Why It’s Time to Rethink Snail Mail

With exciting advancements in tech flooding the airwaves, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea of automating everything. This is a world where even some refrigerators can connect to wifi. But in the rush to move everything to the digital realm, it’s even easier to lose track of how effective the physical one can be too.

Take digital marketing and direct mail, for instance. Though direct mail is a more traditional tool for a campaign, it’s still a viable one. In fact, direct mail exceeds digital marketing by more than 28 times. Studies show that 79% of consumers will act on direct mail immediately, while on 4% say the same about email. A majority of consumers prefer direct mail from local businesses over digital marketing, which also enjoys a much higher response rate (10-20% more) than emails.

Related Article: Essential Tips for a Great Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Direct mail’s higher penetration may have something to do with the amount of email the average consumer receives every day, 125 to be exact. More and more are filtering out these messages into their web trashcan. Others, such as the 41% of seniors aged 65 and up who don’t use the internet at all, aren’t even getting the chance to respond. The depth of customization of direct mail allows offers an even greater advantage—surprise. Many consumers still view messages delivered to their door as a gift instead of a nuisance. Like some gifts, packaging can make all of the difference. For example, 70% of consumers are more likely to open mail with color text/graphics on the front than those without it.  And with the growth of digital printing expected to grow to $980 billion by 2018, it’s fair to say that direct mail isn’t going the way of the telegraph and typewriter.

The answer is not to drop digital marketing altogether. Research proves “omnichannel marketing,” or combining different approaches into a market strategy, is the best way to stir consumer engagement. Yet research from Experian shows that 20% of marketers aren’t planning on using this multi-pronged approach.  Email in conjunction with direct mail improves brand awareness, ROI and leads to consumers spending 25% more on average. Automation has made our lives easier and improved efficiency in many aspects of business, but there is still room for paper and ink snail mail to get results in the industry. Learn more about how your ROI is in the mail in the infographic below. If you like what you see, don’t forget to like and share via the social media buttons on this post.

Author Bio: NowSourcing is an award-winning nationally recognized infographic design agency. Founded in 2005, NowSourcing has strong roots in the human and technical nuances of the web.