A Smarter, More Strategic Approach to Direct Mail Targeting
We love talking with our customers—especially when those conversations challenge us to dig deeper into the why behind our work. Lately, we’ve been having some great discussions around data—what makes it valuable, and how it impacts campaign performance. One thing is clear: in direct mail, data is everything. And when it comes to data, we’re not focused on the most. We’re focused on the best.
Our Data Philosophy: Precision > Volume
Direct mail isn’t the cheapest channel—but it is one of the most effective. In fact, 61% of consumers say direct mail has influenced a purchase. And while an email’s lifespan is just a couple of seconds, direct mail sticks around—an average of 17 days. It’s tactile, visible, and more trusted.
But even the most eye-catching mailer won’t work if it lands in the wrong hands. Great creative still needs great targeting. That’s where data quality comes in—and it’s why we believe in reaching the right people, not all the people.
Our focus is on performance, not padding your list. While others may prioritize volume, we’re here to help you generate real results—and long-term ROI. That means more precision, less waste, and a better experience for your audience.
Why Fewer Contacts Can Mean Better Results
When we deliver data for a campaign, our lists may be smaller than what you’d get from others in the industry—and that’s intentional. Here’s what we don’t do:
- We don’t overload you with contacts who won’t convert.
- We don’t push volume at the expense of targeting.
- And we don’t waste your budget sending mail that ends up in the trash.
Instead, we give you a list built for impact. Every name has been vetted, verified, and strategically selected—so your message reaches people who are more likely to engage, respond, and convert. It’s not about quantity. It’s about outcome.
So next time you see a massive prospect list, pause before you’re impressed. Ask: Who are these people? Do they align with my goals? Will they actually respond? If the answer is “probably not,” then more is just more—not better.
Why Our Data Delivers
At Strata, we’ve spent decades fine-tuning how we source, clean, and curate data. Our team works with trusted providers and continuously evaluates every input for relevance, accuracy, and performance. We don’t set it and forget it. We actively optimize.
Like everything we do, our data strategy is built on flexibility, responsiveness, and results. Because we know that successful direct mail starts long before the press runs—it starts with the right list.
Looking for a smarter approach to direct mail? Let’s talk.
Contact us to learn how we can help you get more from your data—and your campaigns.
Why They’re Not (at All) the Same
Sometimes direct mail gets a bad rep. Why? Because it’s commonly mistaken for junk mail. But other than being mail, these two have nothing in common. Direct mail only falls into the category of junk mail when it’s poorly executed. When done right, direct mail targets, entices, and benefits a specific customer. Someone, who through market research, is most likely in need of your product or service. It’s designed with purpose in mind, is backed by research and data, drives audiences with calls-to-action, and is highly customized and personalized. Take a quick read to further understand how direct mail differs from junk – and why it should be a key part of your company’s marketing strategy.
Direct Mail Starts with a Good List
The biggest difference between direct mail and junk mail is a good list. A list that’s backed by data, and one that targets the right people – not just any people. Before making an effective, comprehensive or specified list, first review the mailing lists you currently have. Who are you sending mail to? Who have you sent to in the past? Are they the right audience(s)? Are there more audiences (or more specific audiences) you should be targeting?
A wrong list will fail to target those who’d be interested in buying from you, and will often also target those who’d have no interest at all (cough, cough – junk mail). For example, sending “get 10% off your first order with us” to a loyal customer, or even worse, trying to sell meat to a vegetarian. Junk mail goes to anyone and everyone, and often with irrelevant and impersonal information. Plus, it’s often a waste of money, as many of those unspecified and uninterested customers will throw your mail out without a second thought.
In contrast, direct mail is sent to people in data-driven lists, and with messaging that makes sense for their specific customer profiles. Compiling this strategic list makes all the difference in targeting the right customers and catching their attention. Direct mail, unlike junk, is sent to direct people for direct reasons. In fact, 42% of recipients read or scan direct mail that’s relevant to them.
Types of Direct Mail Lists
Direct mail lists come in many forms, so it’s good to take a look at them all before deciding what will work for your company and its marketing needs. Here are the 4 most common ones:
House List: A list you’ve collected on your own time of prospects and customers you’ve made connections with. People on this list are likely to respond, because they’ve already responded to previous offerings.
Response List: A list you’ve put together of people who’ve responded to and reacted to your outreach before. Whether they’ve purchased something or have asked for more information, these people have some level of interest in your offerings.
