“Mail means I exist” – as the media landscape becomes cluttered with digital communications, traditional marketing methods such as direct mail and telemarketing have increased in value.

While the demand for immediate information may never subside, this unhealthy over-reliance on email and social media has allowed direct mail and telemarketing to develop stronger emotional meaning with consumers.

It may be more efficient to send a quick email to your entire contact list but inundating your clients with messages can sometimes be counter-productive and may negatively impact the quality of customer responses.

If your clients are used to receiving a lot of emails, then it’s highly likely that your important marketing message is going to slip through the net and end up in the junk folder, and even if it is opened, it will only be carelessly skim read before being deleted a few minutes later.

While the speed and efficiency of digital communications should not be underestimated, it’s important to maintain a balance in the way you engage your clients, exploring new ways to initiate dialogue.

Ironically, direct mail and telemarketing aren’t exactly ‘new’ ways to communicate, rather they have become underappreciated within the digital age and wrongfully labelled as outdated.

However, a direct phone call or physical letter is often judged as more believable and held in much higher regard by the recipient, who on average spends more time carefully reading a letter and absorbing the information compared with opening an email.

The popularity and availability of digital communications has helped create a positive relationship between direct mail and consumer – one that is based on trust.

A letter in the post holds a different meaning to an email on a screen, and clients will give more time and attention to a physical document or real-time phone call that they think is more believable or reliable.

According to a recent survey by the Royal Mail, 70% of respondents said that mail makes them feel more valued (up from 57% in 2013), and 70% said that mail gives those who receive it a better impression of the organisation.

By contrast, only 48% of respondents considered email believable, further demonstrating the power of direct mail or telemarketing within the digital age.

Understanding that traditional does not always mean outdated is crucial within the world of marketing, and we’re firm believers that direct mail and telemarketing still have an important role to play within the industry.

Clients and customers believe and trust direct mail, and it’s our job as a specialist marketing agency to harness this positive consumer behaviour and turn it into results for our clients.

As part of our comprehensive service offering, we also support our clients with targeted telemarketing campaigns, boasting an in-house team of experienced telemarketers who can combine customer service with the art of selling.

With a background of journalism, copywriting and PR, our team are ready to tell the story of your brand, creating engaging copy that can be incorporated into your direct mailing campaigns.

Don’t get lazy with your communications – initiate genuine interactions supported by experience, understanding and creativity.