The digital world has transformed our daily lives, but despite the increased presence of digital opportunities, it has recently been identified that audiences prefer traditional advertising methods in 2022. During the Covid-19 lockdowns, the use of digital devices was invaluable in maintaining global connections. However, two years down the line, consumers are showing a preference for traditional physical activities when it comes to marketing and communication. Digital communications got us so far, but they have since uncovered an appreciation for physical mail and interaction. Proving this, 96% of mail received during lockdowns were engaged with.
The appeal of printed material in 2022:
The use of digital devices is so high in everyday life that many people find themselves referring to digital content as ‘digital clutter’. Therefore, to avoid this there has been an increase in interest in physical marketing pieces including Direct Mail, Postcard Mailings, Leaflets and Flyers. Generation Z have grown up in a digital world and therefore associate physical items, such as mail, as unique and a speciality; it isn’t something they often see. They are open to the idea and enjoy having a balance of media types to look through.
Direct Mail receives greater engagement rates than digital forms of marketing:
The latest figures from Royal Mail identified that UK letter volumes have hit their highest quantities for 2 years. Now is the perfect time to act as businesses across the UK and globe have begun to increase the channels used to distribute their marketing and communications. At MHI, we have also seen this pattern first-hand as we continue to facilitate our Direct Mail and Business Mail job specifications.
‘Lumpy’ mail in particular has higher response rates due to the curiosity it creates. There is something about the unknown which intrigues audiences, and this is the case with lumpy mail as consumers are keen to see what’s inside. Even if they then dispose of the material, it has consciously been on their mind.
Despite this, postcards have a high response rate as they require minimal effort to be read and combine an eye catching piece with a clear and direct call to action.
Physical > Digital:
Physical mail provides many targeting benefits which digital communication can’t provide:
- Mail can be sent directly to a personalised target audience, increasing the chances of your message reaching the desired person. This is particularly the case for targeting specific geographic locations, neighbourhoods, or zones.
- More than 90% of direct mail gets opened, while the open rate of email is only 20-30%.
- All ages are targeted, increasing demographic reach beyond the average users of a digital platform.
- 95% of 18-29-year-olds have a positive response to receiving personal cards and letters.
- Loyalty Is increased when brands maintain connections with consumers.
- Consumers can read direct mail whenever they want, unlike digital Ads, social media posts and email campaigns which are seen at a specific time.
- 27% of direct mail is still ‘live’ within the household after 28 days, providing opportunities for messages to be read again.
Print and Digital Integration:
Utilise the aspects of multiple marketing channels when addressing your target audience through the combination of Print and Digital. This integrates the advantages of both forms of communication to increase your return-on-investment opportunities, with messages that are delivered digitally being more recognisable if customers and prospects have first been contacted via the mail.
By including a QR code and a call-to-action on a physical piece of mail, consumers are encouraged to then visit your website. Afterall,44% of consumers visit a company’s website after reading a piece of direct mail. This technique can be used to encourage consumers to complete an online form, download a mobile app or to visit their social media channels. This will increase overall engagement and brand awareness which wouldn’t be reached by an email or social post alone.
When scrolling through an inbox, many users are preoccupied as they are looking for certain information or are engaged in another task. But, when they pick up a piece of mail, consumers tend to be more willing to have a look. There is also something intriguing about what’s inside an envelope, or behind a leaflet flap.
Your Global delivery partner: MHI
With our one-stop-shop, in-house digital print facility, you too can increase your reach by distributing a direct mail piece today and benefit from…
- In-house digital print facilities
- Environmental focus
- Eco-wrap options
- A dedicated account handler
- Data Security
- Post card mailings made simple with our intuitive mailing platform, SendVia.
To explore the benefits of using MHI to send your next mail piece, contact us today at contactus@mhi.co.
