Top 30 Benefits of a Direct Mail Campaign

Within the current age of email marketing, search ads, and even influencer advertising, direct mail prevails in building custom campaigns for long-lasting customer relationships.

From its personalization to its impactful messaging, direct mail constantly reminds marketers of the power in print advertising.

Without further ado, here is the DK Solutions Top 30 Benefits for Direct Mail: 

1. Measurable
2. Flexible – Yet Targeted
3. Guerrilla Marketing Opportunities
4. Stable Pricing Strategy
5. Target Decision-makers (for B2B)
6. Multiple CTAs and Donation Methods
7. Informed Delivery Advantage
8. Showcase Your Story
9. Utilize the 5 Senses
10. No Keyword Bidding
11. CHOOSE Your Audience
12. Re-Targeting Made Easy
13. Find Marketing Pain Points
14. Convenient and Secure
15. Sending a Strong Intent Signal
16. Less User-Generated Data
17. Less Intrusive Marketing
18. Easier to Remember
19. Highly Motivational
20. Omnichannel Integration
21. Target Residents at the Household Level
22. No algorithms or filtration
23. More Marketing Touchpoints 
24. Make an IMPACT
25. Increased Trust
26. Less Competition
27. No ad-block or Video Skipping
28. Relevant Ads
29. Maintain User Attention Span
30. The Gold Standard

1.) Measurable

One method marketers use to evaluate and predict campaign success is by comparing metrics from previous campaigns. These data points are used as indicators for future marketing goals and endeavors.

While digital marketing is excellent at pulling this data into a downloadable format, there are often more factors that can influence online advertising success.

These metrics can be a viable source of information, but algorithm changes and third-party influences make this data not as easily comparable and often outdated.

In contrast, direct mail’s consistent deliverability means that campaigns are similar and measurable across previous years. Because there is no algorithm to skew metrics, marketers have full control over their campaigns and can easily note any discrepancies that may occur.

And because these campaigns are so consistent, your business can accurately compare past promotions and use that as a benchmark for future campaigns. 

Related: Data-Driven Decision Making with Direct Mail

2.) Flexible – Yet Targeted

Direct mail campaigns are easily flexible to cater to the company and industry it is catering to.

Take for example a local pizza restaurant. For a business in generally high demand and location-specific, a direct mail campaign would likely see a better ROI by targeting a few select zip codes within proximity to the physical restaurant.

For a different industry – such as final expense insurance – direct mail can function at a nationwide scale. Depending on the targeting strategy, a larger campaign can still find success even when dispersed across the US.

But direct mail is not limited to only local or nationwide campaigns. Its flexibility means it can work for campaigns of all sizes – including statewide or general regions – while appealing to those specific audiences with unique personalization and messaging.  

3.) Guerrilla Marketing Opportunities

As one of the few marketing channels that delivers through nearly any medium imaginable, direct mail can make a powerful impact when utilizing a guerrilla marketing strategy.

Besides the standard postcard or envelope, mailers can also include hidden messages, memorable gimmicks, or even small trinkets to entice people into reading its contents.

Guerrilla marketing works because the unusual strategy helps implement brand or product awareness into the mind of its audience. Since direct mail can use nearly any size or medium, campaigns are limited only by the creativity and budget of a company’s marketing department. 

Related: 15 Examples of Guerrilla Marketing in Direct Mail Campaigns 

4.) Stable Pricing Strategy

While digital marketing’s prices can vary depending on competitor bids and keyword search demand, direct mail’s pricing remains as stable as ever.

Pricing factors for direct mail include printing and postage costs multiplied by overall mail volume. Because these factors remain consistent throughout the year, there are far less variables to consider when budgeting for a marketing campaign.

Additionally, because there is no competition over the cost of postage, there’s no difference in cost when advertising in one state or region vs another. It costs the same to send mail to New York City as it does to rural Montana.

Depending on a company’s industry and customer profile, a campaign may target specific locations across the US for a better ROI. 

