Snail Mail: Yep, It’s Still Effective.

Inbound marketing is the buzz word and the thing to do…and rightly so.  Inbound marketing is all about providing added value:  what a company can show and give to customers to not only attract them but to make them stick to the brand.  The traditional marketing practices, termed “outbound marketing,” in short refers to direct mail, e-blasts, TV ads, cold calling, etc.

I’m a big believer and proponent of inbound marketing – distributing blogs, whitepapers, video, podcasts through social channels all in an effort to create and engage loyal brand users.  However, as tried and true as I think this form of marketing is, I found myself recently referring back to a less popular form of communication:  the mailer.

I’m working on this project for a membership organization. The organization is looking to promote an initiative to raise funding for a new resource manual to benefit its members. Most of the members do not participate in social networking and are not active on a virtual level.

With the organization itself having just a basic online presence (a website and an inactive Twitter account) much less its members not digitally engaged, an effective communication channel is in fact a hard copy, in the mail, signed by the director, good ole fashioned, piece of snail mail with a detachment piece at the bottom for an easy contribution response (with the option of submitting an online form).

Another note about this organization’s audience, they are engaged in the organization and most members are committed to its advancement.  That being said, in receiving the mail, they know it’s not spam which means they are more likely to open it.  We hope.

This all comes back to knowing who your target audience is and how to reach them.  It’s a reminder to me to not discount the efficacy of more traditional means of marketing.

If you’re audience isn’t on Twitter – it’s not worthwhile tweeting.  Don’t force it just because it may be popular.  Let me also add, this organization is looking to enhance their online presence and is starting to shift and encourage its members to hop on the social bandwagon with them.

P.S. – Interested in learning more about the differences in inbound vs. outbound marketing? Take a look at this infographic.  I think it sums it up nicely.