Growing up in the digital age, it’s commonly accepted that millennials are never without their phones, laptops, and iPads and that direct mail is an ineffective way to reach out to them. It turns out, nothing could be further from the truth! Studies have shown that these digital natives like getting old fashioned, physical mail!

There are currently 80 million millennials in the U.S. who will have a cumulative $1.4 trillion in spending power by 2020, so it is imperative that marketers pay attention to this group of potential customers. Successfully understanding what drives and delights this instrumental group is key to an effective campaign, so, how can you use direct mail to appeal to millennials?

Be Genuine:  All the messaging and imagery on your direct mail collateral needs to be authentic and in tune with your brand. Show that you are responsible, transparent and consistent. Include links to access additional information about your company. Show your passion for what you do as well for the people in your organization that help you do it.

Approachability:  How difficult is it for someone to reach you? How many options to respond to your direct mail are there? If they call you will they reach a human or an auto attendant? The easier and more accessible your contact channels are, the more responses you’re going to get.

Human Touch:  Create a bond with each individual, not only with personalization but through emotion as well. Highlight real people in your company or business who are doing good things and include an image. Humanize your brand and you’ll have a greater appeal with millennials.

Social Mindfulness:  Highlight all the good things your organization is doing for social causes. Not just donating money which millennials see as a token gesture.  How are your employees giving back? How are you and your company involved in your local community? Give support to a non-profit that is in line with your business and beliefs and that you or your employees feel deeply about. Then tell everyone about the great things you are doing!

Content Empowers Them:  Millennials crave content-driven media and they love to share, like pin, tweet, snap, forward and comment on all of it. Offer millennials content they would proudly share with others and you’ll successfully build a real brand-consumer relationship.

Technology:  Millennials are the most digital savvy group out there so you need to make sure that you are including technology in your direct mail. Not just QR codes, but pURLs (Personalized URLs) as well. Direct mail should be used as a gateway to online content and mobile devices. This group likes interactive experiences, so you want to give them that experience through your direct mail pieces. And don’t forget, millennials love to share ALL of their experiences with friends!

As a group, millennials are not impossible to crack from a marketing perspective. Targeting them using direct mail is not as big of a challenge as you might think. Using the points above will help you effectively communicate with and sell to millennials. Your direct mail should be inclusive and informative, not pushy… millennials get turned off by the hard sell. They view direct mail as more trustworthy than electronic communication, so capitalize on that!

Providing an excellent user experience across all channels is important with this target group. Embrace that and create fun, engaging direct mail that moves recipients online to landing pages, social media or whatever content you want. Make sure to track your responses so that you know what is working and what is not. Keep in mind that all millennials are not the same, they are individuals and have different wants and needs. Capturing their response information and adding that to your database is immensely valuable. It will allow you to provide better, more targeted offers to them in the future.

Contact us at (949) 305-4753 or email us at Contact@idealdirectadgroup.com to discuss ways we can help you target this all-important group for your next campaign!