Is Direct Mail Obsolete in the Age of Digital?

Print ads, digital banners, email blasts – direct mail? When developing an omnichannel marketing campaign, direct mail is oftentimes excluded because it is considered too “old school.” With marketing saturating online spaces, it’s easy to assume that money budgeted for on-the-ground marketing tactics, like direct mail, is better spent on strictly digital campaigns. However, this could be a big mistake for marketers. Direct mail has many unique benefits that can help you to connect with your audience. Want to know why your business may want to embrace the power of direct mail? Keep reading.

Direct Mail Evokes Emotion

In a study titled Enhancing the Value of Mail: The Human Response, sponsored by the United States Postal Service, eye-movement tracking and biometric measurements (including heart rate and respiration) were recorded to interpret attention and emotional engagement for physical ads versus digital ads. The study found that a week after the initial viewing, physical ads were recalled more quickly and confidently by participants than digital ads were, even though participants paid more attention to the digital ads. The emotional response prompted by physical ads had tremendous effects, causing participants to have a stronger value and desire for the advertised product. In a similar study by the UK Royal Mail, it was found that direct mail triggers a substantial emotional impact on the recipient due to the fact that “giving, receiving and handling tangible objects remain deep and intuitive parts of the human experiences.” Sixty percent of participants in the study stated that the emotional response caused them to have a longer recall of the message as it made a more lasting impression, which also explains why the majority of the participants felt that postcard marketing is more authentic and makes them feel valued.

Direct Mail Reaches All Audiences

Direct mail has the unique potential to reach all age groups, making it a great way to capture the attention of any audience. According to USPS, 98 percent of people check their mail every day and a study by Epsilon found that 77 percent of recipients browse through their mail the moment they get it. While it may seem like older generations would be direct mail’s biggest fans, it turns out they’re actually favored by a younger audience: Millennials. In a survey by InfoTrends, 38 percent of Millennials (those born between 1982 and 2000) were found to prefer direct mail marketing as compared to only 26 percent preferring email marketing. Millennials are more likely to read their mail than any other demographic, and they actually take pleasure in doing so, with 25 percent considering reading mail to be a leisurely activity. As 92 percent of millennials state that they’ve made a purchasing decision as a result of direct mail, this is a great platform to get your message out to this influential generation.

Direct Mail Enriches Omnichannel Marketing Strategies

In advertising, success doesn’t come from implementing one tactic and sticking to it. In order to be successful, it’s important to incorporate multiple strategies into a campaign so that your message is communicated as effectively as possible. One way to do this is through omnichannel marketing. Omnichannel marketing integrates multiple channels so that consumers have a seamless experience, regardless of how or where they are connecting with your brand. Direct mailers can be an essential part of omnichannel marketing. Integrating digital and direct mail into your strategy can boost ROI by 20 percent and improve the lift of your online campaign by 62 percent, according to The Little Book of Bigger Returns, by the Royal Mail Group. Although direct mail does drive a high response rate on its own, incorporating it into your campaign will have the greatest reward.

Direct mail has the potential to reach your target audience and connect with them emotionally. You can leave a great first impression through emotion, help consumers remember your message and inspire them to act. If you thought before that physical mail wasn’t worth the time and expense, it’s time to reconsider and connect with your consumers in a new (or “old school”) way.

At Orange Label we believe an omnichannel marketing approach is a necessity. If you want to learn more about direct mail, digital and other marketing strategies, visit https://orangelabelmarketing.com/expertise/.