We’ve all had an ad for a product or company pop up as a banner on a site that we’ve browsed, but what does it look like when that ad arrives in your postal mailbox instead? Direct mail retargeting is a powerful marketing tool that allows brands to nurture potential consumers through the buyers journey via personalized direct mail pieces.  

This highly targeted and personalized approach can help advertisers tap into consumer intent through a different channel, and reengage potential customers who have yet to follow through and convert.  Discover the benefits of direct mail retargeting, which campaign type is right for you, and more.  

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The benefits of direct mail retargeting  

Retargeted direct mail allows companies to send highly-personalized direct mail based on a consumer’s site behavior. The information that a site captures during a user visit can be securely matched to a postal name and address. It’s matched through a network of data partners, allowing it to be connected to that user’s site visit without exposing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to consumer’s browser data.  

Some of the key benefits to direct mail retargeting include:  

Cut through the digital clutter

The average person sees over 1,000 digital ads daily, but receives fewer than eight pieces of direct mail. Handheld, personalized communications are more likely to stand out. A 2021 study by the Direct Marketing Association states that 73% of consumers say they prefer direct mail for brand communication because it’s more tangible than digital ads.     

High deliverability and engagement

Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails.  

Longer advertising shelf-life

Direct mail is typically kept for around 17 days, allowing for multiple impressions and shared within the home.  

Retarget unknown visitors

Using cookied information, you can reach potential customers who haven’t created an account, signed up, or provided any other personal information.  

Complement your digital campaigns

Adding direct mail to a multichannel, digital-focused strategy can boost overall response rates by an average of 26%. 

Privacy-compliant

Direct mail retargeting doesn’t require companies to share customer information, keeping it in alignment with evolving privacy regulations.  

These benefits can apply to any of the myriad types of direct mail retargeting campaigns that can be implemented.  

What type of retargeting campaign is right for you?  

Choosing the campaign type that aligns with your goals and customer segments will ensure that your direct mail retargeting will catch the eye of your next best customer. However, not all retargeting campaigns are created equal, and choosing the right approach will significantly impact your marketing efforts.  

Net-new customers 

If you’re trying to expand your customer base, targeting new-to-file prospects who have never followed through on a purchase from you is a critical campaign type. These customers have shown interest by visiting your website but have yet to convert.  

Direct mail can be a compelling way to highlight the value of your brand, offering them a special promotion or incentive to make their first purchase.  New-to-file campaigns also drive a conversion rate of 5.1%. These acquisition-based campaigns will also suppress customers that have converted before, ensuring that the base receiving this mailer is net-new.  

Cart abandoners 

You can also target customers that have nearly completed a purchase with you, but ultimately abandoned their carts. Send a piece of direct mail that reminds them of their abandoned items. These pieces can include special offers or discounts to encourage them to complete their transaction.  

Single-purchase customers 

If you want to go after consumers who have made a single purchase, consider a campaign to encourage repeat purchases and convert them into multi-purchasing brand loyalists. Are there products or services that pair well with their initial buy? Highlighting the benefits of becoming a repeat buyer, such as points or enrollment in a loyalty program, can motivate customers to return and engage more frequently with your brand.   

Brand loyalists 

Focusing on consumers who have yet to evangelize your brand doesn’t mean that you leave your brand loyalists out in the cold. Use direct mail retargeting to promote your loyalty programs to them, too, and encourage increased engagement.  

Lapsed customers 

If you have customers that have purchased but have lapsed or unsubscribed from an email list or another form of communication, consider pursuing a reactivation campaign. The goal of these campaigns is to reignite interest and communication. Personalization can be highly effective in this campaign, highlighting the products or services that they may have previously used or purchased, or offering a special discount for their reactivation.  

