I Thought Direct Mail Was Dead. Then I Checked the Numbers.
1 min read
I recently met with a store owner to brainstorm ways to increase sales. When I suggested direct mail, he looked at me like I was crazy. I started to think I was crazy.
After hearing Drew Sanocki and Michael Epstein rave about it, I went back to our old campaigns. Here’s what I found:
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Pieces mailed | 94,000 across a dozen shopping centers |
| Blended response rate | 9% |
| Combined ROAS | 2.1x |
What I learned:
- The offer is everything. “FREE,” “BOGO” or discounts over 20% did best.
- Broad appeal wins. Haircut discounts beat braces discounts. There’s just a bigger audience.
- Mail drives web traffic. Each center’s website saw a 10 to 15% traffic lift in the first week after delivery.
Direct mail is a viable option for most businesses. The key is a compelling offer built for the audience.
Whatever you do, don’t offer 5% off an iced tea on orders over $50. I’ve seen it happen. It got a 0% response rate.
