Direct Mail Still Delivers

Google researchers warn in a report that "mass production of low quality, spam-like and nefarious synthetic content" created by AI may promote distrust of all digital information. The paper presents tactics in generative AI (GAI) misuse. The researchers observed and analyzed approximately 200 incidents of misuse reported between January 2023 and March 2024. The group identifies patterns such as potential motivations, strategies, and how attackers leverage and abuse system capabilities across images, text, audio, and video.

There are many times when customers reach out to us to help them increase their response rates. When that happens, the first question is “What was the response rate on your last mailing?” Now you would think after 32 years in the business that the standard response to this question would no longer shock me, however that is not the case. When I hear “I am not sure”, I cringe. In 2024, how can they not know what the response rate was? They need to know this information. So, let’s take a look at what the 2024 Lob State of Direct Mail found: > 84% of marketers agree direct mail provides the highest ROI of any channel they use. > 82% of respondents are increasing direct mail spend in 2024. > Personalized URLs are the most popular way to measure conversions from direct mail campaigns. > Letters and postcards are the most popular direct mail format sent by respondents followed closely by brochures, catalogs, and self-mailers. One key takeaway is that direct mail response rates are higher than all digital media in the study. Direct mail can benefit the marketing mix, but you need to know their numbers so that you can keep doing what works and fix what is not working.

If one clear trend is dominating marketing, it’s personalization. In fact, personalization is now considered essential for any brand that wants to stand out with consumers and successfully nurture customer relationships. A recent study by Salesforce found that 73% of shoppers expect brands to understand their unique needs and expectations.1 The best way to demonstrate this understanding of individuality among consumers is by creating marketing messages that apply to the recipient and are engaging in their presentation. Personalized print took a big stride forward with the advent of variable data printing capabilities. At one time, simply adding the customer’s name to printed materials was impressive. Today, marketers are using much more sophisticated approaches than simple text substitution.