• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, March 1, 2024

Common wisdom has it that email, once it had appropriated copywriting techniques like the Johnson Box, thoroughly supplanted direct mail. 

Don’t believe it. Direct mail is adopting tools that work in email in a sort of reverse influence, and has proven itself to be an effective channel partner.

Take the new offering from Path2Response called Path2Ignite, a tool for retailers that facilitates hyper-targeting based on household insights, predictive intelligence and analytics, combining buying behavior with custom modeling. 

It can also help empower sales teams, nurture customer loyalty and drive measurable, incremental results, the company claims.

"We have to mail smarter," observes Maria Youth, chief revenue officer at Path2Response. 

This view is supported by a recent study from Winterberry Group: Demystifying the Data Layer, in which direct mail ranks pretty high. The survey found that marketers are leveraging data to support these channels:

Email — 63%

Social Media — 56%

Direct mail — 54%

Display and Video — 44%

Connected TV/OTT, Addressable) — 42%

SMS/Mobile Push — 38%

"With investments in data-driven channels projected to reach a staggering $36 billion in 2024, retailers need innovative solutions to stay ahead of the curve,” says Bruce Biegel, senior managing partner at Winterberry Group. 

Then there’s the new offering from PostcardMania, called Pre-Mover Daily Mailers. It helps marketers reach prospects before they close on a real estate contract, a time when they are 78% more likely to buy from the business that first reaches them. 

This could be viewed as a throwback to the old-time mailing list business except that it is automated. 

New movers spend an average of $10,000 within 180 days of moving, research says, according to PostcardMania. They buy products and services include moving, storage, insurance, cleaning, pest control, home inspection and home warranty.

Surely, most of these new movers also have email addresses, although prospecting is not encouraged in email. 

Of course, PostcardMania says postcards are the perfect way of reaching new movers.

Give the last word to Biegel. "The future of marketing is demonstrably data-driven," he says.