Skip to main content

Why Specifically Postcards






Perhaps you have decided direct mail is worth investment, but aren’t sure how to go about using it to meet your goals. Luckily the USPS did a study in 2014 that gives us some insight into consumer behavior and the efficacy of different direct mail options. It turns out that postcards are the most effective means of direct mail communication.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), 50.9% of consumers find postcards to be “useful”, making them the most favored form of direct mail. Postcards polled much stronger than “letter-size envelopes”, which were only considered to be useful by 26.8% of those polled. “Larger than letter envelopes” polled in the middle of the three, at 42.9% useful.

This perceived usefulness is evident in the rates at which different types of direct mail are read. Post cards again lead at 50-55%, while larger than letter envelope content is only read by a member of the household 41% of the time. Letter size falls further behind at 33%.  


Some of these numbers actually have the potential to go up over the next few years. Although Millenials are the generation most associated with the boom of technology and rejection of “the old-fashioned way”, they are actually the most likely to appreciate direct mail. 90% of Millenials consider direct mail to be a reliable source of information and 87% say they actually like getting information from retailers in the mail. And while older Millenials (aged 22-34) are less likely than the rest of the population to respond to direct mail, those aged 18-21 in 2013 were more likely than older Millenials, more closely resembling the rest of the population (although still responding slightly less often). These younger Millenials don’t have the financial capability to even respond to many offers and advertisements, yet still respond to enough volume to statistically trend like


Other pro for postcards? They’re cheaper to print and mail than letters or larger pieces of mail. This stretches a budget further for either more mailing or spending that money elsewhere. With limited financial resources it makes sense to spend advertising money on postcard direct mail.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Master Direct Mail in Commercial Real Estate

In today's tech-driven world, there is a growing affinity for more genuine marketing. People are scrolling past ads in their social media feeds, instantly deleting emails and unsubscribing from lists, and seem to be getting better at identifying cold calls. People are getting more defensive about who contacts them and why. How they got their contact information and why. And, their getting good at saying no. How can you get ahead in this kind of environment? Choose a method that has been proven to have the highest response rate. Choose a method that can act passively while you make individual connections. Choose personalized and targeted direct mail marketing. Direct mail pairs your active and passive marketing strategies seamlessly. It makes your brand recognizable and increases your relevancy in the marketplace by establishing you as a consistent, knowledgeable resource. ONE: Consistency and Frequency The #1 Rule in direct mail marketing is consistency. You've heard (a

Diamonds Are A Realtor's Best Friend

Let’s think about this for a second. How many times do you scroll through your Facebook feed or your Instagram feed and purposely scroll quickly past the ads? How many times do you click on a video on Facebook, only to realize it’s suddenly being interrupted by an advertisement -- in the middle of a 30 second video! -- and immediately exit out. You’re thinking, “The video isn’t worth sitting through an ad...next!” If you’re thinking this, imagine how many others are feeling the same way. Our social media feeds, popular websites, search engines...they are flooded with ads, so we have quickly conditioned ourselves to ignore them. Digital marketing is not as effective as it once was. Let’s look at it this another way: Diamonds are one of the most common minerals on the planet.  A large majority of diamonds are owned by a small number of people who control the scarcity in the marketplace. Because fewer people have access to diamonds, their value increases. If suddenly you could

Considering Direct Mail in 2018

If you ask any real estate professional (or, really, a professional in almost any field) how to reach new clients, they will likely mention the internet. Getting on social media, designing an effective website, lead captures. As they should. The internet has proven itself as a great way to build a client base. But do the old school methods still work? Should you be making concerted efforts to incorporate physical mail into your marketing strategy ? You want to be on the cutting edge, using the same technology as your most successful competition—but is that technology really an improvement on the old methods? What do you do when you capture a lead? Send an email, right? Make a phone call and leave a voicemail? Good. But, beyond your control, that email hits an inbox and gets lost in a sea of   “promotions” along with every other company and service that has ever pitched your potential client. Or worse, it’s sent straight to their junk mail .  Will they take the time to sort thro