and retrieve relevant messages from a physical library, rather than searching electronically using keywords.
• Permits easy comparison and note making.
• Encourages sharing with others.
• Simplifies organization, as mail is less likely to be discarded, deleted, or filtered by accident.
• Inspires future marketing by serving as a benchmark of “what’s out there.”

The Value of Mail: Mail gives your message longer life. Plus, messages enabling businesspeople to do their jobs better are kept in a mail library.

Insight 3
Mail helps decision makers.

When faced with job-related choices, business-people said they consult their mail library to help them make sound decisions. A message relevant to the recipient’s job is referenced when it’s time to make key decisions, such as:

• Making purchases.
• Selecting suppliers and choosing vendors.
• Connecting to professional events and training.

The Value of Mail: Your mailed message isn’t just momentary communication; it’s in front of the decision maker at the moment of truth.


Insight 4
Mail communicates and drives response.

When used effectively, mail drives response and enables a comfortable customer relationship. The research identified two key points about the ways mail enables communication with business targets:

• Use mail to drive Web traffic. People readily flow from a message in the mail to a company’s Web site for more information. Many professionals prefer that vendors follow up by mail to apprise them of new developments, rather than checking Web sites for updates.

• Include a Business Reply Mail™ (BRM) card to open dialogue and give recipients the option to respond at their convenience. They need not divulge an e-mail address or engage a stranger on the phone to correspond.

The Value of Mail: With a relevant message in the mail, you’ll drive Web traffic, encourage response, and build customer relationships.

TAKE ADVANTAGE.
Businesspeople value mail and the messages they receive from it. They nearly always get the mail intended for them and review and consider it. A relevant, useful message is read and retained as a resource for making decisions.
Their lights are on. They want your message. Businesspeople need your mail!

Mail vs. the Wired World

Look to the mail for these distinct business advantages over electronic media in the business place:

• Find relevant information faster by scanning hard copy mail in a “library.”
• Easily compare, highlight, and make notes on hard copy mail.
• Pass a message to someone else – sharing is simple!

E-mail must overcome a number of obstacles:

• Opening unsolicited e-mail is risky business – people are wary.
• Filters and blocking programs often remove messages before they can be viewed.
• Users receive so much e-mail that it becomes very difficult to differentiate your message, and users are less inclined to read unsolicited messages.
• E-mail addresses must be 100% accurate in order for the message to be delivered.