If you’re a marketer, millennials are probably on your radar. Set to become the dominant force in our economy, most businesses can’t afford to ignore this generation. Are you sending direct mail to millennials?
When you think of millennials—even if you are a millennial—you might envision someone wearing earbuds, looking down at a smartphone. It’s only natural to assume social media or email is the key to reaching this digital-savvy demographic, but the truth is that millennials are suffering from digital fatigue.
Millennials receive hundreds of emails and view countless digital ads each week, yet studies show they are adept at tuning them out. So, if you want to reach millennials you may need to try something else: direct mail.

Millennials—yes, the generation raised alongside the Internet—highly value the tactile experience of direct mail, according to a U.S. Postal Service Study.

Are you ready to build a direct mail campaign that will get millennials to respond? Take the following five steps.

1. Weave personalization into your direct mail for millennials.

Personalizing your marketing postcards for millennials is going to take more than simply including their first name on a direct mail postcard. Consider focusing on completely customized content for this group that values personalized marketing experiences, according to the USPS study.

When considering options to personalize marketing content, choose something that adds value to the millennial consumer. For example, you could send postcards reminding customers to use their loyalty points, and include each customer’s balance.

Pro tip: Use Inkit with HubSpot or Drip to plug direct mailers into your email campaigns. This way, you can easily send relevant, personalized mail based on event triggers.

2. Integrate digital channels with direct mail.

While millennials may be more likely to read your direct mail than email, the digital experience is still very important when it comes to this crowd. Include interactive elements in your direct mail to peak interest and increase engagement.
Consider adding QR codes, and links to social media, landing pages and your website to your postcards.

3. Use direct mail to show millennials you care.

TOMS Shoes might be the poster child for cause marketing, but it isn’t the only direct-to-consumer business that built a brand by showing millennials the good they’re doing in the world. Warby Parker donates a pair of eyeglasses for each pair they sell, and the wildly popular Love Your Melon brand donates half of their profits to charity while also giving hats to children with cancer.

More than 90% of millennials would be willing to switch to a brand associated with a good cause, according to a Cone Survey cited in the USPS report.

If your brand makes socially conscious efforts, let millennial consumers know. They’ll thank you for it.

4. Provide a clear message. Avoid the hard sell.

While millennials trust direct mail more than other forms of marketing, they still distrust traditional advertising in general. Avoid hard-sell language and keep your message clear and succinct.
Use a transparent, authentic approach. And, even if you are a millennial, avoid slang. This would put you at risk of appearing out of touch, or of trying too hard—either of which would turn off the millennial consumer.

5. Make an emotional appeal.

The USPS study found that millennials are three times more likely to ignore an online ad than a direct mail postcard. Why? That’s still up for debate, but the leading theory is that poorly targeted ads bombard millennials online while direct mail is fewer and farther between and what is sent is driven by data. And, because millennials don’t have as much experience with ‘junk mail’ as older generations, they still enjoy the tactile sensation of reviewing paper mail each day.

Nearly 87% of millennials actually enjoy receiving direct mail, and 57% have made purchases based on direct mail offers, according to the USPS study.  

Expand upon the built-in emotional appeal of direct mail in your design and messaging. Use colors, textures, imagery, and calls to action that make looking at your postcard an event.
Are you ready to get your message in front of millennial consumers? With Inkit, you can send direct mail as easily as email.