Direct is the New Digital When it Comes to Customer Mail

Direct mail makes us feel special.

That stat comes from research from Royal Mail that shows 70% of consumers feel more valued by a brand when they receive direct mail instead of email. (Don’t believe it? Just look at what happened when Nordstrom cut direct mail from their customer loyalty program.)

But why? What is it about direct mail that makes us feel this way? 

“A direct mail takes time to design, consideration over the print and feels a lot more personal like it’s intended for the customer and that’s why it’s fallen through their letterbox,” explains this article in Cuckoo. “An email on the other hand, while it should still be designed well, falls into an inbox with hundreds if not thousands of others, plus it’s harder for those not in the industry to know how much work it took to produce. A creative, captivating and inspiring direct mail oozes time, effort and can be personalized to add that extra touch.”

Direct mail is also far more likely to be seen, picked up, read and even kept than email. (Seriously, when was the last time you saved an email from a brand unless there was a good coupon to print out?)

“Direct mail marketing is also revisited an average of 4 times when it’s in the home, which means it’s more likely to sink in, be remembered and be viewed by multiple people,” the Cuckoo article continues. “That sounds like a win-win!”

It’s seen, it’s sticky … and consumers report that it really does work to drive the purchase – especially in the lucrative millennial market.

It’s essentially Marketing 101, and it works – really well – in an age where we are all inundated with digital distractions. Some digital marketing techniques work, to be sure, but direct mail gets its value from its staying power.

“Direct mail, if done well, is 5 times more likely to be remembered than a digital ad,” the article continues. “While this could be because there is much less noise to cut through, 70% of people Royal Mail surveyed said that receiving a direct mail gave them a better impression of the brand.”

So direct mail makes our customers feel more valued, and help them see us as a better brand. That sounds like a perfect outcome to marketing with a heart.