Is switching from print to email always a good idea?

Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on May 04, 2007

Al DiGuido uses the forthcoming increase in US postal changes to urge businesses to switch marketing communication over to email, highlighting catalogers in particular. He even goes so far as to suggest marketers "force" people to accept digital versions rather than more expensive print material.

Now Al's argument makes sense from a cost perspective and he's obviously making a point. But don't forget the revenue side throws open a lot of "buts."

I don't think he's suggesting you stop printing catalogs and just send people email instead.

For example, a third of the UK population didn't use the Internet in 2006. So your audience may not have an online option when it comes to talking with them. That's a lot of people to leave behind.

The message is perhaps rather to think harder about adapting existing marketing communications to a wired-up web world.

So Al's point is not about whether you can just cancel your direct mail and switch to email instead. (Although that might be one option.)

It's whether you can combine the two for a greater overall ROI. (How often do we see the ROI for email+direct mail outperforming either when used alone?)

Or whether you can keep a channel as a standalone entity, but redefine it so it's more cost effective. For example, by finding those customers who might prefer or respond equally well to a web-based interactive catalog experience.

The clever stuff here is going to be working out the best mix of communication methods for each individual customer or prospective customer. One that takes advantage of the massive potential of online to cut those costs and engage the recipients of that communication. That's the utopia. Good luck finding it...

More on strategy | Tags: email marketing, integrated marketing, direct marketing

[This post brought to you by Campaigner Email Marketing]
Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | 0 comment(s) - add yours!
Get posts like this: as an RSS feed | as a biweekly newsletter

Sign-up for the Email Marketing Reports NEWSLETTER
Twice a month, free, packed with email marketing advice and all the posts from this blog.

0 Comments: