Does Direct Mail Marketing Work for B2B?
You’re probably familiar with the application of Direct Mail Marketing in a B2C (Business-to-Customer) campaign. That’s arguably the most common way to use such a strategy. Did you know that you can use it effectively for B2B (Business-to-Business) purposes as well?
Let’s explore how that works.
Does It Really Work?
Firstly, there is one very important advantage to using Direct Mail Marketing for B2B. You get a much higher engagement rate than you would with customers (perhaps as high as 80%). Therefore, if you can endure the effort it takes to identify worthy business clients, the greater conversion potential may be worth it after a while. Secondly, it will probably become much easier to do this because other businesses are doing it too. That means the market is coming to expect it and others will be more amenable to the reception of direct mail.
Master The Funnel
The effective use of Direct Mail Marketing in B2B requires knowing where you stand with other business clients. How well do they know you? These are the three stages, or funnels, that indicate your position with another business:
- Top-Of-Funnel – In the beginning, you are brand new and your engagement with the other business is introductory. This might start with hand-written letters, old-fashioned mailers, and then progress toward email correspondence. This stage is a little more formal and involves trust-building.
- Middle-Of-Funnel – Once you make it to the middle of the funnel, you can use direct mail to showcase and review products/services. You and your potential partner would be feeling out for one another’s services to determine if you would be a good fit.
- Bottom-Of-Funnel – The bottom of the funnel is when you have developed a more personal relationship and are ready to make serious collaborations. By this point, you might direct mail free samples and gifts to solidify an even better business friendship.
Common Examples of B2B Direct Mail Marketing
Here are some more specific ways you could interact with your B2B client:
- Sending postcards with web content and information that they could use themselves or pass on to customers within their sphere of influence.
- Giving away promotional cards, coupons, free samples, and branded items (coffee mugs, apparel, office supplies, etc.).
- Sending printed versions of your best online resources.
Of course, with any marketing campaign, you will want to define and track relevant metrics so that you can manage your ROI. Always be sure to measure things like conversion rate, response rate, customer retention rate, and so forth. Finally, focus on delivering other businesses legitimate benefits rather than just a hodge-podge of features. They will appreciate your concern for their success when you employ a tailored approach.
Premium Productions Can Help!
Premium Productions specializes in Direct Mail Marketing among many other physical and digital marketing services. We can help you reach your full potential whether you wish to emphasize a B2B or B2C approach (or both!). You can learn more about us by reviewing the services we offer, including Print & Production and Email Marketing. If you have further questions, call us at 800-297-1990.
