AMiable Solution #150: In Mail We Trust

Last week, I stood in line behind a teenager at the post office.  He had no idea how to mail a letter.  Despite the clerk repeatedly telling him he needed only one stamp to mail his envelope to College Park, he questioned her again and again.  When he finally bought his solitary stamp, he didn’t know which corner to put it in.

Did this young man really not know how to mail a letter, or was he just nervous because the contents of the envelope--a college application, perhaps--were of upmost importance?  Should we panic?  After all, Millennials have a reputation for being technically savvy, not traditionally minded.

Although the Millennial generation seems to be glued to cell phones and addicted to social media, when it comes to marketing, research shows that these young folks actually respond better to good old direct mail than marketing’s electronic counterparts.

In 2011, marketingcharts.com revealed in its December 13 article, “Most Millennials’ Store Choices Influenced by Print Media,” that 92% of Millennials make purchasing decisions because of direct mail compared to the 78% who are influenced by email.

And it’s not just Millennials who appreciate direct mail.  MarketingCharts further reports that 59% of American consumers (almost 3 in 5 people) enjoy learning about new products through direct mail compared to 43% who enjoy getting similar information from emails.

The best news for all of us?  Anyone can receive direct mail.  No stamps required.