Reaching digital natives with direct mail
The Millennial demographic is considered the first generation of true digital natives. This simply means the 26- to 40-year-old age group grew up using computers and the internet.
As you would expect, Millennials are comfortable doing a lot of things online, like shopping, banking and socializing. What you may not expect is that good old-fashioned direct mail has proven to be a successful tool for reaching this primarily digital audience.
Recent research by the United States Postal Service indicates that a high percentage of Millennials read and react to promotional messages they find in their mailbox.
One USPS survey showed that 62% of Millennials have visited stores based on information they received in the mail. Another survey showed that 65% value direct mail that contains coupons for stores or restaurants.
While it may seem counterintuitive that digital natives can be effectively reached by “snail mail,” the more you look at what’s driving this trend the more it makes sense.
This group missed the years when a mailbox full of direct mail marketing pieces was the norm. Today’s direct mail is competing for attention among a much smaller group of messages. In fact, with online bill paying and the extreme downturn in people actually writing letters to each other, mailboxes have become one of the least cluttered communication portals around.
With the average Millennial receiving 156 unsolicited emails a day versus just two direct mail pieces, it’s only natural that digital messages are quicker to be ignored.
This information may be even more valuable during the coronavirus crisis. With more people remaining at home, there’s greater likelihood that they may spend more time pursuing whatever they receive in the mail, even a marketing message from you.
You can check out some effective direct mail samples in Insight Marketing Design’s Graphic Design & Illustration website portfolio. If you’d like to learn more about how to develop a direct mail strategy that delivers, gives us a call at 605-275-0011 or send us an email.