Mail Response And Attention Continue On An Upward Trajectory In Q1 2024

So many businesses don’t do nearly enough to greet a customer warmly, and give them a brand hug at the all-important point of purchase. Every business should carefully examine how all of your customers are being exposed to your brand. “Consumers state that the post-purchase journey is the most emotional part of their customer experience, with 63% invested in the shipping, delivery and fulfillment process.” Read More at: https://www.jschmid.com/blog/new-customer-journey/

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.

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.