Lessons in Direct Mail Marketing - An Interview with Dylon Jones

Everything's bigger in Texas, so it's no surprise that my latest guest on the Marketing Tales Show offered substantial wisdom regarding the lost art of direct mail marketing."Isn't direct mail marketing dead?" you might ask.That's a statement often used by individuals who either:- Don't have a product that fits this type of marketing ❌or- Don't know how to do it 🤷Dylon ✉ Jones, this week's subject matter expert from PPS, a direct mail and printing service company from the Lone Star State, joined me to set the record "Strait."I first met this Lubbock Christian University grad at #AMAHigherEd last Fall in National Harbor, Md., when I introduced myself to all vendors.Thanks to the power of LinkedIn, we kept in touch, followed each other's professional journeys, and decided to chat about direct mail marketing on the show.Dylon came out hot 🔥 with research-backed stats that prove direct marketing drives business:"56% of consumers say they have tried a new business after receiving direct mail," Dylon says.Further research indicates that 70% have renewed previous relationships with businesses.That's huge when you consider that:"Acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing one," and "the success rate of selling to a customer you already have is 60 to 70 percent, while the success rate of selling to a new customer is 5 to 20 percent," reports Convince & Convert.Just as with our digital marketing efforts, remember that not every direct mail piece will yield a high return on investment.We all know that one blog or social media post won't move the needle much.The success of a direct mail marketing campaign is all about "repetition and being consistent," Dylon says. "If you send out one postcard and expect it to change your business, it won't work."Dylon gave an example of a small non-profit organization with a limited budget. This organization recently ran a successful mail and print marketing campaign. Due to its success, it was able to triple its marketing budget.The way to measure success "comes down to the design of your postcard," Dylon says, such as trackable phone numbers or QR codes on the cards.Or, you can go the old-fashioned route of asking people, "How did you hear about us?"I have to be honest.I wouldn't have considered direct mail marketing before my conversation with Dylon. But now that I know more about its strategies and tactics, I encourage marketers to look seriously at this marketing channel.If you'd like to learn more about direct mail marketing, check out the full episode by clicking the link in the comment below. 👇And, if you'd like to connect with Dylon directly, follow him on LinkedIn to learn more about him and his direct mail marketing efforts. ✉Until next time. ✌