Compiled List: A list of candidates that went through screener questions and possessed a characteristic or set of characteristics you searched for. These characteristics are fixed, and are most commonly age, gender, location, or income level.Another characteristic could be new movers – those who just moved in and are looking to become loyal customers of your services.
Segmented List: A list curated through a high-tech analysis platform that defines key prospects. This type of list accesses information far beyond age, income, and gender, and gives you the ability to micro-target your market for more extreme results and higher ROI. This type of targeted list also helps you avoid sending to “do-not-mail” contacts.
Direct Mail Has Personally Relevant Messaging
After you decide on a list, the next step is deciding on the right messaging. Direct mail isn’t just about knowing who to send to, but how to speak to them to get them to notice, develop interest, and potentially buy from you. Look into your customers’ buying habits. What entices them? What offerings are they most interested in? And, how can you best reach them? Knowing the proper way to connect with your current and potential customers will help your mailer stand out. Don’t just use a cheesy, typical slogan or generic text. Craft words that highlight who you are, what makes you unique, and why they should use your surfaces or buy your offerings (over others). Make your mailer personal by adding their name, incorporating content that makes sense to their age and other demographics, and including offers applicable to them. Lastly, a clear call-to-action can educate the recipient in how to respond in the most efficient and convenient way possible.
Direct Mail Has Purposeful & Impactful Design
Lastly, once you’ve crafted effective messaging, design your mailer with intentional and engaging visuals. Make sure you’re thinking through the following key design aspects:
Sizing: Think about what size mailer makes sense for your audience, and what will help yours stand out in the mailbox among others. And, in terms of font size – think over what message is most important to get across. Use sizing hierarchy to emphasize words like “free” or “grand opening”.
Layout: Always consider how you want the viewer’s eye to be lead across your mailer. One good technique is the “s-curve” layout – which leads the eye down and across by using imagery on the left and words on right, or a similar variation.
Graphics: Using unique and eye-catching graphics is a great way to make your business stand out from the rest. Be sure to use high quality images as well as consistent branding elements – such as a logo, fonts, colors, and textures. And, go further by using variable images depending on who’s receiving the mailer to make it resonate with the viewer.
Color: Pops of color are also a great way to spice things up – especially when they’re not expected, or to emphasize a call to action. For example, use pops of color on new services, departments, or special offers, or to emphasize a QR code.
Altogether, the key to good mailer design it to ensure it resonates with the customer and emphasizes who you are and the message you’re trying to send.
Now that we’ve gone through what makes direct mail, well, direct – we hope you can see that it is drastically different than unsolicited junk mail. If you’re looking to make a change with your direct mailers or simply want to learn more, contact Strata’s experts.
“Say it with Print”
In the digital age we now live in, the mindset that digital platforms will drive out traditional marketing can’t be any further from the truth. Today, we’re talking the power of print – and what it can do for your business that digital marketing alone, simply can’t.
Print Resonates
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, it’s no secret that these days, from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed, we’re almost constantly confronted with marketing. Whether that’s in music, television, signage, emails, phone calls – it’s everywhere. 69% of recent study participants said that this tremendous amount of information overwhelms them. These days, creativity’s not only a good thing to have, but a necessary skill as a business producing marketing materials. If you’re going to reach your audience, your message (and the mediums you use) must be unique, eye catching, and stand out among and above the rest. Using print materials may not be your first thought, but these days print’s grabbing the attention of potential customers much more than other channels. Materials like brochures, signage, business cards, flyers, and postcards produce a bit of nostalgia, and break away from the digital noise we’re constantly bombarded by.
All forms of marketing still work in their own ways – and we of course think that every audience has a preference, and every message has its best way of travel. But what sets print apart, are the emotions it can produce. Print engages our senses. We can physically feel the quality and craftsmanship that went into that piece of paper or box, and get a sense of the thought behind it. What paper was used? What colors are on the print? What creative choices were made? Okay, maybe not everyone is thinking these exact thoughts, but our subconscious has a sense of these elements, giving us a new view of a company, or establishing additional trust and loyalty. We know this because 82% of people in the US say the quality and graphics of a print marketing material are what captures their attention. This is especially a belief among younger generations, as Millennials and Gen Z audiences tend to be more driven by experience and personalization.
Why not use this to your advantage? Try incorporating quality images and messaging, striking colors, and appealing visuals into your marketing materials – especially if you’re targeting a younger audience – and don’t forget about what it’s printed on. Sometimes a textured paper or an irregular, surprising shape can make all the difference.
