Direct Mail for New Customers, Email for Retention: A Strategy for Businesses

By Lee Garvey

Your marketing channels are like dance partners—each with unique strengths that shine at different moments. In the choreography of customer communications, direct mail and email serve as two powerful yet distinct tools in your marketing strategy.

Businesses that thrive today don’t rely on a single channel. Instead, they master the balance between physical and digital touchpoints throughout the customer journey, ensuring the right message reaches the right audience at the right time.

One strategy you might consider is to focus your direct mail campaigns on new customers, while using email to keep your current customers happy.

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Direct Mail as an Acquisition Tool vs. Email for Retention: An Overview

Understanding when to use direct mail versus email can significantly improve both customer acquisition and retention.

The Power of Direct Mail for New Customer Acquisition

When reaching out to potential customers, standing out is essential. Direct mail provides a tangible presence that digital communications often lack.

“Direct mail becomes a good acquisition tool and email becomes a good retention tool,” says Lee Garvey, founder and CEO of Click2Mail. “If they don’t have a relationship with you, direct mail is probably the better way.”

Unlike emails that can be ignored or deleted instantly, direct mail captures attention and leaves a lasting impression, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

Email’s Strength in Customer Retention

Once a customer relationship is established, email becomes an efficient and cost-effective way to maintain communication. The immediacy of email allows businesses to nurture customer relationships with timely updates, promotions, and personalized messages.

Because recipients recognize your brand, they’re more likely to open and engage with your emails, making it an ideal channel for retention.

Creating a Seamless Channel Transition Strategy

The most effective marketing strategies create a smooth transition between direct mail and email. As customers move from acquisition to retention, communication methods should evolve to match their level of familiarity and engagement with your brand.

Integrating Direct Mail and Digital Channels for Maximum Impact

Rather than treating direct mail and email as separate efforts, businesses should use them as complementary touchpoints. When strategically aligned, these channels reinforce one another and enhance overall marketing effectiveness.

Coordinating Campaign Timing

Synchronizing direct mail with digital outreach can significantly improve response rates. Sending an email before a mail piece arrives primes the recipient, while a follow-up email reinforces the message.

“We’ve seen clients who coordinate their email and direct mail timing get up to 25% higher response rates than when using either channel independently,” Lee says. This multi-touch approach builds recognition and trust, increasing engagement.

Maintaining Consistent Messaging Across Channels

Consistency is crucial. While the format and delivery method may differ, your branding, messaging, and offers should remain aligned.

Direct mail should visually match your website, emails, and social media presence, ensuring customers recognize your brand across all touchpoints. This familiarity fosters trust and strengthens customer relationships.

Using Physical Mail to Drive Digital Engagement

Direct mail is an effective way to guide customers to digital channels. QR codes, personalized URLs (PURLs), and text-to-respond options create seamless bridges from print to online engagement.

“People using QR codes don’t even have to login. It’s associated with their phone or that mailpiece,” Carly explains. “And the flipside of that is the people sending them get paid faster by sending them directly to the payment page.” This integration creates convenience for customers while providing better tracking for marketers.

Applying Digital Insights to Direct Mail Targeting

Using digital data to inform direct mail campaigns ensures that mailings are timely, relevant, and highly targeted. Behavioral insights from website activity, email engagement, and purchase history can determine when and what type of direct mail to send.

This data-driven approach transforms direct mail from a broad outreach tool into a precise marketing instrument, delivering messages when customers are most receptive.

Optimizing Channels with Strategic Metrics

Tracking performance metrics for each channel is essential for refining your marketing strategy.

• Conversion Tracking: Modern direct mail includes tracking through intelligent mail barcodes and QR codes. “You have to track conversions, but you also want to figure out who even looked,” Carly says.
• Engagement Metrics: For email, this includes open rates and click-throughs. For direct mail, delivery confirmation and secondary engagement provide insights into effectiveness. “Sometimes if you’re just doing an awareness campaign, you want to see if the piece was even delivered,” Carly explains.
• Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Measuring the cost of acquisition versus retention ensures smarter budget allocation. “It would have to be related to the cost of your list – how much you’re spending on acquisition versus retention,” Lee notes.
• A/B Testing: Testing different messages, formats, and timing can refine both direct mail and email strategies. “A/B testing is critical. If a mail campaign’s not working, you gotta switch it up,” Carly advises. “With Click2Mail, you can do a smaller campaign—no need for tens of thousands of mailers.”

Physical Touch Points Throughout the Customer Lifecycle

Direct mail offers unique advantages for building and maintaining customer relationships throughout the buyer journey, so you shouldn’t exclusively rely on email. When strategically deployed, physical mail creates meaningful connections that complement digital communication channels.

Relationship Milestones

Appreciation Moments:
Thoughtful acknowledgments establish a foundation of appreciation. “Thank you cards are important,” Carly explains. “It’s a relationship builder.”

Company Updates:
Personalized updates on company changes strengthen the human connection in ways that digital communications often cannot.

Product Anticipation:
Strategic updates about upcoming products keep customers engaged without always pushing for immediate sales. Carly shares how one company sent updates about their delayed catalog: “I’ve gotten lots of postcards from them. Not one has been a coupon, only updates on the catalog status.”

Strategic Advantages

Physical-Digital Integration:
Physical reminders with digital integration create a powerful combination. “The physicality of the reminder is important. Email, it’s gone. A piece of mail with a QR code, they’ll keep around,” Lee notes.

Audience Targeting:
Demographic considerations should always guide channel selection. “To be successful you have to be aware of the demographics of your audience,” Lee emphasizes.

Innovative Approaches:
New technologies are expanding possibilities for physical touchpoints. “We’re working to create what appear to be handwritten postcards that are personalized using AI,” Lee explains, highlighting how innovation is making direct mail newly relevant.

Impact vs. Frequency:
Physical mail creates memorable moments throughout the customer relationship. While digital channels provide frequency, direct mail provides impact.

Take Action: Optimize Your Channel Strategy Today

Successful marketing isn’t about choosing between direct mail and email—it’s about using both strategically to enhance customer engagement. With Click2Mail, businesses can seamlessly integrate physical and digital marketing efforts, eliminating the complexities of traditional mailroom operations..

Ready to optimize your marketing strategy? Click2Mail provides the tools and expertise to help businesses of all sizes enhance their acquisition-retention balance. Whether you’re launching your first direct mail campaign or refining your omnichannel approach, their solutions offer flexibility, precision, and measurable results.