Hello, 2024!
We are so excited to welcome this new year and all the amazing opportunities it will bring. Speaking of amazing opportunities, there’s a great one for marketers: Direct mail!
We were lucky enough to sit down with two direct mail experts, Summer Hahnlen, Direct Mail Expert in Residence, and Tyler Dornenburg, VP, Strategic Sales, to discuss how marketers can prepare their direct mail strategies for this year, what areas they should focus their direct mail marketing efforts on, and what trends to keep an eye on.
Here are four key takeaways from that discussion to help you make sure your direct mail marketing strategy is on point for 2024. on
According to our 2024 State of Direct Mail report, 56% of respondents use a software/technology platform to execute campaigns. But, that means there are still marketers out there not leveraging direct mail automation technology to integrate this channel into bigger marketing campaigns.
Technology is a game-changer for direct mail marketing. It saves time and resources, and with direct mail being as easy to send as email, it can only enhance other marketing campaigns and widen a campaign's reach.
Our 2024 State of Direct Mail report also shows that 84% of marketers agree direct mail provides the highest ROI of any channel they use. But, we can’t beat around the bush, direct mail is not the most affordable channel. There are paper, postage, printing, and delivery costs to consider. But the ones delivering our mail do offer incentives and promotions to help cut costs.
The United States Postal Service has a variety of discounts available for marketing teams who want to leverage this channel, have their investment pay off, and reduce the initial investment. During the panel, Dornenburg discussed some USPS incentives like discounts on the mail format, the content of the mailer, volume discounts, and even AI-based elements.
Hahnlen said that she’s placing a big bet on a focus on retention campaigns being a trend in direct mail in 2024. We’ve spent the last few years laser-focused on reaching people at home with customer acquisition campaigns and now it’s time to retain those customers with direct mail marketing.
A key component of an engaging retention campaign? Personalization! Our 2024 State of Direct Mail report shows that 68% of respondents use data for personalization.
Hahnlen also noted that there’s a difference between simple personalization and personalization that’s so tailored and relevant that it doesn’t even feel like a marketing message. Use your data points and customers’ behavior to trigger marketing messages at the right time and on the right channel for them.
Marketers need to focus on the bigger picture and not treat each channel like a silo. Hahnlen noted that direct mail can often be the first touchpoint in a journey but digital is often the last touchpoint. Both deserve credit if marketers want to understand what channels are working for them and the different ways prospects and customers like to take action on a marketing message.
Watch the panel discussion to better understand the trends to pay attention to this year and know how your peers are leveraging this powerful marketing channel.
Want even more statistics and key findings on the state of direct mail marketing this year? Get your copy of our 2024 State of Direct Mail report to see what marketers are doing with direct mail, how they're measuring it, and how they incorporate it alongside digital marketing channels.
