Brands find success with direct mail but aren't utilizing

Direct mail may deserve another look from retailers and brands. That, according to new data out from PFL. Their 2019 Multichannel Marketing Research Report: Direct Mail in the Digital Age found that while about 80% of marketers say they find good ROI from direct mail only about half (56%) are using it regularly.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers found that 8 in 10 marketers say they have "good to very good" direct mail ROI, but when using a multichannel approach only about half (51%) report "good to very good" ROI when they aren't using direct mail as part of their campaign. The most popular channels used during multichannel campaigns are email (91%), social media (81%) and event marketed (73%).

"Our study illuminates the role and impact of direct mail across the multichannel marketing mix," said Daniel Gaugler, CMO of PFL. "The data clearly shows that direct mail improves overall multichannel marketing performance - and results improve significantly when direct mail is fully integrated, personalized, and represents a company's brand well. We're excited to share this treasure trove of data with marketers so they can more effectively integrate direct mail into their multichannel campaigns and improve performance."

Other interesting findings from the report include:

▪ 52% of marketers say adding direct mail to multichannel campaigns brought 'moderate to major' campaign improvement
▪ Only 4 in 10 offer 'significantly personalized' direct mail
▪ 55% of those using direct mail are using postcards, 52% use letters

The problem with postcards and letters is that many execs don't believe 'flat' mail offers a good representation of their brand; about half would prefer to send gifts/products to consumers and about one-third (35%) say this would represent their brand well.

More PFL data can be accessed here.

Tags: advertising, advertising content, direct mail, ecommerce, mobile marketing, multichannel marketing, PFL