A few years ago, swarms of marketers declared direct marketing dead. And if your competition believed them, that’s great news for you.

The truth of the matter is that direct marketing is still very much alive, but most companies are still doing it the wrong way. That’s also good news for you, because we’re going to show you how to do it the right way.

Here are some of the most-believed myths in the world of direct marketing today, and the hidden potential that each one hides.

Myth: Email Marketing is Glorified Spam

Email marketing is only as spammy as the tactics you use.

When properly executed, email marketing can be remarkably effective. Recent data reveals that you could see a return-on-investment of up to 3,800% if you’re strategic in how you approach it.

Don’t just collect emails and send the same canned message to every single person. That is the very definition of spam. Be thoughtful and strategic. Create different streams and different channels for leads at various stages of the buying cycle, or customers in different target markets.

The more relevant your content is to the recipient, the more likely they are to open the email and engage with the content.

The other key is to adopt this mentality as quickly as possible. Because once you have bored (or even worse, annoyed) a recipient, they will mentally and literally flag you as spam. Now they’re gone forever.

Myth: Mail is Dead

Some marketers will tell you that, “Direct mail is fine if you’re targeting boomers or the elderly.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, Millennials respond to direct mail in a big way and 77% of studied Millennials pay attention to what’s in their old-fashioned mailbox.

Their digital mailboxes are attacked every day with spammers and autoresponders. This means they appreciate the tactile touch of a piece of mail. They will respond to well-designed visuals and concise messaging.

Myth: A Campaign That Doesn’t Perform is a Waste

Too many companies will run a direct marketing campaign, see disappointing numbers, declare the campaign a loser, and then move onto something else. That’s actually wasting a golden opportunity.

They say that when you lose, you should never lose the lesson. A failed campaign likely contains a number of valuable lessons. If you can find the “why” behind the failure, one failed campaign can lead to five successful campaigns.

Take everything apart and look at why the campaign didn’t perform. Is there an issue with the creative? Or a larger issue with the group you’re targeting? Maybe it would help to bring in an outside company to look at what you’ve previously done and help you create a new plan. For example, the digital and direct marketing campaigns by 360 Leads have produced proven results in the B2B space.

Direct marketing is far from dead— It has simply evolved over the years. This is why so many companies have written it off completely. This mass exodus has created an amazing opportunity for savvy marketers (like you) to reach a new audience by embracing strategic direct marketing campaigns.

You’ve uncovered a hidden opportunity. Now go attack it!