The Power of Direct Mail in a Digital Age

Digital marketing has been the buzzword for quite a while now, but don’t discount the power of direct mail. As a standalone campaign direct mail is proven to convert potential customers into clients and get the phones ringing. A marketing powerhouse in its own right, when combined with digital marketing this multi-channel approach will significantly increase the success of marketing efforts.

Direct Mail Stands On Its Own

In an age where nearly everything is done online, it can be hard to believe that sending something through the mail could be worthwhile. We get it! But the stats show direct mail has a place in every marketing budget.

A Forbes article titled Why Direct Mail Marketing is Far From Dead took a deep dive into why mail as a marketing tool is still relevant. The reasons included a much higher response rate than digital channels (4.4% for direct mail versus 0.12% for email) and a strong perceived value. Sending something tangible when most ads are delivered on screen is a perfect opportunity to stand out.

Want to see the proof? Consider these numbers:

• 70% of Americans say snail mail is more personal than the Internet according to the Direct Marketing Association
• A USPS study shows direct mail recipients purchase 28% more items and spend 28% more than non-direct mail recipients
• While emails often go ignored, 70-80% of the consumers polled by the Direct Marketing Associations say they open most of their mail even what they might consider something “junk” mail
• Direct mail has a higher response rate than any digital direct marketing medium, with response rates ranging from about five to nine times greater than that of email, paid search, or social media.

Source: 2018 DMA Response Rate Report

Combined with Digital Marketing

Direct mail and digital marketing both have their places and when put together this powerful “one-two” combo can generate a significantly greater return than separate ventures. In its research, Canada Post discovered using direct mail with digital ad campaigns got 39% more attention and achieved 10% more brand recall. A pretty good reason to put the two together!

Here are a few ways you can use these channels in tandem:

Use digital behavior to create targeted direct mail campaigns
Track an individual’s browsing or buying history then deliver relevant direct mail campaigns. For example, send a custom brochure of items recently browsed with a special deal or send a promotion for an upsell of an item they recently purchased. Through personalization, you can use direct mail to complete the sales cycle in a way email or more ads may not be able to.

Mirror campaigns on direct mail and digital
Have a truly compelling offer or limited time discount? Reaching out to the same target groups through multiple channels makes sure your message gets seen.

Combine social media with direct mail for more engagement
These two may seem like opposites, but they’re a fantastic combination when it comes to marketing success. You can use a direct mail list in Facebook Ads to create targeted ads to similar audiences. Social media can be used in turn to direct people to a landing page where you can collect their address. No matter which way you go about it, you’re gaining the chance to capture more data and refine your efforts.

Leverage Direct Mail

No matter what your marketing objectives are direct mail has the ability to help you achieve your goals. Offering a significant ROI when used by itself or increasing the success rate of digital ads when used in combination, there are plenty of opportunities to expand your marketing. Take advantage of the strengths of each channel to create a big picture campaign that gets results!