Every so often, the perfect ad message hits you at the perfect time with the perfect pitch and you just have to stop and notice it.
Unfortunately, that’s happening less and less with digital marketing.
But that’s happening more than ever with (surprise!) direct mail.
As marketers clog up apps and screens and podcasts with digital marketing litter, direct mail is re-emerging as a space where buyers are amused by the tactile nature of mail, its retro vibe, its creativity and the way it feels so “real.”
Yes, direct mail is the comfort food of advertising.
And as modern targeting solutions merge with old-fashioned mail, the results of direct mail are getting too good to ignore.
Taylor, a leader in direct mail marketing solutions, wanted to understand why modern digital marketers are opening up to direct mail campaigns, what’s getting them results and how this old-school tactic is being reborn into something creative and fresh.
Taylor hired an independent research firm to survey a random sample of 150 marketing leaders to learn what’s next for direct mail marketing.
The study’s margin of error is +/-8% at the 95% confidence level.
66% of marketing leaders want to run direct mail campaigns, and 73% have high confidence they know how to effectively manage one.
92% of marketing leaders say their creative teams get excited at the new challenge of working on direct mail campaigns.
55% of marketing leaders expect to spend more on direct mail in the next two years.
91% of marketing leaders say direct mail is a competitive advantage.
42% of marketing leaders who started running direct mail campaigns say they always see a positive ROI.
Organizations that work with a direct mail fulfillment vendor are five times more likely to say they always see a positive ROI.
More marketing leaders know how to write a great direct mail piece than a great blog post.
The top industries in which marketing leaders are turning to direct mail:
Only 42% of marketing leaders are sure about which demographic groups are reading their mail.
Marketing leaders report a 13% increase in campaign ROI when direct mail is part of their ommnichannel communications strategy.
64% of marketing leaders say that phishing attacks and scams are diminishing the effects of their email campaigns.
31% of marketing leaders would rather give up chocolate for one week than have to manage yet another email campaign.
50% of marketers feel a stigma of being labeled a “spammer” when they launch email campaigns, but only 21% worry about that with direct mail.
The most important attributes of a successful direct mail campaign:
Related blog: Top 3 Trends in Direct Mail for 2022
Top 3 challenges of direct mail for marketers:
Marketing, like fashion, goes in cycles.
Just like that old pair of acid-wash jeans, direct mail has once again rotated back into vogue as marketers try to avoid media clutter and “me too” campaigns. But then again, maybe direct mail never really went out of style and we’re just falling in love with it again after forgetting how good it can be.