With more and more brands turning their focus to digital, direct mail can get overlooked, especially when it comes to millennials. Our Production Director Jenna Brooks is here to say it’s time to tap into direct mail. You might just see an increase in ROI.

Direct Mail and Millennials: 5 Truths to Know

It’s no secret that millennials have a lot of spending power. With average yearly expenditures of $47,112, this section of the market is a natural target for advertising campaigns. Since millennials are known to be digitally savvy, your company’s first instinct might be to get their attention via SMS campaigns, targeted social posts, or email marketing. This is an easy assumption to make, but millennials can and will interact with other channels, yielding higher responses.

There’s something to be said about direct mail, the way that it can cut through noise, and how it can deliver hyper-targeted offers. Millennials are open to it, so here’s what to know before you get started.

Direct Mail Works, Even for Millennials

There’s just something about opening the mailbox and seeing something addressed to you. Whether it’s a greeting card, a highly anticipated package, or a personalized offer they can’t resist, millennials are known to check their mailboxes often. This avenue is worth considering if this section of the population represents part of your demographic.

Consider how many pieces of mail you get daily in relation to how many emails. Chances are your inbox is flooded with messaging from brands across all industries, while the USPS reports that most households get around 454 pieces of mail every year. That equates to an average of just 1.5 pieces of mail per day. So, are the mailers you’re receiving really junk mail, or is that term more appropriate for the hundreds of unread emails in your inbox every day? Overall, there is a lot less noise to cut through with direct mail.

Plus, direct mail can further build your relationship with customers. There’s a certain level of closeness that’s established by sending something through the mail. And, with the right tools, you can target people in certain phases of life. New homeowners, families with children, and those who live minutes from a new location can all be found and marketed to via direct mail.

Branding Matters

Direct mail can easily become an extension of your brand. Keep your company’s mission in mind, and make every message count, but add a dash of flavor. If your brand tends to use more casual language, a serious-sounding piece of direct mail is going to raise some eyebrows.

If you’re having trouble nailing down a positioning statement for your business, it might be time to take a look at what your competitors are up to. Who’s positioning themselves well, and what are they lacking? You may just find the perfect gap in the market to fill.

Your Customers’ Preferred Tone Still Applies       

Now more than ever, millennials are taking their business to brands who are transparent, consistent, and customer-centric. Knowing this, any direct mail campaigns should both give the highlights of your brand and dive a little deeper. Does your brand have a commitment to sustainability, equality, public health, or another important cause? Be sure to put that front and center. This humanizes your brand and gives millennials another reason to build a relationship with you rather than a competitor.

Direct Mail Can Drive Digital Initiatives

Though they hit different inboxes, direct mail and digital campaigns go hand in hand. Consumers are savvy enough to do their research online before making purchases. But how will they find you in the over abundant sea of digital ads and search pages? Targeted direct mail has shown to be an excellent driver and compliment to your custom digital efforts. Once you have the attention of a qualified audience, your digital exchanges with your consumers can be customized to create hyper-targeted solutions and segment customers using a variety of criteria. This way, you can be sure to only hit them with relevant offers.

Another option for online-offline integration would be to include a QR code on your mailer. Once the consumer scans the QR code with their smart phone, they will be taken to a landing page and can complete other actions from there.

Analyzing Your Results Benefits Future Campaigns

Direct mail has the power to promote special sales and big discounts for companies of all sizes, especially in the local space. But, if you’re not measuring performance, how can you be sure it’s working for you? The easiest way to look at the impact of direct mail campaigns is to direct your millennial customers to a landing page or encourage them to use a promo code. These strategies allow you to easily gauge how many people take you up on your offer.

Final Thoughts

Millennial consumers don’t always have to be targeted digitally. The right piece of direct mail is all you need to engage existing customers and reach new ones at the right time. Start strategizing today!

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