Would you rather have 5.1% or 0.6% of $100,000? The choice is a no-brainer, and is the premise for why direct mail works. With a household response rate of 5.1% compared to a 0.6% email response rate, direct mail expands a campaign’s reach and yields higher response rates, especially for specific age demographics. Direct mail is a smart, cost-effective way to maximize advertising endeavors because it’s:

• Targeted. With a clear understanding of your target audience and a high-quality mailing list, direct mail’s potential can be jaw-dropping. For example, seniors over age 65 are more likely to reply to direct mail versus digital. Also, professionals ages 18-34 are among the best responders to direct mail.
• Personal. Not only is your targeted message relevant, but direct mail allows for customization. In fact, adding a person’s name and full color can increase response rate by 135%.
• Tangible. Recipients see digital messages and delete them with one touch or swipe. But direct mail is handled, making recipients significantly more likely to see your message and consider its contents more reliable.
• Integrated. Direct mail mingles seamlessly with digital mediums like personalized URLs (PURLS) to make special offers more attractive, immediate and effective.
• Immediate. Direct mail works wonders for short-term sales results or increasing brand recognition. Have a special, limited-time offer? Give them a reason to act now with a direct mail + digital campaign. If they aren’t in the buying mood, at least they see your brand (and will more likely remember it next time).
• Measurable. It’s easy to measure direct mail results without complicated online analytics: Simply count inquiries made or coupons redeemed from a mailpiece.
• Proven. Direct mail impacts multiple senses simultaneously from recipients: they see it; they hear it (if an audio component is embedded); they touch it; they smell it (if scent marketing is incorporated); and they even taste it (product samples, anyone?). All at a rate that’s 5.1% versus 0.6%…

Reprinted with permission of Western States Envelope & Label.