Direct Mail response Rate

There are many times when customers reach out to us to help them increase response rates. When that happens, my first question to them is “What was the response rate on your last mailing?” Now you would think that after 24 years in the business the standard response to this question would no longer shock me — however, that is not the case. When I hear “I am not sure, ” I cringe. In 2015, how can you not know what your response rate was? You need this information. How can you execute a marketing plan without knowing your numbers?

• The average response rate is 3.7%
• The average cost per response is $19 which when compared to other channels is very competitive
• Best performing style by category is an oversized envelope at 5%
• The next best performing style by category is a postcard at 4.25%
• The most expensive category to mail are dimensional pieces at $30 per response
• The next most expensive are catalogs at $23 per response
• The most common way to track direct mail response is online at 22%
• The next most common way is through a call center at 19%

How do your numbers compare? One key takeaway is that direct mail response rates are higher than all digital media in the study. Direct mail can benefit your marketing mix, but you need to know your numbers so you can keep doing what works, and fix what doesn’t. One other note: most marketers now use more than one channel in order to fulfill campaign objectives. The study found that in most cases marketers were using three or more channels. When they were, the channels used most often together were direct mail, email and social media.