Beyond the Inbox: Marketing with Snail Mail

When the internet first became popular, email marketing was not only a unique way to reach donors, clients or potential clients, it was also a great way to save money. Over the last twenty years this reality has changed. Postal mail, aka snail mail, is now an important component of a successful campaign.

The combination of direct mail and email marketing, also referred to either multichannel marketing or integrated marketing is a powerful tool. This hybrid approach increases your reach. Some in your targeted audience might respond better to physical mail, while others may prefer digital.

You may question why is direct mail a crucial part of a successful marketing campaign.

Think about your email inbox. If you are like most of us, not a day goes by when it is not flooded with communications from friends, solicitations, bills, sales and scams. How many times have you been asked if you had received a communication- be it a personal note or an important bill- when you had not seen it? It is not uncommon for important emails to be overlooked as they get displaced by newer communications and drop to the bottom of your inbox.

Our physical mailboxes, on the contrary, are no longer inundated with mail. Friends rarely send letters in the mail and bills are usually emailed. As the amount of physical mail has decreased greatly, there are even days when the post office doesn’t deliver any mail at all! Because of the small quantity received, each piece of postal mail received is almost always seen and usually opened. The rarity adds a sense of value and importance.

Keep in mind that physical mail is tangible.  So, if you want to stand out and be noticed, physical mail is a great way to reach your intended audience.

When deciding on your approach to your next outreach campaign, and deciding between email or “snail” mail, or a combination of the two, there are a number of factors that you should be aware of.

Physical mail has a presence that can’t be ignored, while emails can be easily deleted or marked as spam. How many times have you discarded an email without even opening it up? I routinely go through my unread email and just delete unread solicitations. Or how many times has an important message gone to spam due to your email provider’s algorithms?.

A study by the Data & Marketing Association, showed that snail mail campaigns had a 4.4% response and conversion rate. This is the percentage of recipients who take the desired action upon receiving the communication. In contrast, email campaigns had a much lower rate of 0.12%.

Because there is so much less mail being delivered by the post office, when you use snail mail your message has a better chance of being noticed. On the other hand, due to the extremely high volume of emails received each day, the vast majority of emails are not even opened, let alone responded to. According to Campaign Monitor’s 2022 Email Marketing Benchmarks Report, in 2021 the average open rate for email was 21.5% across all industries.

As a result, physical mail makes your message more memorable and impactful.

With snail mail it is also easier to target specific businesses or households, or geographic areas, or to customize a message making it particularly effective if you are trying to reach a specific market.

With email the only thing that entices the receiver to open it is a clever subject line. However, there are many more options and approaches that can be used in to make a physical mail campaign effective and therefore successful.

To make your mail piece stand out there are many approaches you can take.

Customization makes a piece personal. When your audience receives a physical piece that is personalized, they feel more valued. With variable data, each piece can be individualized. Both the envelope and its contents have your recipient’s name, address and other details on them, increasing the chances of them interacting with you.

In addition to customization, a creative and eye-catching mail piece increases the chances of engagement.

It goes without saying that a well designed and visually appealing piece is more likely to grab attention than a plain, generic looking envelope. So, consider using packaging that is different from standard mail.

Eye-catching envelopes or packaging with unusual shapes, sizes, colors or textures will create intrigue in your recipients.

Interactive elements such as QR Codes foster engagement with your pieces. They provide synergy with emails that drive your audience to a target site.

Adding a promotional giveaway, for instance a pen with your organization’s name on it, will increase the chances of your mail getting opened. Lumpy mail creates curiosity and as a result it gets opened!.

A printing, design and mail company, such as Copycats has the tools and knowledge to make your mailing cost-effective, in addition to being able to design and produce impactful printed pieces. There are many ways to accomplish this. Among them are:

Getting help obtaining mailing lists that identify new prospects using the criteria that is important to you.

Reducing postage being spent on redundant or undeliverable mail such as de-duping, which is removing duplicate addresses, and running every mailing list through USPS National Change of Address Database.

Pre-sorting which can give you the best discount.

Snail mail campaigns are a viable and effective marketing strategy, especially when coupled with complimentary email campaigns. Speaking with an expert can help you to maximize your campaign’s success.  Let them help you to explore the goals of your campaign, define your target audience and develop the content of your mail piece. Discuss the pros and cons of using a permit or stamps with them. Ask them about ways of making your mailing cost-effective.

The next time you are doing a fundraising campaign, soliciting new business or sending out a newsletter, give snail mail a chance.