Here are the stats on direct mail volumes from the latest USPS Household Diary Study (2008).
As reported by the Center for Media Research, key factoids include:
- U.S. Households received 148.6 billion mail pieces in 2008, of which 63% was advertising.
- Income, education and age of head of household are the major drivers of mail received. For example:
- A HH earning less than $35K whose head of HH has a high school education receives 10.2 pieces of mail per week, compared to 20.6 pieces for a HH earning $100K or more whose head of HH has a college degree.
- A HH earning $100K or more whose head of HH is age 55 or older gets 27.8 pieces of mail per week (does that sound like your prospect?!)
The report cites McCann-Erickson data indicating that direct mail accounts for 22% of all advertising dollars, a percentage that has been rising for most of the last 17 years. Why?
It works! Households report responding in some way to one in ten direct mail advertising pieces.
So, as The Agitator is fond of saying, don’t give up your postage meter!
Tom
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Further to the notion that direct mail works, this morning I received a mail appeal from an unexpected source: Google.
It’s a pitch to use Google AdWords. The package contains a “Dear Ceo” (sic) letter from Michelle Vidano, Director of Marketing; a $100 credit; and brochure.
If Google is using direct mail, you can be sure it’s because web-based marketing in isolation is proven not to be a complete or adequately effective solution.
Today, marketing for business and non-profits takes place in a highly fragmented, very noisy, crowded, multi-media environment. All media work: sometimes, for some people, in some places. The key is developing campaigns that leverage each medium’s strengths so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Perhaps, Google is taking a lesson from Steve Case, who as Chairman and CEO of AOL built his entire Internet business with direct mail.
Regards,
Stephen Best, Senior VP Development
Keys Direct Marketing & Communications
Even though direct mail is very effective. We need to constantly evaluate our effectiveness in our target market. Constantly honing and refining how well we are reaching our market is essential.
Thanks for the stats. This further confirms to me that direct mail if done properly still works better than most online ad methods.
Most online marketers have neglected offline marketing, and those who haven’t are raking in the cash.
As the world is going internet and tech crazy, people still appreciate physical way of delivering information, and direct mail does it well.