How Effective is Direct Mail in 2025?

[NobleKnight]

Direct mail still works—but only if you send it to the right people.

Most dealerships waste money blasting generic mailers to outdated lists, hoping for a hit. The reality? Precision is everything.

How are you using direct mail today? Seeing results? Let’s talk.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Mail still has a place in the marketing mix. The blasts are good for some dealers, but only if there is a relevant event and a good call center for follow-ups.

I had to become a civilian (left the dealership as a customer) to better understand how visually powerful the right piece of mail is. Letters - no F'n way! Postcards with graphics - yes!

When I moved to Vermont, my mailbox was filled with dealers' offers. Each one made an impression, and some were even intriguing. That was 15 years ago, and I still remember those mailers. There is something much more memorable about a physical thing than a digital text or email.

 

[NobleKnight]

Getting something physical that’s well thought out definitely trumps a digital note!!

 

[Zack_AF]

I'm not interested unless there's a chance I can win an iPod!

 

[Carsten]

Post cards have 100% open rates! They get put up on the fridge too if it is a coupon. People look at these all the time.

I hate those scratch off mailers -- big FU for lying to me!

 

[Ryan Everson]

Dealers often spend $5 per click or $25+ per lead. Why not invest an extra $0.54 (postage + postcard) to send an automated, personalized postcard with trackable results through a service like Lob?

What's old is new again.

 

[Zack_AF]

My sentiment is direct mail makes about as much sense as advertising in a newspaper.
I suppose coupon addicts or retirement aged folks might show interest but I think there's a better use of marketing spend in today's age.

Any mail that isn't important or something I ordered goes straight in the trash. I don't even look at it.

 

[sukoseo]

yeah, I tend to agree with both sides of this coin.

I am not "our ideal customer", so what I do with mail is irrelevant as a result and I try to remember that. If you want a message to get into someone's home (or at least mailbox), it's just another channel.

Of course, so much of how this plays out is dependent on market, demographic, inventory, etc. YMMV

 

[Ryan Everson]

Will share some data once we have available!

 

[Ryan Everson]

yeah, I tend to agree with both sides of this coin.

I am not "our ideal customer", so what I do with mail is irrelevant as a result and I try to remember that. If you want a message to get into someone's home (or at least mailbox), it's just another channel.

Of course, so much of how this plays out is dependent on market, demographic, inventory, etc. YMMV

One other thing to keep in mind: 70 million people are signed up for USPS Informed Delivery, where they receive a daily email with images of their incoming mail.

Those emails have a 59% open rate and generate 3.7 billion monthly impressions - so that's one additional (and often overlooked) "digital" touchpoint that comes with direct mail.

And then to further optimize direct mail costs, you can use an AI scoring model to predict which customers are most likely to buy - allowing you to exclude low-probability recipients.