Is it just us or is everyone craving a little more analog in their life right now? Think: brick phones, vinyl records, and trips to the mall. Well, my friends, nothing is more analog than a piece of mail.
Done well (with the help of Klaviyo), direct mail is a targeted, triggered, and measurable channel that adds the same personal touch as a letter from your best friend. It can acquire new customers, re-engage old ones, and reach people that email and text literally cannot. Think: unsubscribed, opted out, or never subscribed customers.
Here is a quick clip from VP of Growth, Dejan Rankovic, from Dr. Squatch, sharing his biggest surprise of using direct mail.
And the numbers back it up.
"Brands using email and direct mail strategically together have seen an average 2.89x higher incremental return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to email alone." - PostPilot
Quick note: PostPilot is Klaviyo's Premier Partner, and Klaviyo partnered with them to create this course. Most strategies covered in this course are platform agnostic, and we'll note anything that is specific to PostPilot.
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:
- Spot which customers direct mail can reach that your other channels can't
- Match the right direct mail format to the right use case
- Know exactly where to start
The four formats and how to use them
Direct mail isn't just pizza coupons and furniture catalogs. Here are the four main formats and how successful brands use them as part of a wider omnichannel strategy.
Handwritten cards
If Noah from The Notebook had the same success rate as Plum Deluxe's handwritten birthday card campaign, she would've written back 100 times. Plum Deluxe sent handwritten birthday cards to their loyal tea subscribers and Facebook community members, because nothing says "I appreciate you" like a note written just for you. They saw a 28.5% conversion rate.
100 letters, Noah. They would have sent you 100 letters.
Postcard
A postcard from your best friend on their amazing vacation was the original Instagram story (if you know, you know). As a way to nudge customers that went quiet, Dr. Squatch sent postcards to customers who hadn't purchased in seven to nine months. They hit a 12.66% conversion rate and a 10x+ (ROAS). Turns out all it took was a little FOMO and a good soap.
Catalogs
Remember flipping through catalogs and circling your favorite things in a sharpie? Cozy Earth (yes, Oprah's Cozy Earth) ran a full catalog program targeting people who had unsubscribed from email and pulled a 7.71x incremental ROAS. And this is just one strategy in a direct mail program that has driven millions in incremental revenue across the board. If you're a numbers person, this one's for you.
Cardalog™
Unique to PostPilot, a Cardalog™ is a hybrid of cards and catalogs. Think: trifold, lots of room for photos and copy. Catalog power at postcard speed.
Misook's first Cardalog effort was a cold prospecting campaign, basically introducing themselves to strangers at scale. Using AI-powered lookalike audiences, they sent thousands of Cardalogs showing off their brand, their values, and a shiny 15% off. They saw a 3.42x ROAS.
Talk about getting a second date.
Next up: is direct mail actually the right fit for your brand? (Spoiler: we think it is.)