Direct mail is not dead. It creates an experience that digital marketing can’t ever replicate. Direct mail marketing is just different.

Your mailbox has become the place for bills, junk mail, and who-knows-what it is dreadful. But it’s also a place for letters from family and friends and cards wishing you a happy birthday.

Direct mail has the capacity to be something exciting. It’s a way to reach customers in a different way. Imagine opening your mailbox to find something other than the everyday bills, it piques your curiosity. That’s what direct mail marketing can do.

What is direct mail?

Direct mail is a form of direct marketing where promotional materials are sent to prospective customers in the mail.

Why does direct mail work?

It feels more memorable

Today’s marketing is all about making it personal and tailored, so the consumer feels as though it was tailored to them. Direct mail is a perfect way to do this. 70% of Americans believe that physical mail is more personal than the internet [Small Business Trends].

What feels more personal than getting something sent directly to you? It’s honestly exciting to receive mail and adds a personal touch as if someone was on the other end sending it directly to you. You remember mail

It allows you to easily stand out. Great delivery, packaging, content, having something physically in your hand creates a much more memorable experience.

It can’t be ignored

You can’t ignore something when it’s physically in your hand. Emails can disappear in less than 17 seconds while mail lasts days. The only way to sort mail is to look through it, therefore, making the consumer pay attention to it.

80-90 percent of direct mail gets opened, only 20-30 percent of email gets opened on a good day [Small Business Trends]. I think everyone would agree direct mail has much better odds.

It has a better response rate

People respond better to direct mail. 56 percent of customers find print marketing to be the most trustworthy type of marketing [Small Business Trends]. This makes them more likely to respond to your campaign. Consumers trust brands that take the time to send mail directly to them.

The greatest number of consumers surveyed by Small Business Trends said they want to receive mail from brands they’re interested in. It also found a direct correlation between direct mail and better response rates as U.S. advertisers spent $167 per person on direct mail to earn $2,095 worth of goods sold: a 1,300 percent return [Small Business Trends].

It can reach more people

Direct mail has the capability of reaching people who aren’t online. While it may seem like it not everyone is online scrolling 24/7. Many people refuse to get wrapped up in the social media, online communication world. These people are a key audience for direct mail.

You’ll find that you can more directly target the right audience when sending via direct mail. You can reach a specific segment that would be most likely to listen and respond to your marketing.

Get creative with your direct mail marketing campaigns. Create something memorable something customers can interact with and share with others. Interactive content has been proven to generate 2x more conversions than the alternative [Upland].