Modern marketers claim direct mail is a dead-end marketing tactic. What if we told you direct mail is more effective than email marketing?
What Is the Direct Mail Marketing Success Rate?
Even in the modern age of digital marketing, direct mail is continually successful.
On average, you can expect one to two responses or leads per every 100 direct mail advertisements—that’s a 2% success rate. Compared to email marketing’s success rate of 0.12%, it’s clear direct mail is an effective way to market your business.
Why does this marketing technique continue to outperform digital marketing strategies?
Email Inboxes Are Cluttered
Many potential customers lose interest in a business when it overloads their inbox.
Most people find it frustrating to see the same companies sending the same emails and choose to ignore them or send them straight to the junk folder.
Direct mail is more intentional for the consumer. People have to physically sort through their mail, and they’re more likely to see your business’s ad when it’s right in front of them instead of on a screen.
Direct Mail Creates Personal Connections
Nearly 70% of consumers believe direct mail is more personal than digital marketing tactics—that’s why the direct mail response rate is higher than the email marketing response rate.
Effective direct mail sparks consumers’ interest because they feel connected to the business that sent it.
Direct mail targets specific consumers based on their interests and purchases, making it a successful practice—personalization generates sales. Personalize your direct mail with:
- Engaging graphics
- Impressive statistics
- Creative copy
Versatility
Direct mail is typically more versatile and creative than emails. Emails always come in the same format and aren’t engaging.
With direct mail advertisements, you can show the customer what your business looks and feels like by including graphics, statistics, and interesting information about your business.
Direct mail receives more responses than emails because it’s exciting and innovative instead of repetitive and easy to ignore.
How Does Effective Direct Mail Improve My Business?
Now that you understand why consumers love direct mail, let’s talk about how businesses benefit from it.
Opportunity to Upsell and Re-Engage Previous Customers
Previous customers are a large part of your direct mail target market. If you’ve sent them advertisements before and they responded, you should continue to send them because existing customers are 50% more likely to try your business’s new products.
You have an abundance of information on your existing customers, so you can tailor your direct mail to their needs and interests. Your connection with them comes in handy when you develop a new product or offer a new service.
If a past customer hasn’t purchased anything in a while, direct mail gently reminds them of your business—especially if you express how you miss them and want them to return and provide an exclusive offer.
Results Are Easy To Analyze
Most direct mail comes with a call to action, whether it’s a phone number to call or a landing page to visit online. When you add these CTA elements, you can easily track the success of your direct mail. You can see how many people who received the direct mail went to your site or called your number.
Budget Friendly
Effective direct mail targets specific groups of consumers who are likely to buy your products or services, so you’re only allocating money for viable targets instead of sending out mass emails to people who aren’t interested in your business.
If some of your targets are unresponsive, you’ll know to spend less on the direct mail you send them, saving you money in the long run.
Also, since you’re targeting those more likely to make a purchase or repurchase, you make your money back over time.
Highly Targeted
When developing a direct mail marketing plan, you or your direct mail provider must complete intensive market research to find quality leads. This research includes information about your prospects’:
- Professions
- Purchase preferences
- Ages
- Backgrounds
With this information, you can personalize your direct mail ads to your customers’ wants and needs, leading to a higher response rate.
Average Direct Mail Cost
The cost of your direct mail campaign depends on a few factors:
- Design elements
- Copy
- Direct mail lists
- Printing
- Distribution
- Layout (pamphlet, postcard, vinyl card)
Considering those elements, the average cost of one direct mail ad is $1.50. An entire campaign generally costs $100 to $250, depending on the size of your client list and the above factors.
If you want a developed, effective direct mail campaign, here are the average prices, according to CostHack:
| Average Price | Price Per 1,000 Ads | |
| Copy Creation | $100 | $100 |
| Design Element | $100 | $100 |
| Mailing List | 14 cents per lead | $140 |
| Printing | $1 per ad | $1,000 |
| Distribution | 17 cents per piece of mail | $170 |
The overall average cost of a direct mail campaign is $1,510—email marketing campaigns can cost up to $5,000 per month. With email marketing, you don’t just spend more—you also lose more since emails have lower response rates.
How Can I Start My Direct Mail Campaign?
If you want to launch a successful direct mail marketing plan, Presort is the place for you.
At Presort, we give your business everything it needs to develop an effective direct mail campaign, including:
- Retargeting
- Mailing list services
- Creative design
- Printing
- Bindery
- Product fulfillment
- Delivery
- Digital surveying
Contact us today to streamline your direct mail services and launch your campaign.
