In 2024, the marketing bar will be higher than ever for brands.
This year will bring cookie deprecation to the largest browser, Chrome, new state privacy laws, a presidential election, and additional events that will impact digital marketing. That means brands need marketing that circumvents digital fatigue, identifies and engages decision-ready consumers with accuracy, privacy, and relevance at scale, and is measurable and optimizable.
Meeting these requirements will come down to revisiting offline marketing tactics that worked in the past and combining them with digital targeting and measurement capabilities. These new “hybrid” channels give marketers the best of both worlds by pinpointing who is ready to receive their message based on website activity and following up with traditional media. Case in point: Programmatic Direct Mail, in which consumers in the market visit a brand’s website to purchase and then receive a piece of well-designed physical mail with a compelling call to action. The bow on the (mail)box is closed-loop, address-level measurement that helps you understand what’s working and why in real time, regardless of the point of sale.
But don’t just take our word for it. There is quantifiable proof of the power of direct mail and its integration with digital tactics from various sources. Here are 15 specific stats.
- Direct mail marketing spending in 2023 was approximately $39.36 billion. (Statista)
- The direct mail advertising industry’s revenue is projected to be $10.1 billion in 2024. (Statista)
- The global direct mail advertising market’s annual revenue is expected to hit $84 billion by 2027. (Statista)
- 36% of marketers cite enhanced targeting ability, and 34% cite increased personalization ability as core drivers for increasing direct mail spend over the next year. (Winterberry Group)
- USPS’s 2024 incentives offer a 30% postage credit for increased mail volumes, aiming to blend direct mail with digital marketing strategies. (CMSWire)
- In addition to the 30% credit, incremental volumes are also eligible for promotion discounts ranging from 3% to 5%. (CMSWire)
- Digital fatigue is real—it’s estimated that by 2025, people will send over 325 billion emails daily. In contrast, the USPS delivered 127.3 billion pieces of direct mail in 2022. (HubSpot and USPS)
- 9 out of 10 consumers engage with promotional mail. (USPS)
- The lifespan of direct mail is much longer than that of emails—17 days for addressed mail versus 17 seconds for emails. (BKM Marketing)
- Postcards are the most effective type of direct mail, with a response rate of 5.7%. Source: https://zipdo.co/statistics/direct-mail-marketing/
- 39% of brands are taking steps to integrate direct mail with other marketing channels better and are seeing benefits from doing so. (Winterberry Group)
- Most businesses (97%) incorporate digital links in their printed direct mail at least occasionally. (Keypoint Intelligence)
- Households that receive digital retargeting ads and a piece of PDM retargeting mail show a 290% conversion rate lift. (PebblePost)
- 37% of marketers say that their improved ability to activate omnichannel campaigns will be a core driver of their increased direct mail spend over the next year—the most cited of any factor. (Winterberry Group)
- 53% of U.S. consumers aged 18 to 34 said that after receiving direct mail, they searched for the brand online, while those aged 35 and above visited the brand’s website. (Statista)
Need more reasons to consider PDM as part of your 2024 marketing strategy? Contact us today to learn why and how you should take advantage of this fast-growing marketing channel.
