Many marketers never consider direct mail automation. If you focus on digital channels, the thought of direct mail may bring images of Bed, Bath & Beyond postcards to mind.
However, writing off direct mail as too old school is a huge missed opportunity. With the modern marketer’s ability to create personalized campaigns in automation platforms like Hubspot, direct mail puts your message right into your prospect’s hands. That’s a lot better than lingering unopened in an email inbox.

According to the United States Postal Service, 98 percent of people retrieve their mail every day and 77 percent sort through it right away. Most of these mail-sorters are household decision makers.

You don’t need a traditional advertising model to take advantage of direct mail’s high open rates. At Inkit, we believe direct mail automation is most effective for businesses entrenched in digital marketing. Plus, with Inkit it isn’t any more difficult to mail a postcard than to send an email. And it’s just as measurable.

Is Direct Mail Automation Right for Your Business?

Here are 3 types of contemporary businesses that can benefit from direct mail marketing automation.

1. Subscription Box Services

From beer and wine to razors and tampons, more and more consumers are signing up for monthly deliveries of their favorite or niche products. If you are marketing a subscription box service, you should definitely be doing direct mail marketing. Your target market is the very slice of the population that finds delight in receiving mail. Subscription box subscribers simply love the element of discovery. Furthermore, they are the ideal audience for direct mailers. If you’re targeting a growing niche market, try sending out an offer like this one from Le Tote.

The other side of this postcard does a great job of letting consumers know exactly how the service works and, presumably, getting them excited to subscribe.

2. Direct-to-Consumer Ecommerce Businesses

The direct-to-consumer movement proves that when you form a connection with your consumers, your chance of selling to them skyrockets. Using mainly digital channels, the most successful DTC companies rely on data-oriented, personalized marketing. To put it simply, these companies get to know their customers well.
So, combine your effective digital campaign with the high open rates of direct mail to get the response rate you need. Next time you launch a product resulting from consumer feedback, send a postcard offering consumers a free sample with their next purchase. Or, maybe you’re focused on increasing average order size. Send your single-item purchasers a postcard tutorial showing how to use multiple products to achieve one goal.

3. Food Delivery Services

Postcard marketing is a natural fit for food delivery services. The winback campaigns practically write themselves. For example, if you have a customer who ordered a couple of times before becoming inactive, add a postcard to your Drip campaign to win them back. Use a personalized postcard inviting feedback about why they left, and treat them to $5 off of their next order. Sure, you could send this offer by email, but don’t you think it’s more likely to be redeemed at the kitchen table?
What if you’re not marketing a food delivery service, a DTC brand, a subscription box or Bed Bath & Beyond? Chances are, putting personalized mail in your consumers’ homes is still a good idea.
With Inkit, you can automate direct mail just as you would email. You don’t need a designer or engineer to create and send a targeted mailer straight from your marketing automation platform or by uploading a list.
Are there any other types of businesses you think are a natural fit for direct mail marketing automation? Let us know.