When you say the word “mail,” most people automatically think of email. After all, we’re living in an age where most communication is done via digital channels. To many, snail mail has become obsolete. This belief has caused the United States Postal Service to close hundreds of offices around the country.
So it may seem counterintuitive to some that MailChimp, one of the leading email marketing platforms, has decided to embrace snail mail by offering its customers the ability to send physical postcards to their customers.
Is Tangible Mail More… Tangible? 
There have been many studies that have suggested we are all becoming so oversaturated with digital engagement that we feel somewhat… blasé about it. However print engagement, particularly printed mail, has a way of capturing our attention and holding it longer.
This is especially true of Millennials. A new report actually found that snail mail makes Millennials feel special. Perhaps because they don’t remember a time before the Internet printed mail seems more unique and fun?
The other great thing about printed direct mail campaigns is that according to the Direct Mail Association (DMA), nearly two-thirds of people have bought something because of a direct mail piece. Additionally, 70% of customers have re-started a relationship because of direct mail.
What Will Mailchimp’s Service Offer Exactly?
Mailchimp’s postcard service will offer the same email-style automation features that are currently offered to customers. Users of the service will be able to customize postcards and messages like they currently do for email. After everything looks good, the simply click “send” and the campaign is launched. Postcards may be sent to existing and potential customers across the U.S. as well as 26 other countries and no trip to the post office is necessary.
So, why this move into physical mail by a company that is synonymous with email marketing? The company has actually been testing the service for quite a while.
John Foreman, Mailchimp’s VP of product management, says that their customers have indicated they still spend a fair bit of time and money on direct mail. “In interviewing customers, we noticed they still do a lot of print marketing, they still do a lot of direct mail,” he says.
Foreman also points out the main issue many business owners have with direct mail campaigns, and that is that the platforms for creating and sending direct mail campaigns are quite antiquated. They typically don’t integrate very well with other marketing software solutions and don’t offer intuitive ways to track delivery and response rates.
So what can we learn from this latest move of Mailchimp?
Direct Mail is Powerful
We admit, we love hearing the news about Mailchimp because it just confirms what we have been telling our clients for years. But no matter how much data we offer prospects, sometimes they just don’t believe us about the power of direct mail. So having this news about Mailchimp puts a little smile on our face and lets us say, “Do you believe us now?”
Media Space has been helping clients drive leads and increase activity to improve conversion rates for years. One of the strategies we employ to get these results is direct mail. We know firsthand the ROI possible when the right direct mail campaign is launched.
If you’ve been thinking about trying direct mail but weren’t sure how to get started, get in touch with us. We’ll help you leverage the data at your disposal to target just the right audience.