5.) Target Decisionmakers (for B2B)

For B2B companies, identifying and marketing to the primary decision-makers in a company is crucial for building lasting relationships and striking new deals. Sometimes several decisionmakers need to be contacted to before a decision can be made.

Unlike digital marketing, direct mail marketing is an excellent tool to target companies and their leaders. Because these companies are easily researchable, finding prominent leaders within each department is a straightforward process.

Additionally, if your want to target a few high-profile advocates within a company, the direct mail budget can capitalize on a more bespoke-looking mailer. Adding something like a unique gift or customized packaging may be the key to enticing those in management positions into reaching out for more information. 

Related: 5 Ways Direct Mail Helps B2B Marketing Campaigns

6.) Multiple CTAs and Donation Methods

Direct mail is unique in how it interacts and engages with its core audience. For nonprofits especially, this marketing medium is an excellent tool for fundraising efforts, as mail offers several donations and CTA methods for each recipient.

While digital marketing only allows donations through a credit or debit card, direct mail lets donors or customers send money in any format imaginable.

By including a return envelope, nonprofit fundraising creates even more modes of payment – such as cash or check. However, a donor can also donate online if the mailer includes a link or QR code.

This freedom of choice encourages even the more cautious individuals to contribute by offering more secure methods through the mailing system. 

Related:  5 Ways Direct Mail Maximizes Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns

7.) Informed Delivery Advantage

The USPS Informed Delivery program is an excellent way for users to monitor and track their mail through their virtual mailbox. Participating addresses receive a daily email of their scanned mail expected to arrive later that day.

While this program is helpful for the end-user, it is also a reliable method for marketers to increase campaign touchpoints through direct mail.

Because this program sends residents their mail through email, each promotional mailer receives an extra touchpoint before delivery. This additional touchpoint helps customers view your marketing mailer in their inbox before receiving it in their physical mailbox.

Furthermore, businesses can add a second CTA within their email scan, creating a minimum of two touchpoints and two CTAs with every scanned campaign mailer. 

Related: Informed Delivery | What Businesses & Customers Need to Know

8.) Showcase Your Story

For many businesses and nonprofits, showcasing your story is an essential part of one’s business strategy. Nonprofits especially need to market their message and purpose to those most likely to donate to their cause.

Direct mail is excellent at conveying essential information simply due to the physical medium through which it advertises. As marketing mail is often read the longest and more memorable than digital marketing, a mailer can contain plenty of information without being too overbearing.

9.) Utilize the 5 Senses

Coinciding with guerrilla marketing, direct mail offers several avenues to appeal to the five senses including touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing.

For most mailers, touch and sight are perceived when an individual receives his or her mail. Recipients can look and touch their mailers to feel the texture and weight of the material, along with opening an envelope to read its contents.

Taste and smell are a more obscure occurrence, but not out of reach for direct mail. Scented stickers or perfume samples are common examples of advertising that utilizes scent. Taste can be applied to product samples, or even taste testers like Welch’s Peel ‘n Taste campaigns.

Utilizing hearing, while a bit rarer, is also possible with direct mail. Birthday cards – for example – can play a song when a person opens the card. Additionally, video players are becoming more and more common for targeted, lavish campaigns. 

Related: The Five Senses & Direct Mail | Advertising to the Senses

10.) No Keyword Bidding

Keyword bidding is a common practice that any seasoned digital marketer is familiar with. Paid search advertising like Google Ads rank higher bidding ads to the top of the search results page. 

Ad rank is determined by ad relevance and keyword. Depending on the industry, keyword bids can range from $1 to $55 per keyword or ever higher!

Acquisition costs can increase exponentially due to high competition for top placement within the search engine results pages (SERP). However, the high keyword costs only guarantee an ad click, so the COA can be even greater depending on a company’s sales funnel.

Direct mail does not have this type of metric in place that would influence its rank amongst competitors. Each mailer sent to a physical mailbox has an equal chance of being seen by a potential lead.

No ranking or algorithms that require exorbitant fees – just a mailer and a message. 

11.) CHOOSE Your Audience

What if you could not only find your ideal audience but target ONLY that specific audience in your campaigns?

