Using Postcards for Marketing: Why Direct Mail Remains a Powerful Tool

Posted by Stephanie Polkowski on Apr 17, 2023 9:30:00 AM

A woman on a phone is smiling as she looks at a postcard mailer.

In today's technology-driven world, there are many myths about direct mail. "Direct mail is old-fashioned. Everyone hates 'junk' mail. You can't track the results. Mail is so expensive compared to digital advertising." 

But we're writing this to bust those myths. 

Direct Mail is more effective than you may know. Although online advertising has its place, many businesses are finding success through direct mail, with postcards being especially powerful tools. It's been proven that using multiple marketing methods to attract customers and clients to your business can increase results by over 250 percent. 

The use of direct mail is predicted to increase 5 percent each year for the next few years, and a 2019 study conducted by Temple University and the U.S. Postal Service found that the most effective ads were physical postcards. The study also showed that print ads surpassed digital in the amount of time people spent looking at the ad, in emotional response, in memory speed, in desire for the product or service and in the value the subject placed on the service or product. 

And that's just the beginning...

Advantages of Direct Mail Marketing and Postcard Communications 

1. You can touch print mail. It's real and it's tangible. 

The fact that recipients of print mail interact with it through several senses makes a big difference.

Humans make a connection with print mail that doesn't happen when you're looking at a monitor. Scientific research shows that the tactile aspect of print and mail contributes to a powerful impact on long-term memory encoding. It's 35 percent stronger than it is with social media and 49 percent stronger than it is with email. 

2. Printed marketing materials are shareable and visible. 

Studies show that nearly 85 percent of millennials take time to look through their mail, which is especially relevant when considering that print mail can be instrumental in key purchase decisions. 

Additionally, nearly 90 percent of key purchases are made with input from others in the household, and direct mail can be easily shared and discussed with key influencers. Additionally, you may be able to reach an even wider audience when these direct mail pieces are shared or viewed by chance. 

3. You can increase your profits. 

Studies show that direct mail gets an average of five to nine times the average response rate when compared to digital marketing messages. When you spend $1 on direct mail marketing, you get an average of $12.45 back, but you would only get $5.29 back from non-direct mail advertising. 

 

Direct Mail Marketing Design and Distribution Made Easy

As noted above, one of the most effective forms of marketing communications is a postcard – which is a double-sided document featuring words, logos, images and an optional return portion for recipients who would like more information. 

Through AMPlified Mail, you have the power to select the audience, design your postcard and mail through the easy-to-use platform. Our streamlined process gives you the power of multiple marketing tools all in one. Design from scratch or use our templates to create eye-catching visuals that represent your company's image and convey your message. Find new clients by selecting every address within a certain geographical area (known as Every Door Direct Mail) or reach existing customers by uploading your specified audience (targeted mail). Once you've created a plan, we produce the documents and mail them for you! 

AMPlified Mail postcards are glossy cover paper with a 100-pound paper weight. (For comparison, everyday printer paper would be about 20#). The postcards are available in the following sizes: 

  • Every Door Direct Mail: 4 ½ x 11; 6 ¼ x 9; 8 ½ x 11
  • Targeted Mail: 4 ¼ x 6; 5 x 8 ½; 6 x 9; 6 x 11

Visit amplifiedmail.com to see how AMPlified Mail works and how to design your own postcards. 

Topics: marketing, Direct Mail, EDDM, personalized mail, print