Is Direct Mail Really Dead?

Grieving over the “death of direct mail”? Wipe those tears away because the internet fabricated direct mail’s demise.

Living in a tech savvy world has many advantages. Email, which is a blessing and a curse, allows for constant real-time communication. Messages pop in, you read or ignore them, and move on with your day. Simple, right? Well, how many of you have dozens of unread messages that you will ignore until you die? What about hundreds? Thousands? We all know how easy it is to lose control of your email’s organization.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that direct mail’s response rates are 10 to 30 times higher (4.4% compared to 0.12%) than digital due to cluttered emails filled with unsolicited marketing emails.

Direct mail, since many believe it has passed, comes through a much less-overwhelming channel. Less and less people are sending physical mail solicitations, but its response rates should motivate action.

The physicality of direct mail also assists in keeping the medium alive. Receiving and physically opening a real letter has a reality factor (even if it is thrown out). It is some people’s favorite past time to discuss how much “junk mail” they have received and has become a part of the human experience. It leaves a mental mark and helps with later recollection.

57% of people mentioned that postcard marketing makes them feel more valued since the solicitation process took more thought, time, and effort. This in-turn builds strong mutually beneficial donor and organization relationships.

You think millennials are excluded from this? You’d actually be mistaken. Accenture found that 36% of people younger than 30 look forward to checking for mail and 95% of 18 to 29-year-olds feel positive emotions when receiving physical mail.

While it is easy to say that direct mail is dead and only use digital, you will benefit in the long run by incorporating the channel into your solicitation practices.

CDP understands that Acquisition Mail is an important part of fundraising and developed a turn-key solution. Check out our program brief to learn more and contact Brooks Heckner if you have any questions.