For the past several years, businesses of all sizes have focused on engaging consumers with sophisticated digital marketing campaigns, but marketers are now rethinking their strategies and incorporating more direct mail in the mix. Direct mail is a very effective marketing tool because it can compel recipients to act, attract new customers, increase customer loyalty, boost brand awareness, reactivate dormant accounts, and deliver profitable results. One key reason for direct mail’s popularity is that it is able to do things more effectively than other types of marketing. Many consumers read direct mail because they prefer content that they can experience with more than just their eyes. Unlike e-mail, television, or radio ads, direct mail is a physical item that a consumer can hold in his/her hand and keep for a period of time. While some forms of marketing are fleeting and forgotten, a postcard, brochure, or catalog can serve as a lasting reminder of a marketing message.

InfoTrends recently completed a study entitled Direct Marketing Production Printing & Value-Added Services: A Strategy for Growth. This study surveyed more than 1,800 consumers in the U.S. and Western Europe. In-depth interviews were also conducted with over 50 direct marketers and 20 print service providers. The study highlighted why direct mail is so integral to the media mix and why it needs to be a focus for print service providers in the future. This section includes key findings from our 900+ consumer respondents in the U.S. to explore why direct mail will remain a critical channel for reaching consumers.

The ultimate objective of any marketing communication program is to get a customer or prospect to take action and preferably buy something. Direct mail works, and the statistics speak for themselves. According to InfoTrends’ survey results: