In our digital obsessed world, direct mail marketing may sound “outdated.”

But, despite our world’s affinity for digital, direct mail is an effective way to reach your target audience, grab their attention, and get their business. 

It’s timeless.

Many marketers may be surprised by the success of print marketing, especially in 2021. But the data speaks for itself. 

Direct mail works, and any marketer or business owner that’s serious about growing their business can benefit from it. 

Here’s 10 reasons why you should use direct mail:

1. Direct Mail Has High ROI 

Direct mail gives you a higher return on investment than paid search AND digital ads. 

I know, it’s shocking, but true!

The median ROI of direct mail is 29%. 

That’s just 1% less than social media at 30%. Comparatively, paid search has an ROI of 23% and online display has 16%. Safe to say that mail holds it’s own when it comes to giving you a return on investment.

You can calculate your projected postcard campaign ROI here.

2. Mail Gets a High Response Rate 

Looking to get a response? Direct mail is the best choice for attracting new and returning business. Why? Because people respond to mail. We’re talking LEADS here, people!

Direct mail gets 5.3% response for mail sent to homes and 2.9% for prospect lists.

Compare that to email with a low response rate of 0.6%.

If you’re looking to engage with your prospects and customers, a mail campaign is a great choice.

How does that transfer to sales? According to CBT News, 62% of consumers who respond to a direct mail campaign make a purchase within 3 months.

3. Direct Mail Enhances Digital Marketing Strategy

“But Alexa, I’m a digital marketer. Why on earth would I use direct mail?”

Great question. Even if you’re a digital marketer or your business’ strategy is mostly online, you can benefit from physical marketing. 

If you’re a marketer, odds are you know that a multichannel strategy is the way to go.

Did you know that Google uses DIRECT MAIL to help drive its internet marketing and increase its $110 billion revenue? You read that right. If one of the world’s largest tech giants uses print marketing, you can too.

The Canada Post study concluded that the key to “smarter marketing, stronger customer relationships and higher sales” is combining digital and physical marketing.

What’s more, a study by Millward Brown concluded that combining print and digital helps reinforce a message by reaching consumers on multiple channels.

To enhance your marketing, consider adding a mail campaign to your mix.

4. Direct Mail has Little Competition

Most marketers are focused on digital marketing, so direct mail has fallen to the wayside. That may sound like a negative, but really it means less competition in the mailbox.

Think about it. The USPS reports that the average person only receives about 2 pieces of mail per day.  Compare that to the average number of business emails that a person receives and sends each day: 121. Not to mention hundreds upon thousands of digital ads across social media and Google.

The average American is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 pieces of advertising per day. This is creating a phenomenon referred to as ad blindness, or the inability to “see” an advertisement. The digital fatigue is real.

Makes direct mail sound pretty good, doesn’t it? With little competition, there’s a higher chance that your marketing message will stand out and be seen by your audience.

And, with most people working from home due to COVID, the odds of your marketing message being seen is even higher.

To put it simply, the internet is overcrowded with marketing. Mailboxes are not.

5. Direct Mail Marketing is POPULAR & Trusted

People love mail. And for good reason! Who doesn’t get excited when they receive something addressed specifically to them in their mailbox? (As long as it’s not a bill).

I personally love getting a coupon to a local boutique or pizza place, a catalog from my favorite retail store, or even a friendly reminder from my dentist that its time for my check-up. It’s fun to get mail!

And I’m not the only one.

In fact:

• 73% of American consumers say they prefer being contacted by brands via mail because they can read it whenever they want (Small Biz Genius).

• 69% of Americans enjoy receiving direct mail; and they find it a good source of information and ideas (Paper & Packaging Board, Isobar, May 2019).

• 56% of people feel that print advertising is the most trustworthy form of marketing (Mail Shark).

That’s a lot of people who are saying “I LIKE DIRECT MAIL” loud and clear.

Give the people what they want!

