How Direct Mail Is Increasing ROI in A Digital Age

David Beasley director at Washington Direct Mail said amp8220People may think that physical mail has come to an end yet the facts are showcasing the opposite Direct mail services are a highly effective tool for increasing Return on Investment ROI especially when included in an elaborate marketing mix of digital and physical strategies It has a generous appeal amongst the younger generations fascinated with receiving tangible mail and are driving the trend forwardamp8221Contrary to the belief that the age of physical mail has come to an end direct mail is experiencing a resurgence as a highly effective strategy for increasing Return on Investment ROIOld But GoldDirect mail might be one of the oldest forms of marketing but it has found its crowd amongst the nostalgialed Gen Zs Along with other amp8216remnantsamp8217 of the past such as vinyl players typewriters and polaroids physical mail is sitting on top of the listThis is a great tactic for marketers to incorporate as getting a hold of the physical and tangible in an increasingly digital world can leave a lasting impression on the recipient WARCamp8217s research shows that 70 of consumers feel valued by mail senders due to the trust and authenticity built through receiving mail at homeDirect mail creates a sensory experience and helps form an emotional connection with the message and the brand thus increasing engagement In fact according to JICMAILamp8217s study 77 of direct mail was interacted with in the UK during Q4 2022 This means it was either read looked or glanced at and 65 of it was opened while 46 was retained at homeBeasley said amp8220To add extra traction to direct mailamp8217s powerful engagement effect marketers can incorporate personalisation Through targeted lists generated with the help of big data they can tailor their message to specific audiences while addressing them personally and increasing the brand engagement effectamp8221With direct mail being considered novel and sparking excitement in those eager to search through their mailbox to see whatamp8217s inside it has another advantage to emails According to Statista 3473 billion emails are sent and received per day worldwide as of 2023 Email fatigue is a common symptom of overflowing inboxes and itamp8217s no surprise that 79 of consumers ignore or delete marketing emails half of the time or more even from brands they love Often they would unsubscribe completely ignore emails or use a secondary email account they rarely check thus significantly decreasing open and engagement ratesCapitalising on AttentionDirect mail on the other hand boasts off with great engagement In fact it drives the most engagement out of all the communication channels a whopping 95 according to Royal Mail MarketreachA factor that largely contributes to direct mailamp8217s high engagement rate is its attentiongrabbing qualities Attention is the most common soft metric used in campaigns that lead with direct marketingJICMAILamp8217s Attention study shows that the average piece of direct mail is looked at for 108 seconds over a month making it more attentionefficient than many other media channels If the piece is paired with a voucher or a small gift it becomes even more commercially effective generating a large amount of digital attention for brandsamp8217 owned channels It is estimated that recipients spend an average of five minutes per session on advertisersowned channels prompted by a mail itemUsing a methodology reviewed by PwC the JICMAILamp8217s survey shows that it costs just amp163011 to generate a minute of consumer attention with Direct Mail This makes mail more attentionefficient than social display digital display and TV advertisingDigital IntegrationDirect mail can increase revenue and drive ROI especially when integrated within the media mixWARCamp8217s study shows that a third of campaigns using direct mail within a fusion of channels see an increase in revenue and 35 experience an increase in ROI compared to 23 for the average UK marketing campaign retrospectivelyThe fusion of the physical with digital marketing also called amp8216phygitalamp8217 marketing takes a liking among the younger generation with 42 of Gen Z searching for a brand online after receiving a piece of direct mail and 84 scanning a QR code from mail to continue their brand interaction onlineBeasley said amp8220Given the success of direct mail mixed with digital strategies marketers are looking at ways to elevate phygital marketing with the use of technology and a range of tools For example brands now incorporate smells and sounds into direct mail to evoke the five senses A travel company may use sunscreenscented ink in its travel brochure to excite recipients about a sunny destination or a QR code that leads to a landing page and entices the consumers even more with its elaborate contentamp8221ConclusionDirect mail is a suitable approach for all industries with a host of benefits for increasing ROI and attracting and retaining loyal customers Its tangible nature with a nostalgic feel appeals to all generations while its attentiongrabbing qualities work to increase engagement When integrated with digital channels direct mail becomes a powerful marketing mix strategy that can increase ROI significantlyThis article was written by Rachel Gray Media Admin producing content for a wide range of industries Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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How Direct Mail Is Increasing ROI in A Digital Age

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Rachel Gray

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