Until the past decade or so, traditional snail mail and telephone calls were the primary ways that businesses reached their customers. Since these were the only options available back then, it made sense that companies would use snail mail as a means of sending out catalogs, promotional flyers, and so on.
In today’s business world, email, social media, and other technologies have made communication much more swift and effective, while traditional mail can have the opposite effect and be a drag on a marketing campaign. Here are some reasons why.
1. High cost
Perhaps the biggest pitfall is the money it requires to print materials and pay for postage. While it may be relatively affordable to send physical mail to 100 customers, the costs can really add up when you’re sending it to thousands.
This can be especially challenging for smaller businesses that lack major marketing budgets. On the other hand, email and social media require little to no investment and allow a firm to reach a massive audience electronically.
According to Telecompaper, “about 35 percent of organizations were still using snail mail as a new customer communication channel in 2012.” This means that more than a third of all companies are wasting money and putting themselves at risk for a financial backlash.
2. Prolonged time to reach customers
The term “snail mail” is fitting for this outdated practice, because of the considerable amount of time it often takes to get from point A to point B. At best, it takes a couple of days. It can take more than a week in some cases.
When compared to email and social media, which take a matter of seconds, it’s obvious that traditional mail is quite sluggish. This puts the 35 percent of organizations who use the old technique at a marked disadvantage.
3. Difficulty updating lists
When it comes to a list of email newsletter subscribers, individuals can easily opt in or out of your list. On social networks, people can conveniently follow or unfollow companies.
With snail mail, this process is much more complicated and businesses can still end up sending material to customers who no longer have any interest or have moved. This means wasted time and money, and can end up annoying people.
Given the negative impact that older mailing techniques can have on businesses, it’s pretty clear that implementing new technology is a smart move. Some companies like Masergy Communications provide even more in-depth customer care solutions to help businesses get ahead and thrive in their industry.
