It can be easy to forget about the power of direct mail when there are so many other ways for businesses to reach their customers, such as email, social media, and online advertising. However, a recent study by JICMAIL, the joint industry committee for ad mail, has confirmed that direct mail is still a highly effective way to reach and engage with your audience, often resulting in significantly longer engagement times and lower costs per response.
JICMAIL’s report titled “The Time We Spend with Mail,” found that the average piece of direct mail is looked at for 108 seconds across the course of a month. This increases to 150 seconds for business mail. This is significantly more attention than people give to other media channels, such as email (27 seconds) and online display ads (19 seconds).
Key Report Findings
‘The study found that mail generates a huge amount of digital attention for brands’ owned channels. The average mail item that prompts advertiser website visits does so for five minutes a session on average.’
‘Location in the home and contextual relevance were found to be key drivers of mail attention. The living room and kitchen are particularly high mail attention environments, with charity, medical, and government mail often found in the former, and retail and restaurant mail often found in the latter.’
‘It has been found that it costs just 7 pence to generate a minute of consumer attention with Door Drops, and 11 pence for direct mail. Mail is accordingly more attention efficient than social display, digital display, and TV advertising.’
‘The study also found that direct mail is more likely to drive action from consumers. For example, the average direct mail campaign generates a 10% response rate, compared to just 2% for email campaigns.’
To give you the confidence in this data, all of these statistics have been validated by AI driven video analytics company Lifestream data using in-home video analytics. They’re based on responses across 1,000 households.
We’ve showcased just some of the key findings within JICMAIL’s report but we would highly recommend taking the time to view the whole document https://bit.ly/MailAttentionRethink
Planning a Direct Mail Campaign
Optimising a campaign to drive attention alone is unlikely to yield effective results. To generate action such as direct purchases, subscription renewals, footfall, discussions and voucher redemption, other key planning methodology needs to be considered:
- Set clear goals. What do you want to achieve with your direct mail campaign? Do you want to generate leads, increase sales, or build brand awareness?
- Define your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your direct mail campaign? What are their demographics, interests, and needs? The more you know about your target audience, the more effective your campaign will be.
- Timing: When is the best time to send out your direct mail campaign? Consider the holidays, seasons, and other events that may affect your target audience’s interests or buying patterns.
- Choose the right format. There are many different formats of direct mail, including die-cut mailings, letters and brochures. The format you choose will depend on your goals, budget, and target audience.
- Create a compelling message. Your direct mail message should be clear, concise, and persuasive. It should also be relevant to your target audience and tailored to their needs.
- Design a visually appealing piece. The design of your direct mail piece is important, as it will be the first thing people see. Make sure your piece is well-designed and easy to read.
- Use a strong call to action. Tell people what you want them to do, whether it’s visiting your website, calling your phone number, or signing up for your email list.
- Follow-up: How will you follow up with people who respond to your direct mail campaign? This could include sending them a thank-you note, offering them a discount, or inviting them to an event.
- Test and track your results. Once you send out your direct mail campaign, it’s important to track the results. This will help you to see what’s working and what’s not, so you can improve your campaigns in the future.
Let us Handle the Technicalities and Logistics of your Direct Mail Campaign
Our expertise on all areas of response-driven direct mail allows us to confidently advise on and project manage the delivery of highly personalised data-driven campaigns and mail processes.
From design, and print through to data management and fulfilment, we can handle the complexities and intricacies of your direct mail campaign, from routine subscription mailings and point-of-sale packs to one-off campaigns.
For support with your next direct mail campaign, call us on 01737 428169 or email hello@wearerethink.uk.
