The Direct Marketing Mosaic

Looking through the past month of tweets in the GT Marketing Ltd’s Twitter feed, a recognizable theme can easily be recognized through various postings.

Certain articles, blog posts, news items, and statistics have emerged that create a mosaic of how to spread a marketing message in this electronic age. Individually, these articles, blog posts, news items, and statistics are useful pieces of information. Like individual pieces of a mosaic, each has its own color and shape. Together, the pieces create a picture of how to integrate the different media available in today’s advertizing landscape into a successful marketing campaign.

Of course these days buzz is all about using electronic forms of communication and social media. No doubt that’s where are a lot of marketing dollars will be spent n 2011. This is natural and logical. But the long term outcome and results of such advertizing and communication in the customer-centric universe are still unknown. What is certain, regardless of the media being used for advertising and communication is that good writing, a sharply targeted audience, and a means to get an offer in front of a prospect with assurance that it will actually get there, all form the basis of a strong marketing effort. In fact, print media is part of this mosaic. We've got an article in the latest edition of Healthcare Marketer's Exchange, a place where we also advertize.

The marketing mosaic is the same as any picture made up of many different elements. As far as GT Marketing Ltd. is concerned, mail is definitely a part of this marketing mosaic, and mail will continue to be around for a long, long time.

The use of direct mail, a medium which puts a targeted piece of advertising in someone’s hands, has a longer shelf-life than any e-mail could hope to last. Then there’s the issue of an e-mail being directed into a spam folder. In fact, a recent study found that 20% of all e-mail is not delivered.

Also of concern with electronic advertizing is the how some electronic media will track your on-line movements. This has prompted a move by the federal government to move towards enacting ‘do not track’ legislation. Legislation pertaining to the Postal Service has to do with pension funding methods, not questions about privacy. In fact, despite budget concerns, the US Postal Service is continuing to work on ways to move mail more efficiently through their system. GT Marketing was an early adopter these cost and time saving requirements and already has certain barcode requirements in place to support the new USPS systems.

From GT Marketing Ltd’s perspective, mail is not going away. The savvy marketers at a recent Direct Marketing News roundtable discussion think so either. At GT Marketing Ltd, we have an on-line presence with this blog, our Twitter feed, and Facebook. But if you think about it, our social media is also the trust of a handshake backed by fifteen years of success as experienced direct marketingers.

We look forward to putting that experience to work for you on your direct marketing projects. Everyone here at GT Marketing Ltd. would like to wish you a happy and healthy start to the New Year.