Welcome to 2020! On behalf of our whole crew, I hope you had a great holiday. We are excited for a new decade, and I’m looking forward to talking to many of you over the next few months as you gear up your marketing plans for the coming spring season.

Last month, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I received a curious piece of mail. On first glance, it looked like one of many general merchandise gift-centric catalogs we all receive. Then I noticed the logo on the front (pictured below).

Yes, indeed, AMAZON sent out gift catalogs this Christmas. Think about that for just a second. Amazon, the company that absolutely exemplifies online buying, the internet’s “we have everything” website that makes it SO easy to part with your money - even this juggernaut of online commerce was mailing out to customers and prospects this holiday season.

My father used to tell me, “There’s a right tool for every job,” and Amazon has decided that mailing physical catalogs is the right tool for the job of breaking through the clutter and static of the holiday shopping marketplace. I was already an Amazon customer, and this catalog was intended to give me ideas for gifts that might not have occurred to me, and just as importantly, to simply remind me that all of my Christmas shopping could be accomplished in one spot.

Your customers and prospects are also inundated with marketing messages, and direct mail can be a great way to grab their attention, to give them ideas about their property’s potential, and to remind them that you are ready to help them with a variety of services. 

According to the Data & Marketing Association, direct mailing using in-house lists averages a 9% response rate. 

73% of American consumers say they prefer being contacted by brands via direct mail because they can read it whenever they want.