Direct mail’s response rate has increased to 4.4 percent over the past few years and it’s read rate has been on a steady increase for the past decade – with 85 percent of your direct mail pieces being at least skimmed or read by your target market.  Because direct mail has a tendency to ‘stick around’ in the consumer’s household much longer than digital messages such as email, online or mobile messages, direct mail has the ability to add frequency to your marketing message and ensure your brand stays top-of-mind.

Additionally, direct mail gives you the ability to segment your audience and reach targeted portions of your target market with messages that they’re most likely interested in receiving.  Over 60 percent of people prefer to receive direct mail over any other form of communication about a brand’s products, services and special offers – making direct mail an ideal way to communicate with your target audience.

Finally, when direct mail is integrated with other forms of marketing communication tools it increases consumer response rates – across all mediums – by 20 percent (“The Importance of Direct Mail Marketing, lifehack.org.)  In addition to increasing your overall response rate, direct mail also drives traffic to your digital messages.  Approximately 60 percent of online brand searches are initiated due to a print message that the consumer received or came across.

Print marketing works with other forms of digital marketing.  Print and digital marketing elements are not competitors, they’re partners in helping you successfully spread the reach and frequency of your brand’s message.

Timothy Freeman 

President

Print & Graphic Communications Association