The Top Four Reasons Millennials Love Getting Direct Mail

As online advertising channels become ever more crowded vying for consumers’ attention, direct mail remains a steadfast and reliable advertising medium for reaching your perfect consumer. Despite society’s love of technology, particularly among millennials, direct mail is more valuable than ever now that people are being constantly bombarded with online ads and offers.

The United States Postal Service found that younger consumers actually enjoy receiving a piece of mail, especially when it’s personalized and targeted to them, because it makes them feel special. Here, we’ve outlined some of the key reasons direct mail is effective, specifically for targeting millennials.

Reason 1: Direct Mail is Highly Engaging

The email inbox of a typical millennial is overflowing with unread mails, to-do items, and other important correspondence that is often left unread and unappreciated. Despite all of the great deals, information, and insights that may be in their inbox, the job of going through emails can be time consuming and annoying.

In contrast to this attitude towards notifications and emails, a physical mailbox at a millennial’s residence is much more accessible, as millennials read their mail consistently. It’s often the case that physical correspondence is seen as more important than digital mail; the result of this is that millennials are more likely to engage with it.

Physical mail is also easier to sort and handle rather than wading through emails. Email marketing efforts are likely to go unread by millennials, while direct mail is more likely to be opened. For these reasons, direct mail is seen as a highly engaging medium for millennials.

Reason 2: Direct Mail is Novel and Fun

In today’s world, millennials are the first generation that receives less mail than the generations before them due to the rise of digital communication. While this speeds up the rate at which millennials have access to information, many millennials enjoy the personalized touch of receiving an actual piece of physical mail addressed to them. This personalized touch can help brands connect more closely with their millennial audience and also increase conversion rates for each mailer that’s sent out. Conversion rates are the rate at which a targeted consumer takes a desired action. For example, if you’re inviting millennials to redeem an offer for a gift card if they come in and take a test drive, the conversion rate would be the number of people who showed up for a test drive and redeemed the offer.

Reason 3: Direct Mail has Multi-Channel Appeal

One of the keys to effective marketing is multichannel marketing. This is where you reach the consumer at various touch points to leave a lasting impression. Direct mail can incorporate many functions and features that millennials value. For example, incorporating multimedia and digital features into direct mail such as QR codes, near field communication (NFC), or augmented reality (AR) can link your direct mail to your social media or website. These can all be features that link traditional direct mailing strategies to create synergy. Direct mail is an effective addition to any ongoing campaign you have across different platforms.

Reason 4: The Brain of a Millennial Reacts Better to Direct Mail

The brain of a millennial reacts differently to print than it does to digital marketing. Specifically, millennials are more likely to spend time reading physical ads than they are reading digital ads. Physical direct mail also evokes a stronger emotional response with higher levels of recall. Through direct mail efforts, an advertiser can directly trigger the part of the brain linked to value and desirability. This has huge implications for advertisers who want to make a big impact with millennials.

Ways to Boost Your Direct Mailer Effectiveness with Millennials:

Here are some top tips for boosting your direct mail to be effective with millennials:

1. Clarity: Ensure that your mailer is clear and succinct. Don’t cram tons of information into the piece; rather, present bite-sized chunks of information.
2. Authenticity: Coming across as authentic is key to generating trust. Many millennials are averse to hard-sell advertisements and prefer an authentic approach from advertisers.
3. Experiential: Using textures or involvement techniques – like stickers, “place YES sticker here to order”, on your direct mail can instantly create interest with your millennial audience. They love novelty and something different, meaning that extra touches that appeal to their senses will be welcome.
4. Philanthropy: Including a cause, fund, or charity foundation that you’re supporting gives millennials a reason to engage and be interested in your direct mail. If your direct mail has a clear message towards helping an important cause, you’ll be more likely to attract customers who are interested and willing to purchase.

Despite being very tech savvy, millennials still pay attention to and enjoy receiving direct mail, as it’s a more tangible form of marketing, thus spending 9.7 more minutes sorting through their mail than any other generation.  They often make purchases based on offers featured in direct mailers. While inboxes overflow, the physical act of mailing a piece to a prospective customer often triggers a positive response in the mind of the recipient and ultimately leads them to act. The brain looks favorably on printed matter, resulting in direct mail being a highly effective way of leaving a lasting impression.

 

About Genesis Direct:

The key to better direct marketing and relationship building is getting the most relevant message to the right people, at the right time. Our integrated variable data printing process does just that. By applying the latest technologies, Genesis Direct is equipped to better understand and more effectively target customers and prospects by spotting trends and cross-referencing behavior patterns. Then, putting this knowledge to use by crafting truly customized one-to-one direct marketing campaigns that inspire action, we reach these targets more meaningfully and more profitably. Waste is minimized and spot-on insights replace CPM guesswork as relevance becomes the key. With our help, you will reach a willing audience that’s most inclined to engage in your offer. For nearly 25 years, we’ve been all about creating better relationships. 

Are you ready to connect better? For a free consultation and to learn how we can help your business grow, call or email our Senior Account Executive, Mike McNally at (813) 855-4274 x1265 or visit us online today.