In today’s hyperconnected, digital‑first world, consumers have countless choices—whom to do business with, which content to view and what brands to explore—but the abundance of options can also lead to fatigue.
As consumers are exposed to ads across every medium, many marketing efforts are just barely piercing the surface. Digital ads may be ignored, blocked or sent to spam. The ones that do break through often end up as background noise—cluttering workspaces, distracting from socializing, and triggering spam filters. In one recent study, just 44% of consumers said they notice ads in search engines, and 48% of U.S. adult consumers reported having used an ad blocker.[1]
Brands must find ways to differentiate their marketing. Thinking outside the digital playbook can help them get there. While many marketers still think of digital and physical marketing as a binary—two distinct options for different kinds of campaigns—the reality is that digital and direct mail can work together to create well‑connected, coordinated messaging with multiple strategic touchpoints. When combined, physical and digital channels can be more impactful than either alone, able to grab customer attention amid a sea of lookalike ads.
By infusing direct mail into each step of the existing campaign‑building process—from planning to execution to measurement to optimization—marketers can create powerful omnichannel campaigns that break through the clutter and get their businesses noticed.
Step 1Deciding How to Incorporate Direct Mail into Campaigns
To make the most out of direct mail in omnichannel efforts, it’s crucial to first set clear goals. Carefully consider what the campaign is intended to accomplish, both short‑term and long‑term. What actions should customers take? Will they be led to certain channels or specific pieces of content? Is the aim to raise awareness or increase conversions?
Once it’s decided what the campaign is designed to achieve, you can start developing an integrated marketing plan, choosing which channels to employ at different stages of the customer journey. If there are gaps in customer engagement on certain digital channels, it may be an ideal opportunity to test how customers respond to direct mail instead. With 60% of consumers in a 2024 study saying they have taken action after receiving a mailpiece,[2] direct mail can be a powerful tool for driving engagement and increasing conversions.
The next step is to identify the best tactics to implement, analyzing previous campaign performance to see what was effective and what fell short. What kind of messaging and offers resonated most with customers? Which channels did they engage with most, and in what ways? What were the response rates and return on advertising spend? All of these insights can help determine the best direct mail tactics for the campaign.
After completing a thorough assessment of past campaigns, consider how to reach the customers most likely to respond, narrowing down the audience based on data from customer relationship management (CRM) systems and customer data platforms (CDPs). While CRM systems focus on individual customer accounts to manage interactions and sales processes, CDPs gather data from a wide range of first-party sources to create a more holistic view of all customers.
Marketers can analyze data from both platforms to identify trends and patterns in customer behavior, allowing brands to build well‑defined audience segmentsarrow_right_alt. These segments range from simple—such as customers who abandoned their online shopping carts—to complex, like customers who live in cities, subscribe to email updates, have been a customer for at least two years, and have purchased from a certain product line. Well-defined audience segments can increase response rates, as mailpieces are only delivered to the customers most likely to find them relevant, while also helping to reduce campaign waste and controlling expenses.
Finally, marketers should take time to set key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with specific campaign goals. Deciding on KPIs at the outset will make it easier to measure success and track responses after the campaign has launched.
Common direct mail KPIs include response rate, which measures how many people engaged with a mailpiece; conversion rate, which shows how many customers took a specific action, such as buying a product or signing up for a newsletter; customer acquisition cost, which is the average cost of acquiring each new customer through the direct mail campaign; and return on investment, which measures the campaign profitability by comparing spending to revenue.
Step 2Infusing Direct Mail into an Omnichannel Campaign
While offering a tangible, hands-on experience, direct mail can also integrate smoothly with digital marketing, making it an effective way to guide customers toward specific channels or content. With the unique combination of print and digital marketing, brands can deliver coordinated campaigns that encourage customers to explore and take action.
