Thanks for the well-thought out response!

I think the point of the post is that it really boils down to the cost between the two different promotions. I agree that a dimensional mailer will perform much better, and if the cost can be justified (i.e. the cost per acquisition is sitting around 15% of the average LTV of the customer), then this would be simply another channel to market your product or service.

There are still plenty of folks who are not using Twitter that respond to DM, to your point.

Really though….more important than response rates, are the amount of the purchases, and your ability to keep those customers purchasing again and again. That is where the real work comes in and the big payoff. Too much emphasis is placed on “Response Rate” and the short term sale, and not on the lifetime value of even one responder.

My company has embraced Twitter and other social media, I echo your enthusiasm for the medium, and support the effort you are trying to make with this research….I just really hate to see direct mail get knocked around. It is a powerful medium when it is done correctly…and its cost is only relevant to the particular vendor used. Its kinda like pitting a Mac against a Compaq then saying “Macs are better than PC’s” …put it up against a Dell, and you get a different results.

While you can reach people all across the country via Twitter…and really, that is an exciting thing! …there are still some tactical advanages of direct mail. Everyone has a mailbox and everyone goes to it first thing when they get home. That is a pretty captive audience…and you have access to every person in the country. On Twitter, you have access only to the people on twitter.

Anybody can get themselves a presence on Twitter…just as anybody..even a teenaged kid can put up a super website and come across as a big company. Printed material, and direct mail, put you in another level of legitimacy.

Ultimately, using a mix of media will get you the best results for your branding, and the more use use those mediums the more astute you will become at using them to your advantage. If you aren’t using social media, I’d suggest getting on board quickly. It can be a valuable supporting element to your marketing. I would also recommend direct mail. The fact is, pizza lovers love getting deals on pizza in the mail…and understanding that concept equates to all direct mail. People go to their mailbox purely out of optimism – they believe or have hope that “today I will get something good in the mail” if collecting the mail were a painful or negative process ( ie: jst to collect bills) then the majority of people would neglect the mailbox for days or weeks at a time.