06/08/2008: "Whatever Happened To Direct Mail?"

I've noticed that I get very little "junk" mail anymore. Is it the same with you? I'll bet it is. Why is that? Simple. Marketers are not using direct mail to get business anymore. At least not not nearly as many as in the past.

Marketers have turned to the Internet to get the biggest percentage of their business. Behind that is radio and television. And print ads seem to be dying as newspaper and magazine readership becomes moribund.

I was thinking the other day how great it would be if some smart business person would take advantage of the empty mailbox to put in their own direct mail and have that mailbox all to themselves.

To be honest, there are people using direct mail with great success. But because so many have dropped out, these smart sellers are grabbing more business than ever before.

So if your clients are looking for "new" ways to get more business, suggest they try direct mail. Yes, it's very old. But because people have abandoned it, it's almost new again.

A wise marketer could really make a ton of money with direct mail. If you're not suggesting it to your clients, you should be. It's a marketing method that will never be a loser.

As Sam Walton used to say when asked where to build the next Wal-Mart store, "Go where they ain't." Great advice. Don't you think?