It’s no secret that direct mail has been getting a lot of flak over the past few years. Whether it’s underestimating how millennials value mail or overestimating how dominant the internet has become, modern day marketers tend to discredit direct mail as an effective channel for their latest campaign. And yet, this is simply untrue—data continues to show how effective direct mail can be in the digital age, especially when it comes to generating a meaningful and memorable relationship with your target audience.

Recently, the DMA’s (Direct Marketing Association) 2017 Response Rate report showed that direct mail is seeing a significantly higher response rate than email. Specifically, the DMA analyzed data from online marketing platform Bizo as well as Epsilon, a leading customer behavior analytics platform, and found that direct mail has 4.4% response rate while email only has a 0.12% response rate.

This information makes sense when you consider that the 2016 USPS Customer and Market Insights report indicated that 70% of all respondents agreed with the statement “I enjoy receiving mail and don’t see sorting the mail as a chore.”

Plus, it’s not just a matter of how willing people are to open their mail—it also has to do with the other channels that are vying for customers’ attention. Digital media and online advertising is becoming a saturated marketplace, which makes less-utilized channels, such as direct mail, more engaging by comparison. After all, it’s much easier to ignore (or simply not notice) an online banner ad than it is to ignore something that is physically in your presence.

Yory Wurmser, Director of Marketing and Media Insights at the DMA, offered this insight in conjunction with the recent findings: “Because of the proliferation of emails and the onslaught of display ads everywhere, there is an advantage of going through direct mail. Direct mail in a way has become less cluttered.”

Feeling inspired to start planning your next direct mail marketing campaign? Contact us today!