The pervasive, rapid rise of digital media in the last decade might lead us to think that direct mail is a fading marketing medium in Oswego, Aurora, Montgomery, Yorkville, Sugar Grove and Naperville (IL).

The opposite, however, is true. Direct mail remains a force in targeted marketing that people notice and respond to.

Targeted Marketing: Direct Mail vs. Digital

When direct mail and a digital format such as email face off for engagement and especially response rates, direct mail consistently claims the ribbon.

Compare the following average figures based on data from different sources and surveys. (Note that conversion rate is the completion of a desired action. Engagement is the time spent with the communication.)

With well-maintained mailing lists of existing customers, some direct-mail response rates can climb as high as 9%. ROI for well-executed direct-mail campaigns also can range from $12 to $15 for each $1 spent.

Direct mail clearly continues providing results we seek when we are promoting a mission, product or service through print and mail in Oswego, Aurora, Montgomery, Yorkville, Sugar Grove or Naperville.

What Are Direct Mail’s Challenges?

Though still relevant to targeted marketing, print and mail services are not without their challenges in the mid-2020s. To reach audiences where they are, direct mail must continue adapting to factors such as:

rising costs. Postage and print prices have gone up, which can tighten margins and compel marketers to buckle down even more on value-based campaign spends.

regulations & data constraints. Privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) now give people more control of their personal information. They also impose greater obligations on parties that collect or sell that information. Such limitations are steering marketers to increasingly rely on first-party data.

U.S. Postal Service complications. Recent changes within the USPS’s 10-year “Delivering for America” reform plan have led to slower mail delivery. In addition to the delays caused by consolidating mail-processing facilities, USPS has been increasing prices to help offset the net loss of $9.5 billion in fiscal year 2024. Rural customers in particular have been affected by these developments.

digital & e-commerce alternatives. Because of factors such as those mentioned, some businesses and organizations have had to switch to more digital marketing formats as cost-cutting measures.

When we place direct mail’s lasting performance metrics next to its challenges, we might at times still ask ourselves whether we can substantiate the investment in print and mail services.

The driving principle behind direct mail that attracts and achieves is to be smarter – not simply louder. Results-driven campaigns will raise curiosity, invite interaction and be instantly relevant to what you offer or say.

Direct-Mail Concepts That Rise

Beyond what we give to other people in person, our attention is constantly chased by TV, email, videos, social media, app notifications and prompts, and billboard and storefront advertising – all in addition to what arrives in our mailbox.

The first thing direct mail must do through the post is grab awareness in compelling, original ways. Here at Aurora Fastprint, customers often approach us about how to make their direct mail reach their audience with a distinction that supports their targeted-marketing investment.

The following are but a few of the fresh ideas we might share for direct mail that piques interest by catching the eye.

Foil Stamping
A study by the Foil and Specialty Effect Association sought to determine what makes products stand out on a shelf among similar products. Direct mail’s highly visual first impression is much like that of shelf products’. The study used eye tracking to identify visual prompts that call to people the most.

The results revealed that many subjects’ eyes gravitated quickly toward products with foil stamping and remained on those products longer. The study also found that a package that attracted attention quickly had a strong influence on the consumer’s decision to buy.

At Aurora Fastprint we can add premium texture and appeal to your direct mail with foil stamping for applications such as logos, headlines, special offers and borders & seals.

Embossing
Embossing brings lift to your mailers with dimension and pop. The process uses a specially made die under high pressure to form a raised three-dimensional impression that gives recipients a tactile experience with the design.

You also can combine embossing with foil stamping to achieve an even greater effect.

Texture
Direct mail offers you many options for imbuing paper with additional texture such as laid, linen, vellum or mottled, in addition to many others.

Another option is to add texture with a coating. Here at Aurora Fastprint, we find these to be really fun and attention-getting. One example is etch coating, which can create very fine patterns. Scratch-off paper (e.g. for prizes or discounts) is another great way to engage your audience and make them excited or curious.

Other possibilities for making direct-mail paper irresistibly visual and tactile are gritty sand paper, glitter, metal flakes, tints, UV and glow-in-the-dark.

Smell
Adding a scent can be an intriguing hook for your mailers. It grabs attention while reinforcing retention as well. Scratch-and-sniff is the most common way to add a scent – in addition to being a feature that digital formats cannot duplicate.

Ink
With Aurora Fastprint you have access to many different reactive inks that can draw the eye to your message. Just a few examples include:

• conductive inks that create a circuit and activate a device with lights or sounds
• leuco dyes that switch between colored and colorless states depending on the environment
• thermochromatic inks & dyes that change colors in response to changing temperatures
• optically variable inks containing metallic materials that alter appearance when viewed from different angles
• piezochromic inks & dyes acting as “smart” colorants that change color when squeezed, stretched or pressed

Other inventive print and mail services might incorporate:

spinners or sliders that require interaction with the mail piece

“lumpy” mail that arrives as more than just a flat envelope (e.g. it includes a noticeable object or shape, such as a magnet, a superball or a packet of seeds)

shaping your mailer like your product (e.g. a key or a truck)

creating mailers to be pop-up surprises or 3D messages

designing the mailer in unfolding panels that tell a story or solve a mystery

presenting your message as a comic strip

As you can see, creating eye-catching direct mail blends process, technique and invention to move your audience from the mailbox to an action.

DM + Digital = Targeted Marketing with Extra Power

Marketing campaigns gain even greater impact when they combine direct mail and digital formats.

For example, your direct mail might include a QR code that leads to a website, event page or social-media profile. QR code also can be presented in custom shapes or be scanned to enter a prize drawing.

Another QR code might lead to a video or an animated short that communicates your promotion or message in a fun, original way.

Because of direct mail’s strong and steady bridge to online media, a majority of marketers still view it as vital for their growth plans in the digital age.

Print & Mail Services Near Me: Contact Us Today

The team at Aurora Fastprint loves three things: to create, to print and to serve. Together with us, you can create direct mail that makes its way toward an action instead of a recycling bin, especially when it complements your digital marketing.

Let’s talk about how you can optimize your targeted marketing with inspired “print and mail services near me” for Oswego, Aurora, Montgomery, Yorkville, Sugar Grove and Naperville (IL). Just give us a call at (630) 896-5980!