Direct mail’s unique advantage is that every household to receive your message is one that was specifically sought out and chosen, rather than having a third-party online algorithm decide for you.

Instead of passively relying on users to signal interest by tracking their online behaviors, your company can take an active role in advertising by finding valuable customers with custom data modeling techniques to seek them out. 

12.) Re-Targeting Made Easy

While online ad re-targeting is common, long-term strategies are much more feasible with direct mail. For one, re-targeting often requires a user to first interact with a website or input their email for promotions. Whereas direct mail can identify and target prospects without the initial interaction.

In addition, your company cannot see where your re-targeted ad is being shown to garner more information. With direct mail, the “who, what, where, and when” data of your campaign is easier to find and compartmentalize for re-targeting purposes.

This data is also useful for A/B testing your message since you already know the customer profiles you are re-targeting.

Related: The Omnichannel Approach to Direct Mail Retargeting 

13.) Find Marketing Pain Points

Algorithm changes are nothing new to online marketing. However, the issue arises when a company’s marketing strategy has to change constantly to accommodate the latest fad, SEO strategy, or algorithm change.

In an ideal scenario, every form of advertising reaches its intended audience, and adjustments are made based on customer response.

But with the constant competitive nature for user attention, many marketers grow frustrated with the constant updates and necessary alterations to their campaigns.

This makes it harder to pinpoint if a campaign is failing due to its message, its audience targeting, or some other factor that is going unnoticed.

However, direct mail remains a consistent (and reliable) source year after year. It is much easier to identify pain points in a marketing campaign if it is using a similar strategy from previous years.

Because there are no third-party systems in place to skew numbers or lessen impressions, your company can experiment and test different mailer campaigns without interference. 

Related: Finding Your Business Pain Points with Direct Mail

14.) Convenient and Secure

Malware and phishing attempts are still an unfortunate reality for many online users. As such, many companies and organizations have cracked down on security measures by training their employees to never click on unknown links or ads.

While improving public safety is a benefit, companies that rely on online sales or donations are feeling the pushback when customers avoid all email campaigns or display ads.

Federal law protects direct mail in a multitude of ways, one of which is hefty penalties for tampering or theft. Not to mention that a secure return envelope puts prospects at ease when disclosing personal information or contact info.

Nonprofits can also take advantage, as fundraising attempts through mail give donors another avenue to donate through cash or check for a more secure transaction.

15.) Sending a Strong Intent Signal

The online conversion process is simple by design – requiring very few steps from start to finish. If the goal is to funnel as many users as possible through your sales pipeline, it makes sense that there should not be many barriers between initial contact and final sale.

But this simplistic timeline often results in a lot of useless clutter for many industries. With minimal steps in place, your sales team could be wasting time talking to ill-fitting prospects that slipped through the initial audience pipeline.

Direct mail’s process, while longer, often sends a stronger signal to a company’s sales team when a lead engages with a mailer. The process of filling out a contact form by hand, or even opening an envelope to read the contents, helps reinforce that highly-motivated individual as a worthwhile lead.

While there are more steps involved, this process helps filter out less motivated individuals, meaning every form or phone call received is likely from a sustainable lead. 

16.) Less User-Generated Data (For More Accurate Results)

More online awareness means fewer people are willing to disclose and will often outright lie about their personal data. This could be anywhere from incorrectly filling out contact forms to using a throwaway email for online purchases.

If a company uses this incorrect info for marketing purposes, it often misses the mark completely, resulting in poor targeting and fewer sales.

The data direct mail uses cannot be as easily fabricated, because does not rely heavily on user-generated data in comparison to its digital counterparts. Names and addresses are easily verifiable, along with other important identifying info to determine viable prospects.

In addition, the use of data modeling helps improve audience targeting for a higher ROI without the risk of falsified data. 

Related: The Truth About Online Data

17.) Less Intrusive Marketing

The overwhelming volume of online ads has resulted in many users installing some form of ad block or banner blindness.

