Is Direct Mail making a comeback?

Bar graph with an upward-trending white line over it on a blue background, indicating growth.

Direct mail marketing is one of the most successful marketing tools. Even online giants like Amazon and Google rely on direct mail for their marketing needs. In fact, those two companies are some of the largest direct mail advertisers in the US. However, that isn’t surprising when you consider that direct mail is seven times more effective than all digital channels combined.

What makes direct mail so profitable?

For starters, it isn’t widely used. Most companies have directed their efforts towards online advertising, especially email marketing campaigns. Unfortunately, nearly half of email users admit that they don’t read emails regularly, which is no surprise—almost 200 billion emails are sent worldwide every day. Add the growing frequency of spam and email viruses, and it’s easy to understand why click rates have rapidly declined. All of this means physical mailboxes are left relatively empty, making it easier to capture the attention of audiences with postcards and brochures. The DMA Response Rate Report has several stats on response rates.

Direct mail has also benefited greatly from datafication and personalization. Through CRM campaigns, social media, and other means, companies continuously collect consumer data and demographic information. Easy access to this data has enabled even more sophisticated market segmentation and targeting, which has contributed to higher response rates than email and other digital marketing tools.

What factors are key to Direct Mail Success?

Personalization just adds to that success. The ability to seamlessly integrate data into highly personalized direct mail marketing campaigns helps capture the attention of various market segments and appeal to their unique pain points. Small details, such as addressing the recipient by name, create rapport with customers and lead to higher open rates. Additionally, both segmentation and personalization can narrow down the list of potential customers to include only those that are relevant, ultimately saving companies money.

Some companies, especially those targeting a younger audience, might be concerned that direct mail only applies to older generations. However, that’s not the case. According to Direct Marketing News, 77% of millennials report that they notice advertising in direct mail, compared to only 50% who pay attention to email advertisements. Unwanted emails are becoming the new junk mail that consumers don’t want to receive.

How to get the best response rate?

If you think direct mail marketing is right for you, consider these tips to help improve your response rates. First of all, make sure your audience is the right recipient for this medium. Direct mail is best for marketers targeting a specific audience. It's better to speak to one audience clearly than to try to resonate with several at once. When it’s time to craft your campaign, personalize your message and offer to better connect with customers. People are choosing brands more for their relevance to customer needs than for their loyalty and incentive programs. To get the most bang for your buck, use multiple marketing mediums together. Combine direct mail with new, trendy techniques like IP Targeting, video marketing and personalized landing pages.

Whether you already have a direct mail marketing campaign or are interested in creating one, Early Express offers multiple direct mail services — including data processing and daily mail management—to ensure your marketing campaign is effective

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