Why You Should Personalize Your Direct Mail Campaigns

Why You Should Personalize Your Direct Mail Campaigns - pel hughes print marketing new orleans la

The digital world has definitely changed the landscape of marketing and advertising. Many forms of traditional marketing have waned in popularity but that doesn’t mean all conventional print advertising is obsolete. One form of marketing that still deserves your attention is direct mail campaigns. When executed effectively, direct mail yields great results. The best way to increase the effectiveness of your direct mail imitative is to make it personal.

The Case for Personalized Direct Mail 

Response rates for direct mail are higher than most think. According to the National Association of Advertisers, direct mail solicits responses about 5.1% of the time. This is sustainably higher than the response rates of e-mail, social media, and paid search, which are .6%, .6%, and .4%, respectively. When a consumer sees his or her name on a piece of mail, it helps establish a feeling that this person is valued by your business.

The response rate for direct can be made much higher when mail is personalized to its sender. Estimates indicate that responsiveness increases 135% when mail is personalized with the recipient’s full name.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Consider the following statistics:

  • Direct mail incentivizes up to 40% of new consumers to try new businesses
  • Over 50% of consumers in the United States trust print mail more than any other form of advertising
  • Around 70% of people in the United States find direct mail more personal than the Internet
  • Direct mail resonates with millennials, too; about 30% of millennials are willing to take action after receiving direct mail
  • Response rates for direct mail for ages 18 to 24 is about 12%

There’s psychological reasons for personalizing mail, too. Modern human beings are inundated with information on a daily basis. To survive, our brains have become hyper-effective at filtering out irrelevant information. A great example of this is how we all have an uncanny ability to tune out conversations happening around our cubicles or in line at coffee shops. Since our brains are hardwired to push away chatter and messages that aren’t intended for us, personalizing mail helps break through this psychological defense mechanism. When we see our full names on a piece of mail, it allows us to turn off auto pilot and accept a message that is actually intended for us to read.

Pair Your Direct Mail and Digital Marketing Campaigns 

Direct mail and digital marketing don’t have to compete with each other. In fact, these two channels can cooperate. Providing a promotional offer on direct mail, to be used in an online store, is an effective way to merge these two forms of marketing. Since 90% of consumers will visit a website before calling a business, it’s important to provide easy links to websites and social media accounts on print advertising.

Our team at Pel Hughes is experts at helping businesses develop beautiful and effective direct mail campaigns. If you’d like to request a quote or talk to a knowledgeable member of our staff, fill out this easy contact form.