Despite these efforts, digital marketing is constantly fighting for more screen time – leaving many users feeling antagonistic towards over-advertised brands and products.

In contrast, direct mail’s physical presence makes it much less invasive within the home while still grabbing the recipient’s attention.

This lack of invasiveness means that mailers linger around the home longer, often being read and passed around several times. Without the strong demand to be acknowledged immediately, mailers continue to advertise long after the initial delivery. 

Related: What is Banner Blindness & Why Users Avoid Online Ads

18.) Easier to Remember

Because direct mail offers multiple marketing touchpoints and its physical nature encourages a longer advertising lifespan, prospects can easily remember its contents at a much higher degree.

One Canada Post study titled Connecting for Action notes that it takes 21% less cognitive effort to comprehend the marketing messaging when presented in a printed ad.

Furthermore, an OIG report (RARC-WP-15-012) found that participants could remember the direct mail they viewed a week ago much more confidently than when viewing digital media. 

19.) Highly Motivational

Direct mail, as noted by the previously mentioned OIG study, is found to be highly motivational even on the neurological level. Observed participants indicated higher levels of engagement and brain stimulation when viewing direct mail.

In addition, a similar InfoTrends study – Direct Mail: Integral to the Marketing Mix in 2016– noted that 56% of participants were more inclined to visit a physical store after receiving direct mail advertising, and 62% of participants made a purchase after responding to direct mail within the past three months. 

20.) Omnichannel Integration

While direct mail is a powerhouse on its own, its ability to integrate with other marketing platforms only helps to improve a company’s current marketing ventures.

Targeting ideal customers with different mediums with consistent messaging is the definition of an omnichannel marketing strategy, and direct mail is an often overlooked medium when it comes to this advertising method.

However, incorporating direct mail into one’s omnichannel marketing has the potential for a higher campaign ROI. 

The State of Multichannel Marketing 2020 by PFL mentions that 11% of participants saw major improvements to their campaigns when including direct mail, while 39% of participants found moderate improvement, and subsequently 34% found slight improvement. 

Related: The Omnichannel Approach to Direct Mail Retargeting

21.) Target Residents at the Household Level

For companies that provide services on or within the home – such as home security, landscaping, and pest control – targeting residents by address is a great way to automatically filter through those who do not live in or own a house.

A registered address means a viable lead, so any mailer sent out will be delivered to an ideal prospect with no guesswork involved. Unlike digital ads, you can know for certain that every advertised mail piece is seen by someone living in a physical household. 

Related: Direct Mail and Homeowners: The Hidden Audience

22.) No algorithms or filtration

Since direct mail does not rely on algorithms to reach its intended audience. So long as you have a mail piece, an address, and a stamp, you can theoretically reach any resident within the country through USPS.

And unlike algorithms, the method of delivery is the same as it has always been. There is no need to alter your message to appeal to a third-party gatekeeper before reaching your prospects.

Additionally, it is not necessary to reinvent your marketing strategy every time an online algorithm changes. 

Related: How Online Algorithms Hurt Small Businesses

23.) More Marketing Touchpoints 

The physical presence of direct mail within the home means it can create multiple touchpoint opportunities with every campaign.

Since direct mail is on average passed around the home 1.2 times and read 4.2 times by each recipient, one mail piece can create a sale due to how many times each resident interacts with it.

Additionally, direct mail has one of advertising’s longest lifespans. Even after 28 days, 27% of mail is still “live” within the home.

What does this mean for advertisers?

If one person needs 7-10 touchpoints to convert into a sale, one mail piece could continue advertising multiple times throughout the month, creating a new touchpoint with every interaction.

In combination with Informed Delivery, one piece could account for over 5 touchpoints!

Even if a company only launches one campaign, each mailer has the potential to make future profits even several months after delivery. 

Related: Direct Mail: Multiple Marketing Touchpoints

24.) Make an IMPACT

Not only can personalization leave a strong impact on a potential customer, but the physical nature by which direct mail advertises may play a role in how the advertised products and services are perceived.

The previously mentioned OIG report (RARC-WP-15-012) found that people assigned a higher value and desire for items that were advertised through direct mail as opposed to digital.

