As a whole, society seems to have moved into a totally digital world of communications. Our lives are immersed in the Internet of Things, with digital marketing campaigns, mobile devices and social media predominating the way marketers communicate with consumers. So, while it might surprise you that direct mailers rank above all digital channels as the most effective way to prompt action from consumers. According to Postalytics
- Direct mail receives the highest ROI of 112% across all mediums, followed by SMS at 102%, email at 93%, and paid searches at 88%
At a time when the digital buzz consumes every waking moment of our work days and for some demographic group predominates their every move, isn’t it refreshing to know that direct mailers still make an impression on all demographic age groups. In fact, USPS research shows that
- 57% of boomers, 45% of GenX, 41% of millennials, and 37% of GenZ would be disappointed if they stopped getting physical mail
Also, the numbers show that:
- Coordinating digital and direct mail has increased response rates by 63%, website visits by 68%, and leads by 53% in 2023, so far.
So, the numbers show that direct mail campaigns, in conjunction with digital calls-to-action and other digital components actually work better than just direct mailers or any one digital channel alone. Armed with the evidence that direct mail can increase ROI and grow your bottom line, here’s some of the top reasons direct mail still works today.
Easier to stand out from the crowd
As digital advertising has inundated our lives with content that is in our faces all day long, small businesses and startups find it difficult to establish their brands on social media platforms. With advertising coming at people from every angle and outlet, consumers have erected barriers to separate themselves from all of the digital noise, with ad blocking technology, spam folders, and spam blockers on their mobile phones. As physical mail ad revenues have decreased, direct mailers encounter less competition, as an eye-catching piece of personalized physical mail that gets noticed.
Everyone likes to receive physical mail
Sifting through your bills and other mail, aren’t you pleasantly surprised and interested when you receive personalized mail from a brand you like or from one that interests you? Unlike the digital noise we’ve learned to tune out online, a physical piece of mail crosses the abyss between the real world and the digital noise. Additionally, more of our senses are activated when we interact with physical mail than when we view digital marketing campaigns.
Easier to mentally process
In fact, neuromarketing studies have shown that humans process physical mail more efficiently than they process digital mail, due to the fact that humans can call on all five senses to process things in the real world, which causes the brain less stress than is required to process digital messages. Not that people will use all five senses, talking to you “taste and smell,” this collaboration of the senses allows the brain to work on other things, such as brand retention, which is much higher for physical mail than it is for digital ads. Also, brand retention is much higher for physical mail than digital ads because direct mail might sit on desks and foyer tables or stick on refrigerators for at least a week, so that recipients can view it at their leisure. Many online ads aren’t even opened and others are sent to spam folders before they’re opened. Another reason consumers prefer direct mail; they trust it.
Consumers trust direct mail
More than any other marketing channel, consumers feel most comfortable receiving personalized direct mailers, “more than they do any other advertising, channel-including TV and social media ads” according to the USPS. As evidence that customer experience remains a major driver for success in the online customer journey, “some 71% of consumers feel that direct mail is more personal than online digital communication,”as personalized direct mail, often incorporating hand-written letters, checks the boxes that lead to brand loyalty.
Direct mail is measurable
Unlike direct mail campaigns before tracking technology evolved, today’s direct mail is highly measurable! Due to variable printing technology, direct mail campaigns can be automated to hyper-target current customers and specific potential customers. You can create specific calls-to-action for your direct mail campaigns that use unique tracking devices, such as phone numbers, links to your website, or separate pages that open when QR codes are scanned. Your direct mail pieces can measure visitors that receive direct mail pieces that include QR codes and connect to an augmented reality experience that isn’t available to consumers merely searching the web. Also, the ability to track direct mail metrics allows marketers to justify their direct mail marketing spend and to tweak KPIs to increase ROIs.
Allows laser precision targeting
Saving time and money, direct mail can target specific groups of shoppers you want to receive your direct mail pieces. Selecting by age, gender, geographic and other demographic criteria, brands can better reach their specific targets and tweak their target groups whenever warranted.
Graphic design and other eye-catching techniques
Direct mail can use many graphic design elements to attract your attention, such as vibrant colors and textures, creative pop-ups, clever folds and other effects that are possible only in the physical world. Another aspect of direct mail that isn’t possible in digital advertising involves hand-written notes, which are considered the pinnacle of personalization.
Direct mailers are not only alive and well, but they are, in fact, an essential component of successful omnichannel marketing strategies. When you partner with MoneyMailer for your direct mail campaigns, you can leverage the current technology and tracking metrics available through our automated system that allows you to support local creatives, and get your direct mail pieces in the hands of your intended audience for your successful direct mail marketing to digital campaigns. MoneyMailer: Marketing Done Right!