Direct Mail: Getting Results with Printed, Targeted Marketing

Is it no secret that direct mail is undergoing a significant resurgence. An increasing number of brands are turning back to the tried, tested, and trusted method of print marketing to reach and interact with consumers, reporting much more success than with some digital methods.

Research from Cascade Print Media suggests that the response rate of printed direct mail marketing is 37% higher than email direct marketing, with 80% of households reading or browsing printed advertising mail. Furthermore, the same study shows between 80% and 90% of direct mail is opened, while only 20% to 30% of email gets opened. In addition, crucially for marketeers, 62% of consumers who responded to direct mail in the past three months went on to make a purchase.

With this trend showing no signs of slowing down, and more brands expected to make use of direct mail, we take a look at how to best go about direct mail and why the long-term prospects for this sector look positive.

How to do Direct Mail

In 2024, the UK saw some of the widest-reaching campaigns in recent memory during the build-up to the general election in July. Direct mail played a major part in this, with leaflets and printed material about candidates dropping through letterboxes across the nation as parties sought out the support of local residents.

Shortly before the election, Washington Direct Mail (WDM), which as its name may suggest, is a specialist in direct mail, published guidance on how to best use this medium during political campaigns. This highlighted some of the best practices for printers and marketeers that can be applied not only to political marketing but for promotional work across other areas.

According to research by WDM, some 84% of people say they would be more likely to read mail personalised to them, suggesting marketeers zone in on individuals rather than a generic ‘homeowner’.
“Direct mail houses can segment your data to ensure you are targeting the correct voters and that the design or copy of your materials meets their needs accordingly,” WDM says, adding: “For instance, certain demographics, especially older voters, are accustomed to receiving campaign messages via direct mail.”

Both parties are collaborating for a mutually successful future

Tying in with this is the fact that 75% of people can recall a brand immediately after seeing direct mail compared to 44% who viewed a digital ad. This uptake, WDM says, can be increased further by personalising messaging to people.  

“If successful, it’s estimated that direct mail stays in the home for 17 days and may even end up affixed to fridges or notice boards,” reveals WDM, continuing: “This means there’s ample opportunity for your message to find its mark.”

There is also the matter of GDPR marketing legislation, with the control of personal data now back in the hands of the consumer. This means you need to remove any constituents who opt out of receiving direct mail. With election campaign materials in particular, it should include an imprint indicating which party or individual is promoting the material.

On the subject of design, WDM says investment in professional design with eye-catching visuals, concise text, and a cohesive layout is key, as the human eye is trained to look at pictures first. Placing positive images alongside clear, concise copy that addresses consumers by name and references issues important to them, plays a major role in direct mail success.

As for bad practice, WDM says it is advisable to steer clear of flyers lacking personalisation or relevance, such as cluttered pamphlets with an overwhelming amount of text. Using the election and political campaigning as an example, this would mean avoiding negative campaigning that focuses on smearing political opponents instead of emphasising one’s strengths.

High-Speed Success

Turning now to the companies involved in this sector, Cimpress, the business behind the VistaPrint and Tradeprint brands, recently strengthened its direct mail capabilities with investment in a new Ricoh Pro VC80000 high-speed webfed inkjet press.

Purchased at drupa 2024, the machine can produce direct mail, in addition to colour books, catalogues, magazines, and general commercial print applications on a wide range of media up to 300gsm. It is being used by Cimpress, alongside other toner-based technologies across its European operations, to support the VistaPrint brand.

“Customer service is central to everything we do, which is why we are collaborating with Ricoh, a company with a similar dedication to the customer experience,” says Robert Keane, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Cimpress.

“Working together, we have been able to identify a powerful production solution in the form of the Pro VC80000, which supports our responsiveness and efficiency, providing what our customers need when they need it.”

Koji Miyao, president and senior corporate officer of Ricoh Graphic Communications, adds that high-speed inkjet, including machinery from Ricoh, is an effective way of delivering direct mail services to customers across the world.

“Our worldwide collaboration with Cimpress is based on the principle of co-innovation,” Miyao says, adding: “Both parties are collaborating for a mutually successful future. The dedicated global team approach that we provide to our global partners like Cimpress has been instrumental to the continuing success of this flourishing partnership.”

Automation Perfection

Producing large quantities of direct mail, much of which will be personalised, also requires quality software to help print companies manage production and output. Enfocus, which delivers a range of automation tools, recently announced a collaboration with data quality solutions specialist AccuZIP, to develop a new integration for automating direct mail production.

The AccuZIP DQ API can seamlessly integrate with the Enfocus Switch platform, enabling users to efficiently manage the entire direct mail process. Once integrated, the complete workflow allows for address cleansing, change-of-address updates, duplicate detection, data suppression, automated Intelligent Mail barcode pre-sorting, and mail tracking.

Enfocus and AccuZIP say this level of automation removes human error from the workflow in direct mail, while also making each campaign more cost-effective. Other benefits include automated address verification, real-time mail tracking from USPS induction to Out for Delivery, and NCOALink move update compatibility.

Davy Verstaen, appstore manager at Enfocus, comments: “We are excited to provide our users with a fully automated solution for direct mail production powered by AccuZIP DQ. This integration further solidifies our commitment to enhancing workflow automation for our customers.

“AccuZIP’s inclusion in the Works With Switch program – our official platform integration certification – ensures a tight and smooth integration between both products, delivering quality solutions that our Switch customers can rely on for their mailing needs.”

AccuZIP chief executive officer, Steve Belmonte, adds: “This integration brings unparalleled ease and efficiency to the direct mail process. Combining our data quality expertise with Enfocus’ automation ensures that direct mail campaigns can be executed with speed and accuracy.”

As more brands and marketeers realise the benefits that print-based advertising has over digital methods, demand for direct mail is only set to grow. To improve your chances of repeat business and new customers, work with your customers on engaging campaigns to ensure strong engagement across the project, and ensure you have the right technology in place to make this happen.