Data and metrics are transforming direct mail. Printers should pay attention.

Once considered the poor analogue cousin in the digital marketing mix, direct mail (DM) has quietly evolved into one of the most precisely targeted, data responsive, and strategically valuable tools at a company’s disposal. And while many printers still treat it as a fulfilment channel, those who understand its deeper potential are beginning to reposition themselves as expert partners – not just service providers.

“DM has evolved quite significantly,” says Kerry Holden, managing director at Mailbird. “Long gone are the days of static letters, flyers, and brochures. Nowadays, DM is much more about highly personalised, targeted experiences.”

Intelligence beyond personalisation

Relevance begins with data. But as Mr Holden points out, most campaigns fail not because of poor design or print quality, but because the data was not right in the first place.

“In my experience, when campaigns don’t perform, it’s most commonly down to the data,” he says. “A piece of digital print is only ever going to be as good as the data driving it.”

Kerry Holden, managing director, Mailbird

For printers, this offers the chance to build new revenue streams. If you are just running what the client sends you, you are commoditised. But if you are analysing that data, suggesting smarter applications of different types of print, and making connections between the technology and the goals of your customer, you become something more: a strategic problem-solver.

Cost, however, remains a common objection. As Mr Holden notes: “Printing the same brochure will always be cheaper than printing personalised brochures… but it’s about quality, not quantity.” He argues that marketers often overfill campaigns with content, conflating more pages with more value. But the opposite is often true. “Why print 30 pages when a recipient may only really be interested in a fraction of the content?” While the cost per unit may be higher, smart targeting can yield better engagement and return.

“Printing the same brochure will always be cheaper than printing personalised brochures… but it’s about quality, not quantity.” – Kerry Holden, managing director, Mailbird

“We win a lot of business because Company A will simply do as it’s been asked,” Mr Holden adds, using the example of a client who runs a travel company. “Whereas, I’d be asking the customer to provide more information within their data, such as when did they last book a holiday and where? What did they spend? Did they repeat book? Depending on those answers, you could offer to customise the front page, or first few pages with info and offers about holidays based on previous interests and purchases.”

Outpacing digital

Direct mail’s targeting capabilities have long rivalled digital media. But until recently, its measurability lagged behind. Now, thanks to organisations like JICMAIL, it has become a channel that can enjoy robust media-style metrics that allow direct comparison with TV, OOH (out-of-home) campaigns, and digital platforms.

“While the classic performance marketing metrics of response rates, ROI, cost per acquisition, and lifetime value are vital… there are also a whole host of mail engagement metrics that we track at JICMAIL,” explains Ian Gibbs, JICMAIL’s director of data leadership and learning. “These give greater comparability to other media channels.”

These metrics include:

  • Frequency of interaction: how often a piece of mail is engaged with
  • Item reach: how many people in a household see the mail
  • Lifespan: how long the mail stays in the home
  • Attention: how much time is spent engaging with the item over 28 days

“These metrics reframe the value of the mail channel,” says Mr Gibbs. “One mail item generates circa 4.5 ad impressions. Costing mail up on a cost per impression basis, as other media do, creates a more favourable value comparison.”

This measurability opens up a new conversation for printers – one that positions direct mail as a channel with accountability, tangible attention, and return on investment built in.

From print provider to marketing partner

If data is the fuel and metrics the proof, then client alignment is the engine. According to Mr Holden, many PSPs are missing a key opportunity by not fully understanding their clients’ broader marketing objectives.

“Brands and agencies alike tend to see PSPs and mail producers purely as operational/manufacturing-based businesses – great at creating the product but having little understanding of what comes before it,” he says. “It seems blindingly obvious, but you must know your customer!”

Mr Holden likens the challenge to the well-documented ‘white-coat effect’ which suggests that patients trust doctors in white coats more. “The challenge for PSPs is how to achieve that white-coat effect. A marketer’s perception of a PSP might be that they are naturally an expert in their eld. Yet, what do they know above and beyond putting ink on paper?”

The answer lies in data fluency, strategic curiosity, and the confidence to ask questions that go beyond specs and volumes.

Campaign simplicity still wins

Sophistication doesn’t mean complexity. The most effective direct mail campaigns often rely on a sharp insight, smart execution, and a frictionless call to action.

“Often, the companies selling these services are doing so without any meaningful understanding of how they can be applied in a way that maximises response,” Mr Holden explains. “Instead, it just becomes a gimmick.”

He gives the example of augmented reality mailers, which were once seen as cutting-edge but often too clunky to execute effectively. “You must make it as easy as possible for a prospective customer to make a purchase. No one wants to jump through hoops. To this day, a campaign my local optician’s ran remains one of the best I’ve seen. It was a postcard that had a blurred image of some glasses on it, with the strapline: ‘It’s time to book your eye test’. A QR code takes you straight to their online booking.”

This is the sweet spot: the ability to execute beautifully and advise wisely, without complicating the end experience.

Industry momentum – and support

The ecosystem around mail is also evolving – and organisations like the Strategic Mailing Partnership (SMP) are helping printers navigate and influence that evolution.

“Our mission is simple yet ambitious,” says Lucy Swanston, SMP chair. “To reignite passion and realise the power of mail – creatively, effectively, and sustainably. We serve as the UK’s largest specialist supply chain network for post, focused on representing and protecting the interests of printers, mailing houses, and agencies engaged in mailing.”

The SMP offers completely free membership to printers and mailing houses across the UK, and provides access to valuable resources, including JICMAIL certification, free and discounted training, a sustainability hub (PrintGreen), and Royal Mail incentives via its working groups. For PSPs looking to enter the direct mail space – or level up their value to clients – the SMP offers a gateway to best practice, innovation forums, and industry influence.

Lucy Swanston, chair, Strategic Mailing Partnership

“Our mission is simple yet ambitious, To reignite passion and realise the power of mail – creatively, effectively, and sustainably.” – Lucy Swanston, chair, Strategic Mailing Partnership

“DM is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in the UK,” Ms Swanston adds. “Bellwether (July 2025), for example, reports 10 consecutive quarters of direct marketing budget growth, and over 50% of mail-driven purchases were attributed to digital conversions in Q1 2025.”

The last post

Today, direct mail is strategic, accountable, and data driven. And for PSPs ready to lean in, understand the metrics, and collaborate with clients on the thinking as well as the doing, it offers an exciting new growth story.

As Mr Holden puts it: “If you print, then chances are your customers are mailing what you print. Understanding the channel will help you position your business to better support your customers in their marketing efforts.”

JICMAIL metrics at a glance

Direct mail performance can now be measured in ways that match digital and broadcast channels. Here’s how:

  • Frequency: Avg. 4.5 interactions per mail item per month
  • Item Reach: More than one person per household engages with mail
  • Lifespan: Mail stays in the home for days or even weeks • Attention: Time spent reading or looking at mail — tracked over 28 days
  • Cost-per-impression: Allows DM to compete directly with online CPMs Source: JICMAIL Q1 2025 report