I had the opportunity to catch up with Dale “Data Dale” Filhaber, Founder of Dataman Group Direct.
Andrew: Dale, please tell us about Dataman Group.
Dale: Dataman Group has been around since 1980, which means we’re in business for 40 years and I’ve been involved in the direct marketing business for the same amount of time. It’s (Direct Marketing) evolved since it was just basic direct mail and telemarketing to where it is now, which is a much more robust combination of media channels that make direct marketing exciting.
Andrew: What’s an example of how things have changed?
Dale: Well, let’s just start with the mailing list itself. Mailing lists have continued to evolve. They’ve grown more and more sophisticated through the years. People have the ability to fine-tune and target their prospects. Really tiny unique niches can be better targeted. Campaigns are more successful because we’re spending less money to reach a more qualified group of people.
Back to the mailing list. Not only can any business advertiser invest in direct mail, they can follow up in digital channels that brings them into a whole new world of opportunities such as Informed Delivery. So, if you are signed up for Informed Delivery through the USPS, which about 28 to 30 million Americans right now are, every morning you get an email from the post office with digital images of the mail you’re getting in your physical mailbox that day. That means when you’re doing a mailing, you can also get your message to your prospects through Informed Delivery.
Andrew: Does Dataman have any niches?
Dale: Dataman Group has always been known for our new homeowner list. Marketers who want to reach new people who move into a community have relied on this list for decades. Whatever the message is, they’ve historically been sending out mail or they’ve been doing phone calling. And we know that telemarketing has gone down the tubes. But now, in addition to mailing or calling, clients can now serve digital ads to the same group. This is called Addressable Geo Fencing. It is brand new concept in the new homeowner market. It adds a digital marketing channel that combines the power of the mail with display advertising that targets the new homeowners by their actual street address. This goes right to a prospect’s mobile phone, tablet or desktop.
Andrew: Talk to me a little bit about what you’ve seen with your clients in terms of how they’ve reacted to Covid?
Dale, First of all, people have been home, which means they’ve been reading their mail. So mail has increased both in importance and in ROI. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there has been a difference in the kind of marketing material that you’re getting at home. We’re seeing a lot oversized postcards with great content. It’s not just real estate agents farming your area. It’s for all sorts of goods and services. Because of this, we’re seeing a real resurgence in (B-C) direct mail. We’ve also seen that in the B-B market. The United States Postal Service is even talking about it.
Andrew: Thanks Data Dale for the great insights!
