Millennials and Direct Mail: A Surprising Love Affair Unveiled
By Paul Bobnak | October 2, 2024
Beyond the Inbox: Why Millennials Are Falling in Love with Their Mailboxes Again
Millennials love direct mail.
It’s true, and surprising as well. Though they’re the children of boomers, as the first digitally-native generation, they’ve supposedly rejected all things analog and print.
But not so fast: according to a USPS survey, 87% of them really do love getting direct mail.
And millennials are a rising, crucial audience for marketers targeting people across many channels – both online and offline. Here’s why:
Millennials make up almost 72 million (or 22%) of the U.S. population
They are now homeowners and peak earners
Digital ad rates continue to increase
Consumers report that they feel overwhelmed by online advertising glut on their screens and in their inboxes
Even as third-party cookies have won a reprieve, brands are still looking for better ways to stand out
Understanding Millennials: Traits and Preferences
Millennials are the most tech-savvy generation ever, with significant and growing buying power. So it’s important to consider their preferences when planning mail campaigns to reach this segment.
Millennials appreciate physical media of all types, including direct mail
They favor more personalization because it centers offers and messages based on their individual data and behavior
Physical media and channels are viewed as authentic and reliable
They seek interactive and omnichannel experiences to tie together their physical and digital worlds
Debunking Myths: Direct Mail Effectiveness for Millennials
We’ve heard it all before: “Print is dead, direct mail is dead”, etc.,. It’s a frequent assumption that millennials, having grown up alongside the growth of digital channels, prefer digital marketing. But that’s not entirely accurate. Here’s why:
76% of millennial consumers have positive feelings about direct mail, according to the 2024 SG360 Future of Direct Mail report
60% of millennials expect that their mail will be personalized, as revealed in Lob’s 2023 State of Direct Mail Consumer Insights Survey
A 2022 Keypoint Intelligence consumer survey found that 61% of millennials made a purchase within the past six months as a result of receiving direct mail – higher than Gen Z
With a glut of hundreds of digital impressions and interactions part of everyday life, direct mail for millennials offers a physical way to connect with brands and organizations.
Strategies for Engaging Millennials with Direct Mail
The statistics show that millennials and direct mail go well together. But unlike the two oldest cohorts, the silent generation and boomers, modern direct mail engages them best. To be successful, your communications strategy should include these measures.
Personalization techniques
As digital natives, millennials expect that direct mail will tap into their personal data. They want to be spoken to on a more 1-to-1 basis, and see that relevance reflected in offers, headlines, etc.
Integrating digital and physical channels
Millennials grew up as digital and physical worlds began to converge. They look for campaigns that address them across the channels that they are most comfortable with, online, offline, or both.
Interactive elements that captivate
While millennials love direct mail, it’s not necessarily the same old designs that’ve been sent to past generations. They like mail pieces that work well with digital channels in many ways. And they appreciate paper, inks, graphics, folds, and other techniques of physical mail.
Designing Direct Mail That Resonates with Millennials
Millennials like direct mail that looks and feels different from direct mail of the past. To appeal to their distinct visual preferences, your mail pieces should follow these practices to connect with this audience.
Visually, millennials favor vibrant and bright colors with high contrast that stand out
Mail piece designs should take a minimalist approach, clean and uncluttered, with images and copy in symmetry
Reflecting their interest in natural elements, millennial direct mail should emphasize an organic, textured feel
Integrating Direct Mail with Digital Marketing
Millennials like direct mail that works differently from direct mail of the past. To appeal to their ease in operating across multiple digital channels, your mail pieces should reject a siloed approach to connecting with this audience.
Marketing campaigns should create a seamless experience of your brand on online and offline channels like mail
Because millennials interact with companies and organizations in social channels, look for ways to continue and strengthen connections in those places starting with a mail piece
Your direct mail CTAs should include digital response options including QR codes and PURLs, which also provide you with valuable, actionable data on their online behavior
Wrapping it up
The message may be broken not the medium when it comes to assumptions that are made about direct mail’s effectiveness. If you figure out how to message to different generations uniquely at scale, direct mail proves itself as a very effective channel in generating great response and ROI.
At mailing.com, we understand the challenges each generation faces. We can help you target your mail to the right audience with the right messages. Please feel free to contact us to discuss how we can put together a cost-effective direct mail campaign that can accomplish your goals.
