I admire hipsters. A friend recently called me one because of my bike-riding tendencies and occasional thrift-store shopping habit. But in all truth, I’m a little too old to be a “real” hipster.
But I admire them because they reject mainstream culture. I have nothing against mainstream culture, but sometimes getting away from it can really help you stand out. Kind of like a bearded, skinny-jeans-wearing 20-something who inadvertently finds himself in a suburban Wal-Mart.
I think direct mail has become the “hipster” of the marketing world. Every marketer who knows anything knows that digital marketing is a great way to find and communicate with your target customers. And why not – it works!
But what many marketers may have forgotten is that direct mail – mail that actually goes through the postal system – could be a really great addition to their marketing plan. Because it stands out more now than every before.
Direct mail isn’t cheap, especially compared to email. So a lot of companies have stopped using it. Which is precisely why some should start.
Here’s an article about how a few different companies have used it to their benefit. Maybe yours could too.
But don’t tell too many people, or everyone will start doing it. And then how would you stand out?