Drip campaign customers 

If you find that customers are getting caught at a certain point in your conversion funnel, consider adding them to a direct mail drip campaign. This campaign type sends a series of strategically timed mailers that help guide customers further down the funnel until they convert. Each piece of mail should build on the previous one, providing additional information, addressing consumer pain-points, and offering incentives for them to take the purchase plunge.  

Anonymous site visitors 

Finally, outside list retargeting can help you bridge the gap between online and offline engagement. This campaign type is typically sent to consumers that have visited your site, but haven’t left any signup, login information or cart purchase complete. Sending them a piece of direct mail that touts the benefits of the product or service that they were looking at, as well as your business’ overall value proposition, can help drive them back to the site and turn high or mid-funnel browsers into loyal customers.  

Once you’ve identified which campaign is right for you, you can build a piece of direct mail that is most likely to capture your customer’s attention.  

Personalize for maximum impact 

Direct mail retargeting hinges heavily on the information that can be gleaned from browsing behavior. For example, if you’re running an abandoned cart campaign, you can tailor it to the exact items that someone chose not to buy. Or, outside list retargeting content can be focused on an overall product category, rather than an exact item.   

Messaging can also be adjusted based on customer segments, such as new or returning customers. Maintaining consistent messaging between your direct mail and onsite experience can also reinforce the points that ultimately made a consumer reconsider your brand, and help drive them further down the conversion funnel. 

The typical format for direct mail is a 6×9 postcard. This economical choice allows your mailer to arrive at a consumer’s home within two to three business days when using first class postage. The USPS is offering a Direct Mail Retargeting promotion, providing 5% discount on first-class postage for the 6 x 9 postcard.  It’s not too late to launch a program and leverage this discount from Sept 1 – Nov 30th.  

That said, you can choose other formats that will appeal to your customer segment, such as letters or brochures. Regardless of the format chosen, the aim is to leverage recency data and get the relevant information mailed to your consumer within a day of their visiting your site. 

You can also test multiple iterations of your creative, and use these insights to learn which format, imagery, and messaging have the highest response rate among your customers. 

Measure and test your campaign’s impact 

As with all marketing efforts, the most fruitful outcomes are the result of data-driven planning. One of the more compelling advantages of direct mail retargeting is its enhanced measurement capabilities, offering transparent insight into the impact that this campaign type can have.  

One of the key features of direct mail retargeting is the ability to report on impact while the campaigns are in-flight. This allows marketers to track and analyze several critical metrics in real-time, such as number of pieces mailed, return site visits, and online conversions.  These metrics are also leveraged to optimize in flight, allowing for a strong campaign. 

Number of pieces mailed: This can help you gauge the scale of the campaign and manage your investment effectively.  

Return site visits: This can help you understand how many recipients are returning to your site after receiving a piece of retargeted direct mail. These return site visits can help you understand the engagement and impact of your mailers.  

Online conversions: Tracking how many of the return site visits convert to actual sales (or similar desired actions) can provide insight into your mail’s effectiveness in driving customer behavior.   

This data can help marketers remain nimble and adjust their campaigns as needed.  

Start your direct mail retargeting journey now 

In the highly cluttered digital landscape, direct mail can increase conversions and sales by targeting consumers dwelling in the lower funnel. Coming out of the Olympics and heading deeper into the 2024 election season, digital ad cost is at a premium, with no signs of easing on ad investment. Consumers are increasingly plagued by doom-scrolling and banner blindness, and while third-party cookies are here to stay for now, marketers still need to target in a way that emphasizes the importance of consumer privacy.  

Direct mail retargeting offers the chance to connect with consumers in a way that is tangible, breaking the cycle of blindly swiping past messaging. It allows them to spend more time with you, your product, and your value proposition in a way that will lead to a sales boost.  

Ultimately, blending the wealth of information from your digital touchpoints with this more traditional outreach channel can help to reengage your consumers, and drive lower-funnel conversions. 

Curious about using direct mail for outreach with new movers? Find out how you can connect with new movers, or let’s talk about achieving more for your marketing — and your business.