How to Boost Customer Acquisition With Direct Mail

As we leap into 2025, the name of the game for marketers is customer acquisition strategies that truly stick. And while digital tactics have their moment, there’s one trusty powerhouse that’s primed to deliver big results: direct mail. It’s the personal touch your audience is always looking for and it’s ready to take your marketing from “meh” to memorable.

What Consumers Want: The Dos and Don’ts of Direct Mail assesses key consumer insights regarding sentiments, influences and preferences related to direct mail. It highlights best practices that marketers can implement to enhance the effectiveness of their mail campaigns and drive conversions. Here’s what we learned about customer acquisition strategies for direct mail based on this year’s survey data.

The Quiet Leader in Customer Acquisition Strategies

To stay competitive in today's market, marketers are investing nearly half (44 percent) of their budgets into customer acquisition campaigns across various direct response channels, with direct mail holding strong as a preferred choice. This preference for mail is supported by a significant dip in cost per acquisition (CPA) reported by marketers in 2024.

Two-thirds of respondents also revealed they now spend less than $150 per acquisition through direct mail, a sharp increase from 29 percent in 2023. When looking at the average CPA across all direct marketing channels, direct mail remains highly competitive. Sixty-one percent of marketers indicate they spend under $150, highlighting its efficiency and cost effectiveness as a direct response channel.

Related story: How to Boost Retail Sales With Proven Direct Mail Offer Strategies

As you build your direct response programs, focus on scalable strategies that drive profitable customer acquisition. Don't allocate budgets haphazardly across different channels. Instead, take an intentional approach to drive deeper connections, enhanced experiences, and increased sales.

Is Gen Z All Digital? Think Again

When asked to rank their most enjoyable types of ads, consumers rated direct mail as the second most enjoyable, right behind TV and video streaming ads, with 65 percent of respondents indicating they enjoy receiving mail. This sentiment is particularly strong among those aged 25-44, who value the tangible nature of direct mail. Conversely, text messaging, paid online search/banner ads, email, and sponsored influencer ads rank the lowest in enjoyment.

Food for thought: just as a captivating television ad captures attention, a thoughtfully designed mailer can engage audiences just as well. Direct mail's extended shelf life is a significant advantage, allowing recipients to save it for later reference. In fact, the excitement of discovering new brands, products or services via direct mail climbed from third place last year to the second most enjoyable aspect this year.

If you’re looking to enhance the appeal of your direct mail campaigns, follow these tips:

• Incorporate intriguing elements that spark curiosity, making recipients eager to explore the full mail piece.
• Emphasize the tangible nature of direct mail by producing visually striking pieces that provoke the senses.
• Maintain clarity in your messaging to ensure recipients understand your offer quickly and easily.

By focusing on these strategies, you can effectively leverage mail’s unique strengths and engage younger audiences who appreciate meaningful, physical forms of marketing.

Hyperpersonalization: The Data-Driven Advantage

A quarter of consumers have purchased what was advertised in a relevant piece of direct mail in the past six months to 12 months. To fully leverage this opportunity, focus on using consumer data for hyperpersonalization. Understand your customers’ preferences and behaviors and create tailored mail pieces that resonate deeply. The result will be increased response rates and improved satisfaction.

Personalized greetings and specific product recommendations can significantly boost customer engagement and relationships. Incorporating interactive elements like QR codes that lead to personalized content further enriches the customer experience. For example, a fashion retailer might send a mailer showcasing “Your Top Picks for Spring” based on a customer’s past purchases, paired with an exclusive discount code. This blend of personalization and exclusivity turns a simple mail piece into an irresistible call to action.

How a Fresh Acquisition Strategy Can Transform a Mail Program

A women’s apparel brand was eager to enhance customer acquisition through targeted direct mail. The strategy utilized customer segmentation to reach high-value customers with a cost-efficient mailer during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This approach resulted in over 5,000 orders and a 300 percent return on investment, demonstrating a 35 percent lift over the holdout group. The campaign’s success established a strong foundation for future initiatives and a lasting partnership.

Impactful customer acquisition strategies rely on marketers’ ability to build compelling direct response campaigns that resonate. By investing in high-performing channels, prioritizing engaging creative, and using hyperpersonalization, your mail program will foster strong connections in no time.

What Consumers Want: The Dos and Don’ts of Direct Mail offers key insights into shopper behavior to help you develop an effective direct mail strategy. Access the full report for more on consumer preferences and engagement, as well as best practices for maximizing the impact of your mail campaigns and driving conversions.

Jacqueline Johnson-Leister is the vice president of marketing and client services at SeQuel Response, an award-winning direct response agency based out of Minneapolis.