Email’s popularity really began in the 1990s with the dramatic rise of the personal computer. The once popular novelty has grown to the point where it is estimated the average knowledge worker spends 13 hours per week managing emails. That is 28% of their time. The average person receives approximately 256 emails per day!
We all use email all the time to communicate; it’s unavoidable and certainly with services like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp it is remarkably easy to flood mail boxes with email advertisements.
But, like many things that are cheap and easy, email may not the best choice as a primary source for promoting your store.
In my totally unscientific study of myself and a few friends and colleagues, combined with a little research, I’ve found that most emails either get opened or deleted based on who the sender is even before the subject line is read. If it’s a commercial (advertisement) email most people will only open it if it says “sale” in the subject line. This is great news if you’re having a sale but not so good if you’re promoting a new brand, event, or occasion that doesn’t have to do with deep discounts.
In spite of the growth of eCommerce your business is still based on the sale of a tangible, tactile product that will have strong emotional connections to the giver and the recipient.
Regardless of what the electronic media gurus (they’re biased) say about print being dead, it still works well. The irony is people receive less mail so what they do receive really stands out.
Granted the production and distribution of a direct mail piece is more expensive than email but there is nothing like receiving a colorful, well produced tangible, tactile brochure, catalog or magazine in the mail to deliver a strong marketing message.
So the next time you’re about to be seduced by cheap and easy remember there is prestige in print.
