The explosion in new technology appears unable to conquer the humble mailshot, according to a new study, which claims almost three in four people (71%) like to receive direct mail from organisations they have a relationship with.
In comparison only 9% thought SMS was appropriate, while the acceptance of Twitter and social media contact was even lower, at a paltry 4%.
The study, carried out by Acxiom, examined consumers’ preferences for communication with client organisations; as technology changes people’s relationships with brands, marketers are keen to understand how best to build conversations with individuals they are trying to target.
Email is similarly popular among customers, with 78% of people willingly accepting this form of contact; the figure dropped to 52% for prospects, but this was still the second most appropriate way of targeting people.
Marketers were fairly accurate with their prediction of customer response, believing 75% would rate both post and email appropriate, but underestimated the power of mail and email to reach prospects by more than 20 percentage points for each channel. Some 57% of consumers felt postal contact was appropriate for prospective customers.
Acxiom European client services director Murray Dudgeon commented: “The unique targeting opportunities that mail provides are clearly backed up by the number of people who think it is an appropriate form of contact, according to our survey.
“This is a fillip for direct mail campaigns, which are often labelled as ‘bad marketing practice’ in the media. Clearly, if good data is used correctly to target the right people with postal campaigns, they are happy to receive marketing through their letterbox – whether or not they have an existing relationship with the sender.”
Perhaps surprisingly, newer forms of marketing are yet to be as wholeheartedly accepted by either customers or prospects. The survey found that only 9% of customers felt SMS marketing was appropriate. Marketers were off-beam with their estimate, guessing 25% of customers would welcome text messages. SMS contact provoked more disdain among prospects (4% acceptance), although marketers seemed aware of this sentiment, predicting 5%.
Just 4% of customers approve of contact through Twitter and the same proportion through other social media. Marketers were cautious about using these channels, estimating 5% of customers would like to be contacted this way. They also believed 5% of prospects would be happy to receive marketing via social media; the actual figure was 6%.
Dudgeon added: “Mail does not seem to be considered intrusive by a majority of consumers, perhaps because they can deal with it as and when they like.
“Email is popular because many people have already opted in to receive messages.On the flip side, targeting people via their handset or social network account is deemed invasive and annoying. But by understanding more about consumers’ communication preferences, gaining insight into their habits provided by data gathered at all touchpoints, businesses will be able to boost the number of people willing to accept contact through these new channels.
“Customers and prospects know what they like and like what they know, and marketers are still trying to comprehend these preferences. They need to understand how to communicate with consumers across every touchpoint, old or new, to add value to their world.”
DMA executive director Chris Combemale said: “As Acxiom’s survey highlights, consumers are very clear about how they want to be contacted, with mail and email continuing to be their preferred channels. And above all they respond best when the communication is timely, relevant and targeted. This should be at the forefront of every marketer’s mind in these tough trading times, as they fight to retain customers and win new ones.”
