Don't Take Mail Away

Research shows people look forward to receiving mail.

It’s getting harder and harder to entice people to open marketing e-mails. Spam filters are getting more sophisticated, and prospective customers are, too.

But research shows that consumers and business types are far less resistant to direct mail. Not only are they more likely to open it, they also spend more time with it once they do, says direct mail consultant Lois Geller, author of Response:

The Complete Guide to Profitable Direct Marketing.

“People interact more with direct mail than with e-mail,” she says. “They open it, they manipulate it, they get involved with it.” When the message is appropriate for the recipient, Geller says, mail actually makes people smile.

MetLife Auto & Home knows well the value of mail, and uses it to stay in touch with its 4 million customers. “Our research shows us that not all of our policyholders have e-mail, and those who do use it all day at work don’t want to sit in front of the computer reading messages from companies like ours at home,” says Robert Lundgren, vice president of marketing.

Julie Casimiro, the company’s director of corporate marketing, says that mailing product information and educational material increases retention and boosts the number of additional policies purchased. “Mail has a long shelf life. People hang on to it for future reference,” she says.

But it’s important for MetLife to find the right contact frequency. “Our optimal number of touch points is seven,” Casimiro says. And that’s one of the reasons mail is such an important part of MetLife’s marketing mix. “If I’m limited to seven touch points before I over communicate, I’d better make sure every single one is as effective as it can be.”

Recent research by the U.S. Postal Service® reveals that recipients look forward to receiving and interacting with their mail, which makes the mail a memorable and valuable high-touch opportunity for businesses. The USPS® survey explored attitudes about mail in the workplace and the home. Key workplace findings include:

• Mail reaches business professionals. Business mail doesn’t get screened as aggressively as e-mail is filtered.

• Businesspeople keep useful mail in a mail “library” — a file or drawer, or on a bulletin board.

• Mail helps people make decisions. When it’s time to make a purchase, find a supplier or attend a professional event or training, professionals may turn to their mail libraries.

• Mail communicates and generates response. It can drive Web traffic or allow recipients to respond offline with a Business Reply Mail® card.

On the consumer front, a survey revealed the following:

• Consumers are eager to see what’s in their mail. More than half the respondents said that receiving mail is a “real pleasure” and that they “look forward” to discovering what’s in their mail: 98 percent bring their mail in on the day it’s delivered and 77 percent sort it immediately.

• Home mail is handled and sorted by the household decision maker. The person who handles the mail is typically the principal grocery shopper (84 percent), the person who pays the household bills (81 percent) and the one who determines what mail to keep and what to toss (90 percent).

• People appreciate commercial messages that arrive in the mail. About 55 percent look forward to discovering what’s in their mail, and 67 percent say mail is more personal than the Internet. They use it to learn about new products or services, to manage the household and to oversee their finances.