It could be that the novelty of holding a physical magazine appeals to Millennials and more normally tech-focused consumers in a different way. The author of the HBR article, Denise Lee Yohn, says that the catalog also works alongside digital advancements, since companies can now use their stores of customer data to influence their campaign.

“The effect of a broadcast spot or social media campaign on sales may be hard to pin down, but catalogs — with their definitive mail dates and customer and source codes — are easier to track,” Yohn writes. “Targeting with catalogs is also much easier now, thanks to huge industry databases containing all sorts of information on millions of households.”

Mailing circulars is also still a part of the marketing landscape, according to an article from the Wall Street Journal. Information presented by this source from research firm Borrell Associates shows that these print inserts appear in 50 million houses every year and that more than $5.8 billion was spent on circulars in 2014 alone.

Both of these examples show that some standard direct marketing solutions don’t need to disappear in the internet age, and can in fact thrive if handled correctly. Use a coordinated marketing effort to get the benefits of many channels that seem opposed to each other all at once.

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Veronica Dagher addresses some of the problems that financial advisers encounter when trying to gain wider audiences through “niche” marketing efforts. One of these is the possibility that businesses will ignore the customers and supporters they already have in an attempt to win the favor of an untested group.

By appealing to these new potential customers, they unfairly move away from a good source of positive press. Is there a way to meaningfully reach out to both without overstretching the advertising budget?

Quoting Brad Johnson, a management coach from an insurance brokerage, the article says that direct mail marketing could be a way for an adviser to distinguish themselves by testing the new niche before marketing to them more aggressively. A piece could feature content they find interesting, and if they are receptive, this might set up a need for more marketing materials that focus on them later.

Direct marketing has seen traction in recent years: according to a fact page from the CMO Council website, it accounted for more than $2 trillion in sales during 2012 alone. Consider mail options as a convenient testing mechanism that keep the audience of a brand evolving as you try to create a more established presence in your market.

These days, comics viewing apps allow readers to access new issues on iPads and other mobile devices, which eliminates some of the inconvenience of the delivery of paper copies. However, the “Image Direct” option could prove that fans still appreciate having comic books brought straight to their doorsteps.

In a press release from Image, the company described the new plan, which will allow American customers the chance to subscribe to whichever issues they prefer for 12 months. It’s an old model for the industry but one that could still be relevant. Image publisher Eric Stephens told Comic Book Resources News that direct service is about opening up new channels, not preferring one over the other.

“Digital is a great option, but I think a lot of people still prefer print, and I think that’s going to be the case for a significant amount of time, especially where comics are concerned,” he said. He added that this service will not distract from his company’s existing relationship with local book and comics stores.

Many companies can look at direct mail as a way to reach new, print-friendly customers without alienating the digital ones that already exist. With appropriate software and implementation, multi channel marketing like this will make a business capitalize on all of the potential different markets for their product and make a larger impression.

Once you’ve made a great video for your website, it’s time to get it out there so people can see it! To generate more clicks, you’ll need to pick the right thumbnail image. Here are some things to think about when getting people interested in your content.

Perhaps most importantly, you need to pick an image that is relevant to the video. Try and sum up the content without giving away any surprises. This is also a good way to display your brand logo before your audience even watches the video.

Another thing to consider is where the link is going to be posted. YouTube allows you to upload your own custom thumbnail, but Facebook doesn’t yet.

Automatic marketing tools help make your campaigns more consistent across all platforms. Find out more at the official AdSoft website.

With this in mind, here are a few reasons why direct mail continues to be an important part of any integrated marketing strategy:

It allows for close targeting. With direct mail, you can research your target audience and design an offer that they will be interested in. This way you are able to increase your customer base by appealing to people who are likely to be interested in your product or service.

It’s cost effective. Direct mail allows you to adjust your campaign as needed. One of the benefits of direct mail is that it allows marketers to test the performance of their campaigns and offers. This makes it easier to see what’s working and when it might be time to try a different approach, or increase the number of mailings.

It has a personal touch. This blog has often emphasized the importance of creating a personal, or human touch with customers. Customers want to know that they are interacting with other human beings, and direct mail gives companies the opportunity to reach out and deliver the level of personalization that helps build loyalty and a strong brand reputation.

If you have customers located in different regions, you may want to create direct mail materials that allow you to market to each unique customer base. With automated marketing software, you can coordinate and execute cohesive marketing campaigns across various geographic regions while staying on brand, and within budget.

Although the source cites information from the Direct Marketing Association that shows catalog numbers dropping in recent years, it also presents multiple cases of companies who still use catalogs to their advantage.

Sonoma Williams and FAO Schwartz both see a strong customer response to catalogs and work them into their marketing strategies. The latter has even developed a special method of driving up interest by sending out a “teaser” catalog in the run-up to its holiday issue. Last year, 11.8 billion catalogs were mailed in total.

