The internet has become so influential in recent years that many standard services which were considered timeless are starting to be replaced by their new digital online version. Direct mail services are one of these, as recently many mail houses have lost their work to e-mail service providers like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and many other. Although it is hard to say that mail services are likely to go extinct, there is a great concern that many people who work in mail facilities (like postmen) will loose their jobs forever. However, there are other expert opinions on the subject – ones that indicate that mailing services are not restricted to delivering classic mail, but large packages and product deliveries also. This is supposed to comfort mail house employees and provide them with a silent guarantee that they will not become unemployed. Nevertheless, each of these two services has its own benefits and downsides.
Reading rate
Despite the fact that e-mail messages are easier to compose and send, it has become quite questionable whether the receiver will read the message. Spamming is main culprit for this. At the begging of e-mail marketing era, almost every company began using bulk mailing to get as many customers as possible. As a result, today e-mail service providers have included the spam category in personal mail interfaces, an option that detects any e-mail that is trying to promote something without obtaining subscription confirmation from a user. Hence, the reading rate of direct mail services is a lot higher compared to e-mail.
Time efficiency
In terms of time limits and milestones, e-mail is a winner without doubt. It takes seconds to minutes (depending on the content) to write an e-mail and send it to one or more recipients. Direct mail services, on the other hand, requires days and even weeks for letters to reach targeted audience.
Tracking systems
Although mail house services have integrated their own tracking systems for all sent mail and package deliveries, these systems still depend on manual data entry and information on when a package has arrived at its final destination. In comparison, e-mail services are totally automated providing all kinds of tracking details and analysis.
Targeting
E-mailing lists are much easier to obtain, but actual mailing lists are more reliable. Consider this before questioning this statement – one person can have many e-mails (fake or real), while one person can only have one verified-by-law living address. Thus, mail house offices can obtain lists that can guarantee certain success for marketing campaigns for new companies which are striving to grab a quality market segment.
