Be Very Afraid...It’s Direct Mail—Not!

Ghosts, demons, hauntings, psycho killers. . .they’re all the stock in trade of whatever you call it: Samhain, All-Hallows Eve, Halloween. The scarier, the more macabre, the bloodier, the better. Little kids, usually afraid of the dark, even dress up like Jason, or Freddie, or Chuckie. . . for fun. Yep, people like to be scared—when the horror isn’t real, of course.

What you’re not going to see is anyone dressed up like at Halloween as a letter, or a postcard, or box. Nobody ever responded to the age-old party query. “So what are you supposed to be?” with the words, “Oh. I’m dimensional mail.”  

Nevertheless, direct mail and its minions are the stars of the horror flick, “Be Very Afraid... Here Comes Direct Mail.” For some reason, the idea of bringing direct mail into the mix scares the bejeebers out of the most serious and stalwart marketers.  

But, just like the cinematic ghouls and slashers, the fears about direct mail are based on stories and myths from times of yore. Because there is really nothing about direct mail to be afraid of. So, let’s take a look at some of these direct mail “things that go bump in the night” to see what’s real and what’s not.  

The Friendly Ghost

This is a good one. With the advent of digital marketing and email, many believe direct mail marketing to be a thing of the past. C’mon, the world is digital today, they say, and the old analog ways don’t cut it anymore. Well, direct mail is no ghost (and if it were it’d be a friendly one)—it’s very much alive and working hard for quite a few marketers.  

• Direct mail has a response rate of 5.3%, compared to email's 0.6%

The Money Vampire

While Dracula and his vampire friends are known for sucking blood, there are townspeople who believe direct mail is even scarier—it sucks money out of the budget and the organization. As with any marketing program or campaign, there are some upfront costs, but the ROI can be significant.  

• In 2022, direct mail showed an ROI of 43%.   

The Young Werewolves

Werewolves are often depicted as humans who can transform under a full moon into, well, wolves. Transforming the younger generation into customers doesn’t require a full moon but does call for a fully digital campaign. That’s a myth, too—the stuff of movies and song (don’t be eating at Lee Ho Fook's, just in case). The reality is that younger consumers are quite receptive to physical, direct mail—they find it a refreshing change from the constant digital barrage.

• 72% of Gen Z consumers say they would be disappointed to no longer receive mail  

The Walking Dead

Some believe that direct mail is nothing more than a smelly, shambling Zombie—a dead thing wandering the night and unable to keep up with all the lively, modern marketing techniques that rule the day. Well, don’t be scared kids—something wicked this way does not come. It’s all just another spooky tale for books and movies. Direct mail has new life, seamlessly integrating with cutting-edge digital strategies to create powerful, multi-channel campaigns.

• The use of QR codes in direct mail grew from 3.96% in 2020 to 34.08% in 2023

The Resurrected Mummy

Much like its mythical cousin the Zombie (see above), the Mummy is said to be another of the walking dead—the embalmed and wrapped corpse of Imhotep who seeks and kills those who desecrated the Canopic jars buried with him. While no Egyptian High Priest, direct mail has lofty goals and a much higher chance of being seen and read than any digital counterpart. It turns out that, rather than fleeing in fear,  people still appreciate the physical experience of opening an envelope.

• 80% to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared with only 20% to 30% of emails.

Halloween will come and go in no time, and soon enough we’ll be talking about turkeys and wreaths and candles—all stuff, good and nice—and the spookiness will be shelved for another year. But the real horror of it all would be missing out on the powerful marketing opportunities direct mail offers. Don't let unfounded fears haunt your marketing strategy. Direct mail isn't a ghost, a vampire, a werewolf, a zombie, or a mummy—it's a vibrant, effective, and evolving marketing tool that deserves a place in your marketing mix.