Direct mail marketers are rewarded for incompetence. With a bulk mail permit in hand, they can indiscriminately pack mailboxes — saving 50 percent off US Postal rates for each annoyed recipient. That needs to change.
It’s time for direct mail marketers to join their e-marketing brethren in the realm of permission marketing (obtaining explicit permission prior to sending). Popularized by Seth Godin in his book of the same name, Permission Marketing, requires marketers to earn the right to interrupt recipients. According to the principles of permission-based marketing, marketers need to purchase the right to every recipient’s time. Marketers must earn, or solicit, an invitation before sending materials.
It’s hard for direct marketers to argue that mailboxes have less perceived value than in-boxes, solely because it costs them more to fill them with clutter. If anything, the stakes (and wastes) are higher for unsolicited snail mail. Forest Ethics, which drives ‘Do Not Mail’ ( DoNotMail.org) provides these facts, among others:
- junk mail accounts for 30 percent of mail delivered in the world;
- approximately 44% of junk mail goes to landfills unopened;
- the average American will spend 8 months of their lives dealing with junk mail;
- households average 1 personal correspondence each week, compared to almost 18 pieces of junk mail; and
- 89% of Americans support a Do Not Mail Registry.
Most marketers opposed Do Not Mail Registry initiatives because they limit the ability to reach willing prospects. Perhaps a better alternative is to re-examine US postal rates. Current rates reward ineffective marketings. For example, a response rate of less than 0.25 percent is considered acceptable for the 500 million US credit card solicitations that are mailed monthly. If we raise bulk postage rates 4x its current rate (2x first class postage rate) for unsolicited commercial advertisements, the same credit card solicitations would have to trigger response rates of one percent to remain acceptable.
That’s a pretty good start. The lowest US Postage rates should only be reserved for marketers that build opt-in lists of satisfied customers and opt-in prospects. UNSOLICITED bulk mail needs to be charged the highest postal rates. Since this mail accounts for up to 30 percent of all mail delivered, it should cover the “bulk” (pun intended) of all mail delivery costs.
In the meantime, there are some things that can be done to reduce the volume of junk mail we receive: sign the Forest Ethic’s petition to create a national Do Not Mail Registry (more than 97,000 signtatures) or use their junk mail prevention tool. The Direct Marketing Association promotes use of their own site (dmachoice.com) to manage direct mail preferences. On this site, you need to opt out from offers from individual companies — proof why industries with access to our mailboxes shouldn’t be allowed to self-regulate.
Credits: illustration courtesy Forest Ethics.
Fact or Fiction?
SNL took direct mail marketers to task with this fake ad, which aired on 4/11/09. The parody wasn’t available via Hulu or YouTube, so be prepared for a popup. Worth it, though, if you haven’t seen it!
About Troy Janisch