Including a QR Code®[3] on mailers can lead recipients directly to an online shop, social platform or other digital channel. If a postcard promotes an exclusive sale for loyalty members, the QR Code may lead recipients to the brand’s website, where they can browse offerings and add items to their cart. QR Codes remain popular, especially among younger consumers: In a 2024 study, 48% of consumers age 35 to 54 said they would scan one on a mailpiece—a number that rises to 51% among those age 18 to 34.[4]
Personalized URLs (PURLs) can have a similar effect. These URLs often include the customer’s first name and lead to a landing page customized for that individual. The landing pages may feature the customer’s name and offer tailored product recommendations based on purchase history, prior engagement and general preferences. Enhancements such as these can help keep customers within a branded ecosystem while making it easy to track engagement through CRMs and CDPs. The Lob report shows that both PURLs and QR Codes have seen steady year-over-year growth in popularity.[5]
Email can also be coordinated with direct mail, allowing brands to engage customers across multiple platforms through distinct touchpoints. The Informed Delivery® featurearrow_right_alt gives signed‑up households three ways to interact. This feature lets eligible USPS customers receive a digital preview of their incoming mail via email or an online dashboard. Marketers can provide “ride‑along content”—digital content that accompanies the mail preview. Ride‑along content appears as a full‑color image that links to a brand’s online shop, landing page, videos or other relevant content.
Retargeting offers another effective way to connect digital and physical marketing. This versatile automation tactic allows brands to reinforce and follow up on marketing efforts while their message is still fresh in consumers’ minds. Retargeting is often used to reduce online cart abandonment. For example, when a customer adds products to their online cart but failed to make it to checkout, brands may send an eye‑catching mailer reminding them of the items and offering a limited‑time discount to coax them closer to purchase. In one report, 78% of respondents said they are likely to open or read a direct mail piece that includes an offer or promotion.[6]
To personalize mailpieces efficiently, many brands work with digital printers that offer variable data printing (VDP)arrow_right_alt services. VDP makes it easier and more affordable to personalize mailpieces for individual customers at scale. Elements like copy, imagery, design, offers and calls to action can all be tailored to each customer based on habits, purchase history, loyalty program status and more. This type of printing also makes it easy to activate or pause mail campaigns. As fresher data because available, campaigns can be adjusted for greater precision.
Working with third‑party vendors to assist with omnichannel automation and retargeting techniques can increase efficiencies and lead to more effective marketing. These vendors can provide proprietary data while working with the digital tools marketers already use. This enables the creation of highly personalized, automated mail that syncs with a brand’s broader omnichannel strategy.
Step 3Integrating Direct Mail into Existing Tech Stacks
Despite the advancements in direct mail tracking and attribution, some marketers are still unaware of how easily success can be measured using existing tools in their tech stacks—including CRM systems, CDPs, automation platforms and analytics tools.
Choosing a direct mail automation platform that integrates seamlessly with current tech will allow brands to make the most of existing resources while reducing the chance of errors or inefficiencies in mailings. No‑code platforms, in particular, enable teams to get started quickly. Once a platform is chosen, marketers can identify the integrations that best support their specific marketing objectives.
Carefully analyzing the current customer journey can help set priorities. Map the entire journey—from pre‑ to post‑sale—and assess when and how customers are getting served different touchpoints. This will help in identifying any performance gaps and opportunities for new integrations. For example, if the goal is customer reactivation, marketers may set up a CRM to send mailers at regular intervals post‑purchase.
To track performance, gather data and optimize future campaigns, direct mail platforms should be integrated with analytics tools that can provide real‑time, actionable insights. With data‑driven tracking, marketers can seamlessly monitor campaign results, analyze customer interactions and refine strategies to facilitate better outcomes. QR Codes, PURLs and other digital enhancements can all make attribution easier.
Even for campaigns that don’t include mail, insights from analytics platforms can help identify whether incorporating other channels—such as direct mail—might improve performance. If analytics show that certain messages, offers, calls to action or digital enhancements were effective in a digital campaign, marketers can apply those insights to shape future mail campaigns.
Key Takeaway
While digital‑first marketing can provide an accessible, relatively affordable way to engage customers at scale, many consumers have grown accustomed to—and often frustrated by—the constant barrage of daily ads. To keep marketing fresh and maintain customer interest, brands must find ways to stand out amid the digital noise.
Leveraging direct mail in digital campaigns can help set brands apart, and recent innovations have simplified the process. With strategic planning, thoughtful use of digital enhancements and seamless integration into existing tech stacks, direct mail can play a role in multitouch omnichannel campaigns.
Footnotes
keyboard_arrow_down- [1]Max Willens, “How Consumers Perceive Ads: Behavioral Targeting Is Top of Mind,” EMARKETER, Dec. 13, 2024. arrow_right_alt
- [2]“2024 State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights Report,” Lob, 2024. arrow_right_alt
- [3]QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. arrow_right_alt
- [4]“2024 State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights Report,” Lob, 2024. arrow_right_alt
- [5]Ibid. arrow_right_alt
- [6]Ibid. arrow_right_alt
