There are no clear winners when companies switch from traditional Direct Mail to electronic Direct Mail. Savings on paper, print and distribution can obviously be made, but at what cost to a company's image when non-electronic customers become orphaned by the new media and those prospects without Internet access become missed opportunities? It is SOLO's position that eMail based DM or eDM is an important extension of traditional DM but we see the two media as complementary rather than competing.

SOLO handle all types of eDM campaign for our clients but the DM method we most favour is an amalgamation of eDM & DM. A hybridised DM product has the advantage of exploiting the strengths of both forms of communication.

The cost savings of eDM are realised in the initial emailing but after extracting hard bounce emails the non responders are rolled over into a traditional DM campaign. Early eDM responders are contacted either with an eMail or by mail with further information and a more complete selling proposition than the initial eMail contact could reasonably support.

The total package rolls the cost savings of initial eMail contact into a closed loop sales channel which terminates only after speaking to every prospect in one media or another. The important underlying principle in the email/mail hybrid approach is continuity. Renting a list, sending a flyer, either email or mail and then just waiting for results is a losing proposition. Begin the campaign determined to wring as much value out of the exercise as possible and it is likely that you will succeed.

SOLO will work with you from the start to make sure your data is as targeted as possible, your message is as relevant as possible and that all precautions have been taken against the possibility your email will be treated as spam. Email may well be the worst possible place to try to sell a product on initial contact but it is an ideal way to introduce a prospect to a new brand. Combined with effective traditional DM it can be far more powerful than either email or traditional direct mail alone.

For more in-depth information on Hybrid DM please download our whitepaper in PDF format here.