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Ever felt overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of emails, texts, tweets and digital alerts? Gone are the days when our doormats were flooded by the daily delivery of unsolicited direct mail. And while that comes as a relief to some, the shift towards digital communication is now taking over the mantle.
The number of worldwide mobile email users is predicted to reach 1,779 million by 2017. Similarly, mobile instant messaging (IM) and social networking are all forecast to mirror this strong growth over the next few years with over 4.8 billion social networking accounts and 450 million mobile IM accounts by the end of 2017.
With so many online channels now available, and the ability to reach us anywhere at any time, it’s hardly surprising that marketers are increasingly looking at these online and digital platforms to reach their target audiences. But does this digital information continue to capture our attention, and will it continue to deliver the required ROI?
It’s fair to say that as consumers we’re now reaching a point of digital overload. We’re more inclined to delete messages than we are to open them, let alone read, digest and act upon the information they contain. Yet, amidst this relentless barrage of digital communication, it appears that printed mail – especially when used as part of an integrated campaign – is once again making a strong comeback.
Research into consumer behaviour undertaken recently by Royal Mail MarketReach confirms this, showing the enduring core strengths of printed mail and the positive impact it has on consumers. This same research also shows that the more mobile content we consume, the vast majority of emails are not even being opened, with 70% saying they receive too many emails.
Email is seen as being quick, informal and offering news at a glance. Personalised mail however is deemed to be more likely to grab our attention, more believable and makes 57% of consumers feel more valued – representing a growth of 14% since 2007.
The real conclusion of this report, however, is that marketers can improve the performance of their campaigns substantially when combining personalised mail with email. According to figures from IPA Databank, campaigns including mail achieved over twice (205%) the market share growth than campaigns without mail in the mix.
It was the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle that once said, ‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts’. And while he would have undoubtedly been amazed by the digital world of today, his old adage still holds true when it comes to the combined strength of integrated cross-platform campaigns.
If you would like further information on how to develop an integrated campaign, please contact Shireen Shurmer.
Statistics pulled from:
Email statistics Report 2013-2017 – The Radicati Group April 2013
Royal Mail MarketReach, Mail and Digital Part 2 Quadrangle, 2014
IPA Databank meta-analysis conducted by Peter Field, 2013