An important part of managing this properly is connecting the physical catalog with something larger. For example, the post also noted that J. Crew has previewed its catalog offerings on the popular image-sharing site Pinterest.

A news story from Minnesota CBS affiliate WCCO spoke to David Brennan of the University of St. Thomas, who said that “Catalogs still work.” According to him, this medium has fans that aren’t going away any time soon.

“Some people are really comfortable with catalogs, some people are infirmed and have very little mobility, some people are very remote,” he said, referencing the possible audience for catalogs still ensuring their use.

The holiday season gives you more reason than ever to reconsider direct mailing solutions from the mindset of a connected, multichannel approach. Recipients have more options to respond to brands that have both a strong physical and online presence, and that way your business doesn’t risk losing either audience.

That means staying one step ahead of scam artists and making choices that distinguish their real email from a fake one. The more official they can appear, the better.

One recent example comes from an email scam claiming to be from Pizza Hut. Main Street has reported that a six-year-old “botnet” has been circulating email messages that trick users into installing malware by promising them a “free pizza” to celebrate the company’s 55th anniversary. Even though this information is off by three years, Pizza Hut did recently launch a rebranding strategy, which might be enough for less-informed users to think this is a legitimate offer.

The Federal Trade Commission has released a statement warning customers not to click on the link included with the email and to do some research to determine whether or not they have been targeted by identity thieves.

“Scammers can create emails that look like they’re from real companies, and even use company logos,” the statement says. “Ask yourself if you signed up to get email discounts from this company. If not, it’s unlikely they’d send you a real discount out of the blue.” It also advises users to “look for giveaways that the email isn’t the real thing” and check the company’s URL.

With this in mind, marketers should make it easy for their audience to validate their messages. A strong email campaign could include links to official webpages and messages that specifically address security.

As they were being printed, the fliers were sprayed with a “catnip concentrate” and given a small stamp to indicate that they were “printed on Catnip Paper.” Accompanying the campaign is a YouTube video that shows cats sniffing, nuzzling and chewing the mailers. Some cats were quite animated before their owners took the cards away. Presumably, the attention they gave the mailers transferred over to the humans who picked them up after they were done.

The actual pieces themselves also contained colorful cartoon-like graphics depicting cats and advertising the product rates on the back. Although the initiative has been lauded for its uniqueness, some have taken issue with the idea of “drugging” mail for pets, and one of the commenters on Gizmodo’s coverage of the story even called the tactic “a dirty trick.”

Leaving the ethical angles aside, the idea of making advertising materials that will be instantly recognized by your target audience is a good one. With direct mail marketing software, these sophisticated campaigns are easier to manage so that every recipient gets marketing material that is perfectly made for them.

Acknowledging the lifestyle of the customer makes the campaign more personal and lets your customers know that you’ve put serious thought into it.

That means that direct mail marketing campaigns should be thoughtfully considered to reach the desired audience and not get tossed in the trash. Another expert interviewed by this source, the Royal Mail’s Jonathan Harman, said that different consumers react in different ways to junk mail. He recently studied the reactions of recipients via camera to see what they did when they received mail marketing.

“On average, mail will stay in the home for 17 days,” he said. “So there’s a real permanence to what we do. We also know that people pass on mail that they think might interest their friends or relatives.” He also adds that the term “junk mail” doesn’t really apply anymore and is closer to online spam than the mailers people get in their real world inboxes.

It’s clear that junk is in the eye of the beholder: Direct mail is effective in certain situations, but needs to be clearly labeled with a call to action and meaningful information. Companies should make sure they are only using direct mail marketing systems that spread their message effectively and emphasize their relevance to the recipient. If the customer feels like they are being addressed more directly, they could be more likely to open your mailer and remember it fondly.

Writing for Business2Communtiy, Zach Heller lists a few of the advantages that direct mail still holds. Companies that use it have the ability to be personal, efficient and custom-tailored. And in an age in which custom-targeted marketing initiatives are so crucial to success, direct mail is still an easy way to single out specific customers through well-planned campaigns. Even if it’s not the right approach for a primary marketing push, businesses can at least use direct mail to supplement their other activity through a follow-up.

“Unlike most ‘traditional’ marketing tools, direct mail was built on segmentation and the ability to target individuals across a wide variety of geographic or demographic information,” Heller writes. “And the ability to select targeted names for your direct mail lists has only improved over time, as more data has become available for purchase.”

With so much concern centering around the way online targeted marketing might overstep privacy bounds, direct mail could be a less controversial means of pursuing leads. This is why investigating direct mail solutions is important for learning what options you have, even if you decide to use a different channel for the bulk of your campaign. Knowing the pros and cons of each medium will help you create a more tailored marketing experience overall.