Direct Mail For Law Firms In The Digital Age

Originally published by Stacey E Burke Blog.

If your law firm wants to reach a lot of people, direct mail remains a cost-effective marketing option. Practically everyone has a mailbox, and most people check theirs daily. In fact, about 79% of consumers consider reading mail to be more convenient than going online. But going online and reading paper mail can work hand-in-hand to help boost brand awareness. For example, some sources say that up to 64% of people visit a website because of direct mail they receive.

As with most forms of advertising, timing matters with direct mail. While recipients are often more receptive to mail during the holidays, as they anticipate receiving gifts and cards, I think holiday mail sends can also have drawbacks. Meaning that your print piece might get lost in a sea of retail sales and Christmas cards and only receive a cursory glace, thus negating the value of sending it in the first place.

Lawyers also shouldn’t just send out print materials without thinking about the message they are sending and how that message is packaged; how and what you send in the mail matters. Whether a postcard, a card inside of an envelope, a brochure, or an oversized slick one-sheet, the format of your piece is important. In addition, consider the quality of paper stock, the quantity you will send, and how much postage will cost per unit.

I previously wrote a comprehensive piece on the types of direct mail pieces law firms use and how best to go about starting a campaign.

Seven Reasons Lawyers Should Still Use Direct Mail Even In A Digitally Driven Marketplace

1. Reach Your Target Audience – Direct mail allows you to stay in control of your target audience. Furthermore, unlike other forms of advertising, direct mail reaches a larger portion of people from a greater cross section of demographics. It is more powerful because it is less targeted and reaches a wider variety of people. It’s open to all audiences – while digital advertising only reaches those who have Internet access and use it often enough to see your information. And unlike the ethical grey-area of “purchasing” email lists, buying direct mail lists is a widely accepted and utilized practice, allowing you to reach clients who otherwise know nothing about your firm.
2. Tell Potential Clients The Full Story – Mail pieces can present a more complete story of the services you have to offer. Digital media like Facebook ads and Google AdWords limit the number of characters an advertiser can use, forcing your message to be extremely concise. Branded direct mail pieces also improve your law firm’s brand recognition – and physical media can leave a deeper imprint in the brain than digital media.
3. Credibility – Print ads remain consumers’ choice for the most reliable advertising method. In fact, approximately 56% of customers trust print marketing more than any other type of marketing.
4. Starts the Engagement – Combining social media with direct mail is a very effective marketing strategy. Social media offers the same form of personalization and direct communication as real print mail. Around 54% of people engage with a brand on social media as a result of receiving direct mail, so be sure to include social links and of course a website URL in your design.
5. It’s More Crowded Online – Mailings have declined every year for the last several years, while online marketing continues to increase by leaps and bounds. So sending out a mailer often has less competition than running pay-per-click ad campaigns or other types of online advertising.
6. Mail Makes People Happy – I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy checking the mailbox. I check both my office and home mail every single day, and I open almost everything up. This behavior pattern is why you still receive all of those gift catalogs around the holiday season: they work. Furthermore, studies show people like getting mail, and that we respond differently to tangible items than to digital stuff.
7. Budget-Friendly – One of the biggest concerns of any business is how much marketing efforts will cost. Sending direct mail in a strategic manner is often more cost-effective than other popular forms of advertising, like television and pay-per-click. You can also control your budget more easily with mail. When buying Google AdWords, you have to spend a certain amount of money to be competitive and make it worthwhile to even have a campaign running. Not so with direct mail – you can go as small or as large as you’d like, and everywhere in between.

Direct Mail and Print Advertising For Lawyers

Our team at Stacey E. Burke, P.C. works on direct mail design, print collateral design, and/or print advertising almost every single day in our office. We are here to plan, execute, and measure the success of your law firm direct mail campaigns. Contact us to learn more about how we can help.

Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.

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