Direct Mail is Thriving!
7 Reasons Why
1.Millennials Love Direct Mail!
Growing up in the electronic age, millennials actually enjoy receiving direct mail, said 87% of them, according to a 2016 USPS report. 44% look forward to checking their mailbox each day, and 77% of millennials react to direct mail advertising.
3. Direct Mail Builds Relationships
The upswing in the use of direct mail and its enduring effectiveness is because, “Giving, receiving and handling tangible objects remain deep and intuitive parts of the human lasting mental impression on them, making it easier to recall later on. 57% of respondents said that postcard marketing makes them feel more valued and creates a more authentic relationship.
5. Direct Mail Complements a Digital Marketing Strategy
Customers spend 25% more when a business uses a mix of direct mail and email marketing, found one study. It’s the synergistic effect that occurs when your media works together. Include fun, digital calls-to-action with your direct mail, such as watching a video, taking a selfie or telling others how you plan to spend the $20 you just received. It’s hard to resist the urge to participate!
6. Direct Mail is Highly Targeted
Customer data can be appended with intel to see if your prospects are still relevant, i.e. age, current address, marital status, household income, children in the home, etc. New prospects can be found by working with list brokers and selecting variables that match your prime candidates. Magazines and trade organizations also rent their lists, perfect for targeting beauty enthusiasts or auto mechanics, for example.
2. Direct Mail has a Higher Response Rate
Direct mail response rates took a tremendous leap in 2016, far exceeding digital channels. Response rate to house lists was 5.3% and 2.9% to prospect lists, the highest levels the Data & Marketing Association (DMA) has tracked since 2003. No other channel exceeded 1% response. Digital channel response rates were Online Display (0.9%), Email (0.45%) Social Media (0.6%), and Paid Search (0.5%). For comparison, in 2015 direct mail response rates were 3.7% and 1.0% respectively. In 2010 it was 3.4% and 1.4%.
4. Direct Mail is Personalized
By 2020, it is expected that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator (Frost & Sullivan). According to Epsilon Research, 80% of consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it offers a personalized experience. 88% of U.S. marketers reported seeing measurable improvements due to personalization — with more than half reporting a lift greater than 10%. (Evergage)
Isn’t it time you personalize your prospects’ experience with your brand? Surprise and Wow! them with a direct mail piece that’s customized with more than just their name and browsing behavior—include a memorable photo. Example: Gyms can take photos to track members’ progress as they crush their personal goals. Those motivational postcards will keep them renewing their memberships!
7. Direct Mail is Becoming Less Common
Your competitors don’t know the secrets we just shared with you! They are still following the pack and overloading email inboxes. Between all the personal communication, notifications, news and offers, consumers simply don’t have the time or desire to click into each and every email. You don’t want your email sitting at the bottom of the “stack” among thousands of others, or worse, deleted without ever being opened.