Participants could recall the company advertised over a week later to a much higher degree than online ads.

Leaving a stronger impact on potential prospects can be a major advantage for a company when the same individuals discover their need in the future. Being able to remember previous mailers will help them make a quick decision when they wish to address their need. 

Related: The Emotional IMPACT of Direct Mail Marketing

25.) Increased Trust

While digital ads are prominent in nearly every faction online, that does not equate to more conversions for every ad.

One major contributor is the weariness users feel when clicking on foreign links or unknown emails due to the perceived risk of malware on their devices.

Even if the advertised product is something a user desires, more attentive personalities may never click on an ad because of his or her general aversion to unknown websites.

Meanwhile, direct mail freely permits people to open and read its contents with no inherent risk of malware. Even the most risk-averse customers can inquire for more information without fear of hacking or a data breach. 

26.) Less Competition

Digital advertising is known for its relatively low barrier of entry for large and small businesses alike. For $5 a day, your ad can make a couple of impressions on any platform of your choice.

However, because it is so easy to create and replicate, ANY business regardless of quality, is free to advertise online.

This results in a flood of poor-quality ads in the online space. Oftentimes this leads to most advertisements being outright ignored due to the high-volume users are exposed to throughout their browsing session.

Compare this experience to direct mail. Because of the higher initial costs, there is less competition for a prospect’s attention when he or she sorts through the physical mailbox.

And with less competition, it is easier to leave a stronger impact, especially if that individual is re-targeted throughout each campaign. 

Related: The Competitive Side to Online Advertising

27.) No ad-block or Video Skipping

Ad-blocking programs have been the subject of major debates in recent months due to how many users rely on these services to avoid online advertising. The outrageous volume of ads (an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day) pushes users to search for alternatives.

With nearly 1 in 3 American users using a form of ad block, digital advertisers are prevented from reaching their entire audience when marketing online.

Direct mail does not uphold the same ad-blocking setbacks that digital ads have. There is no ad block for your physical mailbox, so marketers can guarantee that all their advertising will deliver to their intended audience. 

Related: How Internet Users Block Digital Advertising

28.) Relevant Ads

Direct mail relies on understanding who a company’s customers are AND how their behavior influences their buying habits. Whereas digital advertisement tracks user behavior to predict future sales – but oftentimes this method falls short. 

Less than 1/3 of U.S. users found digital advertisements to cater to their personal preferences. This can likely be attributed to false user-generated data, inaccurate VPN targeting, or a plethora of other factors, such as multiple users on one account.

Since digital marketing often incorrectly guesses a user’s interests based on their internet footprints, these ads often fail to leave a lasting impression. As opposed to direct mail, that can build accurate customer profiles tied to factual data and data modeling. 

Related: Dissecting the Relevancy of Online & Direct Mail Marketing

29.) Maintain User Attention Span

Along with higher competition among competitors, digital ads must also compete for a user’s attention. The extreme bulk of online ads often results in banner blindness, a phenomenon of brain behavior that automatically filters out ads from actual website content.

An Infolinks study noted that only 14% of consumers could remember the last digital ad they saw. 

An even greater cause for concern is the current development of shorter user attention spans. Nowadays even if an advertisement is noticed, it has less time to relay information before the user has moved on.

On the other hand, an OIG report observed that participants reviewed direct mail much longer than digital advertisements. The same study mentioned that participants’ memory recollection was also much stronger when viewing a physical advertisement. 

Related: Has Online Advertising Influenced Our Attention Spans?

30.) The Gold Standard

Many industries, including insurance and home services, call direct mail the “gold standard” of marketing.

Why is that?

If the previous 29 points have not highlighted the advantages, direct mail is a powerhouse for marketers due to its high ROI, memorability, and personalization, as well as its power to avoid the chaos that comes with digital advertising.

Direct mail’s long history within the United States has only proven to marketers that this marketing medium is here to stay. Its ability to target and create impactful messaging are some of the many reasons why companies include it within their marketing portfolio.