Key Takeaways:
• Direct mail response rates and profitability have surged in the last seven years—beating digital, email and more on ROI.
• AI-driven targeting and new data modeling have dramatically improved prospect universes.
• Multichannel integration using the same names creates lifts response as high as 86%.
• Direct-mail retargeting is now one of the most powerful response multipliers.
• USPS Informed Delivery gives your mailpiece a second, free “digital impression”—boosting open rates and conversions.
The direct mail comeback is real.
Direct mail is still one of the most profitable ways to market any product or service… even in today’s online world.
In fact, response rates, data targeting, and scientific marketing have skyrocketed over the last few years.
For my clients, we’ve mailed over 18 million direct mail pieces this year alone—and the ROI continues to rival, and usually beat, digital.
Here are the five must-know reasons more marketers are turning (or returning) to direct mail:
1. Better Data Targeting With AI-Based Transactional Data Modeling (TDM)
This is the #1 reason for the direct mail revival.
Transactional Data Modeling has transformed what’s possible by delivering:
• More precise targeting than online ads
• New prospects unreachable through digital platforms
• AI-enhanced data modeling far beyond what existed even a few years ago
TDM has spiked response rates and expanded prospect universes dramatically.
One client who had abandoned direct mail 10 years ago now uses it as their #1 lead generator.
Another expanded their universe by 40%—because TDM uncovered prospects they could never have found online.
Why it works:
TDM uses deep transactional data—actual purchases—to build the “perfect prospect” profile based on:
• Spending habits
• Purchase history
• Income
• Charitable giving
• Subscriptions
• Over 100,000 variables (NSA-style detail)
This is buy-a-like data, not “look-a-like” guesswork.
Your mail now reaches the people statistically most likely to buy—repeatedly.
2. Multichannel Marketing to the Same Names as the Direct Mail – 86% Lift in Response
Direct mail becomes explosive when combined with a coordinated digital campaign using the same names.
When prospects receive:
• Your direct mail
• Emails reinforcing the same offer
• Ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google
• Pre-rolls on YouTube or Rumble
• Matching landing pages
…the result is massive lift.
I’ve seen as much as an 86% increase in response simply by integrating channels.
Prospects see your direct mail piece, then see your brand again in their inbox or newsfeed. The message stays consistent. The brand stays visible. The conversions multiply.
One of my clients, Off Grid, completed an integrated campaign and boosted membership by 30% in just six months.
3. Using the Right Direct Response Copy, Art, Offer, and Format
Direct mail only works when direct response principles are used—not branding, not cleverness, not agency fluff.
It’s not ad agency sales copy or editorial copy. It’s direct response copy.
That means:
• Strong “you-oriented” copy
• A powerful offer
• Clear benefits
• Proven formats (Envelope Mailing, Magalog, Newsalog, Multi-page, etc.)
Using the correct format is critical. For complex offers, a magalog or newsalog dramatically outperforms envelope packages.
Innovative formats are responsible for many of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve engineered for clients over the years.
4. Direct Mail Retargeting: The New Response Multiplier
This is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the last few years.
Direct-mail retargeting uses data from:
• Your website visitors
• Landing-page visits
• Abandoned carts
• Digital ad responders
…and automatically triggers a personalized direct mail piece to that person—often within 24–48 hours.
Why it’s so powerful:
• Mail arrives after digital interest is already shown
• It turns warm leads into hot responders
• It brings back prospects who disappear after their first visit
• It can boost conversions by 20%–50% in many campaigns
• It widens your retargeting universe far beyond digital IDs and cookies
This is not “batch mail.”
It’s real-time, automated, behavior-driven direct mail.
And CMOs love it because it creates trackable ROI tied to real consumer actions.
5. Informed Delivery: A Powerful Free Add-On That Boosts Response
USPS Informed Delivery has become one of the simplest—and most overlooked—ways to boost direct mail performance.
It gives every consumer who subscribes (over 55 million households) a digital preview of that day’s mail.
Before your mail piece shows up, subscribers see:
• A full-color ride-along ad in the email the post office sends, and
• A clickable link driving to your landing page.
Why it matters:
• It gives your direct mail piece a second impression
• It boosts response by 10%–25% in many campaigns
• It adds a digital touch without any added media cost
• It reinforces your multichannel strategy
It’s free. It’s easy. And most marketers still aren’t using it.
Action:
If you want to maximize your direct mail response, now is the time to talk with Michael Oppenheimer at CDMG.
For over 40 years, our agency has perfected direct mail and stayed ahead of every breakthrough and scientific marketing trend. No other ad agency, copywriter, printer, or vendor can match:
• 124 direct marketing awards for breakthrough results
• Over 10,000 tested direct mail variables — formats, headlines, offers, data models, art, and copy
• AI-driven targeting including TDM
• Proven multichannel integration strategies that consistently lift response
• Complete in-house capabilities:
• Copy
• Art
• Mailing lists
• Data modeling
• Strategy
• Printing
• Mailing
• Tracking
• Analysis
• Optimization
∙ Creator of the direct mail magalog, newsalog and more. Over 1,000 direct mail campaigns created mailing 800 million direct mail pieces.
Instead of juggling multiple vendors who don’t understand direct response, you get one expert team that handles everything — and produces measurable results.
Whether you need an envelope, magalog, newsalog, postcard series, integrated campaign, retargeting system, or a full direct mail strategy, we can help you create a breakthrough.
Email Michael at [email protected] or call him at 615-933-4647.
We’ll show you how to dramatically increase response, leads, and sales using the most powerful direct mail strategies available today.
FAQs:
Q: Is direct mail still cost-effective with rising postage?
A: Yes—because stronger targeting, better data modeling, and multichannel integration have dramatically increased response and ROI. The efficiency gains outweigh postage increases.
Q: How does direct mail compare to digital for lead generation?
A: For many of my clients, direct mail is now outperforming digital—especially when powered by TDM or retargeting.
Q: What formats work best today?
A: For complex offers: magalogs or newsalogs.
For simple offers: postcards, self-mailers, or 4-page sales letters.
The format must match the offer complexity.
Q: Does Informed Delivery work for B2B campaigns?
A: Yes. Many business owners check their Informed Delivery because it helps them stay ahead of inbound mail.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is the President of Creative Direct Marketing Group (CDMG).
Known as the “secret weapon” behind hundreds of successful direct response campaigns, Craig has helped over 1,500 companies—from startups to major brands—achieve breakthroughs in lead generation, sales, and profitability.
Winner of 124 marketing awards, Craig is one of the few direct mail experts today.
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…and much more!
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Our formula is data driven, accountable advertising that supercharges your growth. Every campaign is crafted precisely, focusing on what matters most to drive your success.
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Contact Michael Oppenheimer at 615-933-4647 or email him at [email protected].
Start transforming your marketing results today with CDMG, Inc.
He specializes in multichannel direct marketing, AI-powered data modeling, direct mail, digital campaigns, and advanced targeting strategies.