I don’t often provoke angry reactions from other marketers in the home care field.
I don’t mean to. But when it happens, it’s good to take note that something important may be poking its nose up in the field.
The brouhaha started when I recently shared one of my Savvy Senior Marketing posts on a social media group for home care agencies. My comment suggested that people were getting tired with the flood of emails they were getting in their inboxes, and that home care agencies might want to take a look at direct mail – such as postcard marketing.
I mentioned in my post that direct mail expert Robert Bly had promoted this idea in his new book, The Direct Mail Revolution: How to Create Profitable Direct Mail Campaigns in a Digital World. Bob, the author of nearly one hundred books on marketing, pointed to real statistics showing an actual increase in response rate for direct mail (post office) marketing since 2010. He suggested that people were getting tired of so much email and paying more attention to direct mail marketing.
Of course, the reason he gave was his own speculation. But I thought it made sense.
– Not to the moderator of this home care marketing company in whose group I commented.
“I don’t believe it – not for a moment,” she wrote to me.
She did not elaborate on the point.
I responded, inviting further discussion, but to no avail. I must explain to you that her agency covers all kinds of marketing for home care agencies. But I have not seen any mention of direct mail.
Head in the sand?
You have to be watchful for trends in marketing. They are changing all the time. You snooze, you lose. We in the home care industry have to ask if our heads are in the sand. People might be changing to a different way of getting their information.
I have to admit that I rarely read my businesss emails any more. I have pushed them all to my promotions folder. Now I rely on an RSS feeder to get posts from marketing blogs that produce truly good content.
One reason is that emails tend to be sensational, trying to make a quick sale, while blog posts are more substantive. I rarely find new marketing ideas from emails any more. If you’ve read just about every marketing angle out there, a short email does not go into the depth that’s needed.
Another reason is that I get distracted so easily from all the emails. Some time ago I realized that I was losing valuable blocks of working time reading the business emails.
Marketing website Digiday says that online marketers are now looking at catalogs, postcards and other direct mail forms for their products. They even say that Amazon is reportedly planning to launch a toy catalog.
So, it pays to keep your ear to the ground with home care marketing. Watch for marketing trends and technological developments.
I’m not saying we should ditch the emails. They are inexpensive. Many people still read them of course. So I encourage their use. Here at Savvy Senior Marketing, we continue to use them.
But maybe it’s time to learn how direct mail – sending postcards and newsletters – can truly help you connect with your current clients and prospects.
If you’d like to learn more about whether postcards and newsletters could help your home care agency, please contact us at the number on the top of this page, or contact us.