A recent San Jose State University study found that “people reading on screens take a lot of shortcuts – they spend more time browsing, scanning and hunting for keywords compared with people reading on paper.” When you have something important to say, “say it with print.”
Print is Personalized
These days, services like print marketing lead the way in personalization. In a recent survey, 72% of consumers polled found personalization to be one of the most important features of print marketing – turning it into messaging that really stands out. Not only can you send print marketing directly to your customers in the mail, you can add their name, favorite products, incorporate their pain points, and offer a specific solution to their needs – all possible with the right data. Making your audience feel special with a physical piece of mail, postcard, flyer, or delivery, can really reinforce that they’re important to your brand and company.
Print Inspires Creativity
There’s definitely something to be said about physical rather than digital when it comes to creativity. 76% of respondents from Canon’s Print for Action survey said they feel more creative when print is near. And Flora Kessler, strategy partner at Carat UK said: “There’s an element of creativity in print that you don’t always see in digital. So much budget devoted to digital…can soak up the creativity along the way.”
Print is Authentic
When companies use print media to display their message, there’s always an underlying message. That message? Stability – of imagery and wording that reflects trust and solidarity. Print can be pinned to a cork board, stuck on your refrigerator, tucked away in your pocket, and taken with you. Most importantly, it doesn’t change without your action. In this way, print is trustworthy, and therefore, much more authentic than digital alone. Print’s physical makeup also provides context. It’s tactile, and provides a story with a beginning, middle, and end. Digital media has no boundaries, and no known ownership. You can’t really be a title-holder, so to speak, of digital work, yet with print, once you pick up a piece, it’s yours to keep. Plus, print has no delete button – so it’s taken much more seriously. A digital work may be read over once or twice, but print work is read, reread, edited, edited again, and then probably goes through several other “final read throughs” and “double-checks” to follow. A printed piece is nostalgic, familiar, and comforting to most. It’s patient and kind, and does not ask you to ever “log in” to access materials.
As time goes on and marketing material options expand, the power and trust of print only grows. We’d suggest that you continue to use it, and intertwine it with digital whenever possible to get the most from your marketing and reach your audience(s) in more ways than one.
Looking for ways to incorporate the power of print into your marketing efforts? With years and years (and years) of experience under our belts, we’re print experts. Contact us today to start brainstorming your next print marketing campaign.
How to Adjust from Marketing to the Masses to the Individuals that Make Up the Masses
Over the last several decades, we have made great shifts in the way we market to our customers.
One of the most prominent of these shifts is the way in which we’ve adjusted from marketing to the masses to marketing to the individuals that make up the masses. That fundamental adjustment is what separates many successful companies — and their competition — today.
Perhaps the best way this shift manifests itself is in some of our strategic tools, and of these, one strategy stands out — using personas to map the buyer journey. Put simply, mapping the buyer journey with personas is about plotting out each stage of an eventual purchase, from recognizing a need to securing whatever service or good fulfills it from the perspective of the personas.
Let’s take a look at how we can use personas to map and enhance a buyer journey.
Create Personas
We’ve touched on personas frequently in our StrataBytes blog series, and there’s a good reason for that — personas are a valuable resource. As a refresher (or for those of us who are not familiar), personas are lifelike, highly specific representations of customers. For instance, a basic persona may look something like this:
Jillian is 32 and assists in buying MarTech systems for her company. She values being able to do her research independently. Being tech-savvy, Jillian appreciates high-level content detailing the functions of the MarTech she’s looking into. Although she’s a thoughtful and independent buyer, she likes open lines of communication should she have questions, particularly when that comes in the form of a consistent sales representative.
Of course, this is just a basic example — most companies create significantly more specific personas by using their own data and research while also making personas representing different subsets of target demographics.
Plan Outreach
Now that we’ve created our personas, we can begin using them to map our buyer’s journey, and one of the first things we’ll do is plan our outreach.
Knowing that Jillian is tech-savvy, wants to do her own research, yet still values the ability to interface with a sales representative, we might choose to send her something that is both personally inviting and incorporates digital elements.
This could be a dimensional mailer from a sales representative with a short video displayed on a touch screen. After the video ends, Jillian can explore the pre-loaded content to get a better idea of what capabilities the MarTech system has to offer, including a QR code to download a more technical eBook outlining the finer points of the MarTech.
