Because it is tangible, direct mail has a meaning related to a physical place and engages with spatial memory networks. Consequently, printed materials better connect with more neurons and have a more powerful impact on the person interacting with them. If you add personalization and color to your direct mail piece, it will likely be even more effective!
Direct mail pieces are opened for a variety of reasons, most commonly because the piece is personalized/relevant or comes from a familiar and trusted sender. Although direct mail is appealing to all age demographics, InfoTrends’ annual marketing communications research confirms that consumers under age 35 are the most likely to notice high-quality paper/design/images or the presence of color.
Particularly among Millennials, these aspects serve as differentiators that can help set printed products apart from electronic communications. Meanwhile, the oldest respondents were especially likely to read direct mail that was personalized/relevant, came from a familiar and trusted sender, and included an important message.
1 Source: Bangor University & Millward Brown study
Figure 1: Which of the following factors make you most likely to read or review a printed direct mail piece?
There are a number of ways for marketers to ensure that their direct mail pieces are noticed, read, and responded to. InfoTrends’ 2018 marketing communications research asked respondents to specify the techniques that made the most likely to engage with a piece of direct mail. As shown in the Table below, consumers under age 35 were more likely to engage with direct mail when it included nearly all of the specified print techniques. Direct mail pieces that stand out are clearly noticed by the ever-important 18 – 34 age bracket.
Table 1: Which of the following print techniques make you most likely to engage with a piece of direct mail?
Businesses that invest in printed communications consider color to be a vital component of their marketing efforts. According to InfoTrends’ research, about 61% of firms reported that color was very important for transactional documents, while 63% indicated the same for printed promotional materials . These companies stated that using color images and text in their printed materials generated a higher ROI, strengthened brand image, and made documents easier to read and review. Many also noted that since their competitors printed in color, they felt compelled to do the same to remain relevant.
