We love junk mail. We bring it inside, peruse it over coffee, and pass it around to other members of the household. According to Roy Morgan research, more Australians read the printed Aldi catalogue than they do a printed newspaper.¹ So let’s look closer at why this time tested channel is still a highly rated direct marketing tool.
LETTERBOX MARKETING VS THE INTERNET Of course, when we know what we want, Google is there to enlighten us. But when we don’t, it seems the best way to ‘browse’ at home is still via printed catalogues. With just under 19% of residential home owners displaying a ‘no junk mail’ sticker, that leaves a wider potential audience than the internet, with 32% of those online, utilising some form of ad blocking software. ¹
Letterbox marketing is perfect for those of us who like to browse things of interest, see what’s on offer, and discover what it is we really really didn’t know we needed. One of the best ways to tempt the impulse shopper, letterbox marketing spurs them into action with discounts, limited time offers and free stuff.
Finally, let’s not forget that letterbox marketing is tactile and multi-sensory, with a far longer life span than digital. With less clutter in our letterbox than our inbox, printed catalogues are a great way to generate positive consumer behaviour amongst new and existing customers.²
% OF AUSTRALIANS 14+ WHO FIND CATALOGUES USEFUL FROM PROVIDING INFORMATION ON …
TARGET YOUR AUDIENCE Don’t feel because your letterbox marketing is unaddressed, it’s un-targeted. Here are a few ways to hit the ground running with your unaddressed letterbox marketing.
GEOGRAPHIC TARGETING If consumer behaviour shows that 87% of people will travel 15 minutes or less to visit a gym, supermarket or take-away,³ marketing to your local area is often a great start to reaching your audience.
DEMOGRAPHIC TARGETING By linking a suburb to the age, education, occupation or marital status of the residents who live there, it’s far easier to reach your ideal customer. These suburb profiles are built using a combination of real estate, census, infrastructure and market data.
METHODS OF DISTRIBUTION There are two ways to distribute unaddressed mail. One is via letterbox walkers, commonly known as ‘junk mail’, the other is with the regular addressed mail through Australia Post. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of both.
AUSTRALIA POST + Only option for targeting business customers + More reliable – Higher costs + Access to PO boxes, secure apartment blocks and high rise buildings + Is delivered with the regular mail, often yielding a better response + Better coverage for regional and country areas
LETTERBOX WALKERS + Significantly lower cost + Advanced targeting options + Free suburb profiling tools – Occasional unreliable delivery – Residential only
For more information on letterbox campaigns and the various options available to you, contact us. We're looking forward to helping your campaign kick goals.
1 VOPP Magazine – Winter 2018 “There’s A Big Surprise in Your Letterbox’
2 Nielsen CMV Survey 5, 2015
3 http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2016/31051/how-far-consumers-travel-to-make-everyday-purchases
4 https://www.salmat.com.au/services/local-marketing
5 https://auspost.com.au/business/marketing-and-communications/business-letter-services/bulk-mail-options/unaddressed-mail