Identify Obstacles, Friction and Bias
We can also use personas to familiarize ourselves with the obstacle customers regularly face. It’s crucial to use personas in this way to gain a better understanding of our customers by putting ourselves in their shoes.
Identify the pain points they may encounter in their buyer’s journey. For our Jillian persona, that would include things like limited availability of information surrounding the product, difficulty conducting independent research, or trouble contacting a representative with questions.
Our job becomes about removing these pain points and ensuring our fictional company has sufficient information available for those looking to research our products independently, providing varying depth of available content ranging from introductory to technical, and creating an environment where sales representatives are easily accessible through phone, email or online chat.
Update and Maintain Your Personas
People and companies change and this change necessitates the updating of personas to match. Constantly going back to your data and research — figuring out what works and what doesn’t — will fine tune your personas into more potent tools as you continue to use them.
Remember, it’s crucial to make unique personas representing different people going through different buyer journeys.
These tactics — using personas to enhance buyer journeys — can make a huge difference in how small and large companies approach marketing. A better understanding of your customer leads to better marketing, and an enhanced experience for them means enhanced sales for you.
Interested in learning how our services can improve you buyer journey? Contact us to learn more about what Strata can do for you.
From Long Sales Cycles to Brand Loyalty, Direct Mail Drives Action Where Digital Fatigues
There’s no shortage of digital marketing opportunities — emails, ads, pop-ups, social content, automation. But with that abundance comes a major challenge: digital overload.
Marketers are spending more on digital than ever before, yet performance doesn’t always follow. Ad blockers are everywhere, inboxes are overcrowded, and consumers are tuning out. So how do you break through?
Simple. Don’t rely on digital alone.
While digital marketing is essential, pairing it with strategic, physical direct mail is how brands create real impact. From global tech companies to local retailers, marketers across industries use direct mail to capture attention, drive trust, and push prospects further down the funnel.
Here’s why smart marketers continue to invest in mail:
Digital Fatigue is Real
Call it ad blindness, e-fatigue, or digital burnout — people are overwhelmed by digital touchpoints. Studies show attention spans are shorter than ever, and the constant scroll means even strong creative gets lost.
Direct mail enters a completely different space — the physical one. It’s tactile, interruption-proof, and far less saturated than the inbox or feed. It gives your message the room to breathe and the chance to be remembered.
Think of digital marketing as a teacher addressing a crowded classroom. Direct mail is the tutor sitting down one-on-one. The best results come when they work together — digital introduces the concept, direct mail reinforces it in a memorable, high-touch way.
It Supports Long Sales Cycles
In B2B or considered purchases, digital can build early awareness — but it often falls short when it’s time to close the deal. Buyers need time, trust, and reminders. That’s where direct mail excels.
Dimensional mail and other high-value formats keep your brand in front of prospects long after a click is forgotten. These pieces signal investment and credibility, while providing a break from the noisy digital world.
Use mail to re-engage dormant leads, reignite conversations, or reinforce complex solutions — especially when timing matters. We see this often in long sales cycle campaigns, where timely, physical touchpoints can make all the difference.
It Builds Stronger Brand Loyalty
Customer retention is harder than ever. With so much choice, you need more than a good product — you need connection.
Direct mail, especially dimensional formats, gives you a way to say “we appreciate you” in a way that feels real. Think welcome kits, surprise thank-yous, milestone recognition, or loyalty rewards.
Gifting through mail — even something as simple as a branded notebook or useful swag — goes a lot further than another email. It shows thoughtfulness and care, and keeps your brand top of mind. Learn how direct mail supports loyalty campaigns.
It Reaches Silent Decision Makers
Today’s buyers do their own research. They don’t always fill out forms or talk to sales. Instead, they gather information quietly — and make decisions when they’re ready.
Direct mail can be your in. With less competition in the mailbox, your message is more likely to stand out. A well-designed piece can influence the conversation behind the scenes — especially if it’s personalized or makes a compelling case.
When that silent decision maker is ready to act, your brand is already in their hands.
Direct Mail Still Delivers — Literally
Smart, well-timed direct mail has never been more effective. It breaks through the noise, supports longer buying journeys, builds loyalty, and reaches hard-to-reach audiences.
Launching a new product? Nurturing long-term leads? Looking to deepen customer relationships? We can help you develop a data-driven direct mail strategy that complements your digital efforts and drives measurable results.
Let’s talk about how we make direct mail perform like your best digital campaigns — only better.