Email marketing and direct mail marketing are forever compared, and the comparisons lie not just in costs and pricing, but also in immediacy and faster results. Digital marketers, of course, will provide their own biased opinion. They would argue that with everyone sitting on front of their computers today, the idea of continuing to use paper seems not only unwise, but also not ecologically sound at all.The debate heats up with the addition of Web-based tools even for traditional mail marketing, including geocoding services that append latitude and longitude information at the property-level match for virtually any address it successfully standardizes. Apart from its ability to geocode address information, geocoding services in the United States can also perform reverse geocoding for heightened efficiency.But the question remains: which is more preferable between email marketing and direct marketing?There are stark differences, for one, in the costs of advertising. Print marketing will spend staggering amounts on printing/binding/addressing, mailing, artwork or production, and digital proofing. Email marketers, on the other hand, spend minimally on production and mailing, and virtually nothing on digital proofing and printing/binding/addressing.Email marketers argue as well that email is a speedy medium, unlike direct mail that can take weeks for tasks from reparation of artwork to reaching a specific household. This speed can very well be capitalized on for news, events, weather stuff, and other time-sensitive categories.Email allows what marketers call A/B testing, which is the sending of 2 or more versions of the email piece to compare headlines and try out different special deals and promos. The answers are fast, unlike direct marketing that has a rather lengthy turnaround time. Added value in exchange of more information is instant in email as well, where you can send a white paper or special report – absolutely free – after someone fills out a survey or form. The target individuals will be more willing to fill your form out, especially with the knowledge of getting something in return instantly. Email marketers argue that instant gratification cannot be provided by a printed marketing piece.Whatever marketing mode you think is most appropriate for your business, it is always important to step up in the game and not hesitate to use tools to enhance your leads and information at hand. As mentioned above, geocoding services increases efficiency in shipping, tracking, and mailing, and improves target marketing.