Does Direct Mail Marketing Work?

Why Direct Mail Marketing Still Works

Direct mail marketing is nothing new. People have been using direct mail campaigns for centuries. In fact, the first widely acknowledged example of direct mail marketing took place in the year 1,000 B.C in Egypt!

However, with the invention of the internet, digital advertising, and email, companies can now market to thousands of people instantly. Email eliminates the need to constantly source quality items, package them, carry them to the post office, and then try to calculate the ROI once the direct mail has been shipped. Email is also a significantly cheaper option than direct mail, and there is no limit to how many emails you can send at one time.

Does Direct Mail Marketing Work?

Why do some companies still bother using a more expensive, more labor-intensive customer outreach approach like direct mail? The answer is simple: it still works!

Despite the added effort that direct mail marketing requires, the response rate for direct mail is more than 30 times the response rate for email. Plus, 79% of consumers will act on direct mail immediately, compared to only 45% who say they deal with email immediately.

Direct mail also has the power to effectively create a more genuine two-way relationship between the brand and the consumer. 57% of people claim that receiving mail makes them feel more valued, and when customers feel valued, they’re likely to continue using a product. Establishing brand loyalty is now more important than ever considering that 50% of a brand’s highest-spending customers also shop with competitors.

Looking at all the data around direct mail, it’s easy to understand why it’s a trusted strategy for delivering steady sales growth by building relationships.

Why Use Direct Mail Marketing?

If you’re wondering why direct mail marketing still works, you’re not alone. Here’s a quick list of reasons why you should use direct mail…

1. Direct mail marketing is the preferred channel for communication: 73% of US consumers said they prefer direct mail for brand communications.(Source)
2. Direct mail marketing is more persuasive than digital marketing: Its motivation response is 20% higher—even more so if it appeals to more senses beyond touch. (Source)
3. Direct mail marketing is trustworthy: 56% of consumers think print marketing is the most trustworthy of all marketing channels. (Source)
4. Direct mail marketing is easier to understand and more memorable: It requires 21% less cognitive effort to process and elicits a much higher brand recall. (Source)
5. Direct mail marketing is more emotional than digital marketing: People value something they can see and touch 24% more highly than something they can only see on their screen. (Source)
6. Direct mail marketing is more memorable than digital marketing: Consumers are 77% more likely to remember what they read in print over what they see on a screen. (Source)
7. Direct mail marketing has better response rates than email: The response rate for direct mail is more than 30 times the response rate for email. (Source)
8. Direct mail marketing makes people feel more valued: 57% of people claim that receiving mail makes them feel more valued. Sending mail creates a more genuine two-way relationship between the brand and consumer. (Source)
9. Direct mail marketing can boost ROI: 60% of marketers say combining digital and direct mail increases ROI. (Source)
10. Direct mail marketing can boost the performance on integrated campaigns: Direct mail can boost ROI by 20% when part of an integrated campaign.(Source)
11. Direct mail marketing invokes a positive reaction: 83% of consumers feel positively about receiving packages. (Source)
12. Direct mail marketing is scanned by most people: 81% of people read or scan their mail daily. (Source)
13. Direct mail marketing inspires immediate action: 79% of consumers will act on direct mail immediately, compared to only 45% who say they deal with email immediately.
14. Direct mail marketing can increase the effectiveness of other channels: it can help improve the lift of local ads by 44% and online campaigns by 62%. (Source)
15. Direct mail marketing drives business: 56% of consumers say they have tried a new business after receiving direct mail, while 70% have renewed previous relationships with businesses. (Source)

Direct Mail Marketing vs. Digital Marketing: What Works Best?

Take a moment to think about your own email inbox. Can you recall off the top of your head all of the companies that have reached out to you today? If the answer is “No,” your customers likely can’t either. 74% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the number and frequency of emails they receive and suffer from what’s being called “digital fatigue.”

With so many consumers plugged in and logged on to their laptops, iPads, and smartphones on a 24/7 basis, it’s never been easier for companies to reach out to their target audience. But an overwhelming majority of companies are also reaching out through the same channel, so your outreach is at risk of heading towards the dreaded trash icon!

Download the 2020 State of Sending Report for for comprehensive data from over 15,000 senders and over one million sends.

Thus, since email is faster but overused, while direct mail is effective but more expensive. So is it even possible to make a lasting impression on customers? And how can you achieve the best ROI?

As it turns out, you don’t have to pick digital marketing or direct mail marketing. 60% of marketers say that combining digital and direct mail actually increases ROI! Conversion rates are also upped by a whopping 40% when using a multi-channel outreach strategy.

But how can you combine marketing strategies efficiently and cost-effectively?

How to Automate and Integrate Direct Mail

Luckily, we’ve come a long way from the days of that first direct mail marketing campaign in Egypt.

Thanks to Sending Platforms like Sendoso, you can now launch a direct mail marketing campaign in the time it takes to launch an email marketing campaign: seconds! You can simply click to ship, and the Sending Platform will take care of the storing, sourcing, packaging, and tracking for you.

The best part is that you can even calculate the ROI digitally using the platform, and integrate it with companies you may already be using like Salesforce, Marketo, Amazon, and more.

Now that you know why direct mail marketing still works and how easy it is to implement into your customer engagement, one more question remains, what are you waiting for?