6. For Young and Old Audiences Alike

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that older generations trust and prefer direct mail. Baby boomers are known to have a very high direct mail response rate. This is especially enticing given that the baby boomer generation controls a whopping 70% of all disposable income. Why not market to the age group with significant buying power?

But baby boomers aren’t the only ones who prefer physical marketing.

Millennials LOVE direct mail, too

You read that right. According to a USPS White Paper, millennials are a leading audience for direct mail:

• 80% of millennials look forward to checking the mailbox

• 59% of millennials find the information they receive by mail to be more useful than the information they receive by email

• 49% of millennials prefer to shop at stores that advertise to them via direct mail

• 77% of Millennials pay attention to direct mail advertising. And a whopping 90% of Millennials think that physical advertising is reliable.

7. Direct Mail is Easy to Target

Targeting your audience on social media is simple. But what about for mail?

It’s actually pretty straightforward. There’s a few options for assuring that your mail reaches your target audience.

Every Door Direct Mail

Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, is a service of the USPS that allows your business or organization to send saturated mailings to geographical areas of your choosing at a discounted postage rate. 

How EDDM works: 

You choose specific USPS mail routes that you want to hit, and the mail carriers will drop your mailing to every door along that route. You can target a particular zip code, neighborhood, or pick multiple different routes that fit your goals. EDDM also gives you the option to filter by age, income, or household size. 

Targeted Mailing Lists

Unlike EDDM, which requires you to choose a mail route, traditional direct mail requires a mailing list of individuals you want to reach. Your mailing list can be as simple as sending to your list of current customers, or as complex as mailing to niche consumers that will love your product or service.

You can also pay for a mailing list via a third party list vendor or through a direct mail servicer. With mailing lists, you can target specific demographics such as income, age, sex, marital status, political affiliation and more. 

Read more about EDDM and Targeted Mailing Lists.

8. You Can Track Your Postcard Campaigns

One objection some marketers have with mail marketing is the trackability. But, there are actually a number of viable ways to track the effectiveness of your postcard campaign.

Use a Unique Phone #

If your goal is to get more calls, choose a unique phone number to use for your campaign. You can count any calls you get to this number as leads.

Create a Landing Page

If your goal is to get people to visit your website or see a product or service offering, you can create a landing page to track your results. When people visit or click on the landing page, you’ll know that they came from that campaign.

Add a QR code to the postcard for people to scan with their smartphone camera, which will direct them straight to the landing page with one click.

Try Direct Mail MAX

An even more seamless way to do this is with Direct Mail MAX, a marketing solution powered by South City Print. We have a dashboard that allows you to track your campaign’s results in real time! You can track calls and see who from your mailing list is interested.

9. Physical Mail Increases Brand Awareness

Since direct mail is tangible, it sticks around.

Your email inbox is flooded with dozens of messages a day, many of which are automatically deleted.

But, since a postcard is a physical piece that requires immediate evaluation, it’s inherently unavoidable (and memorable!)

In fact, a study by TrueImpact and Canada Post reports that brand recall is 70% higher for a direct mail piece compared to a digital ad.

With mail marketing, consistency is key. If you’re doing it right, you’re sending multiple repeat mailers per year to the same list or area. This creates multiple physical touches that consumers have with your brand.

Plus, if your marketing piece has a special offer, people are more likely to hold onto it for future use. Even more opportunity for them to see and remember your brand.

10. Get Creative With It

Given the physical nature of mail, there are so many ways to think outside the box with your mailing. You don’t have to stick to plain ol’ postcards. You can send a magnet, a paper airplane, a box of goodies, the list goes on.

The beauty of direct mail is that you can choose from different sizes, textures, materials, and colors. Mail a monster-size mailer that takes up the entire mailbox, or mail a letter than peaks the recipient’s curiosity so they can’t help but open it. The world of direct marketing is your oyster.

Whatever you choose to do, rest assured that direct mail works.