Technology has changed the way we reach audiences, but traditional marketing tactics aren’t dead yet. There’s one sexy media channel that was created in the 1800s that’s still outperforming many digital channels today: direct mail.
In 2017, the direct mail response rate was 5.1% compared to .6% for email, .6% for paid search, .2% for online display, and .4% for social media. Even more surprising? The response rate among people ages 18–21 years old is 12.4%.
While technology has changed over the last century, the way our minds process information remains largely the same. We remember what we engage with the most.
You can bypass commercials, ignore digital ads, and mass delete emails without opening them. But the physical presence of direct mail requires you to interact with it in some form. Whether you read it in detail or walk it to the trashcan, you hold it in your hand. You look at it. You engage with it.
While direct mail maintains a high response rate, it’s also one of the more expensive to execute. Costs include creative, printing, postage and buying a list (if you don’t have a list of your own). Here are four tips to improve the return on your investment.