We… me… you… all of us have an attention problem.

We don’t know how to focus anymore.

Sorry.

That’s not true.

I should say, we don’t know WHAT to focus ON anymore.

Our lives are jam-packed with to-dos, and checklists and meetings, and — of course,  ads.

All kinds of ads. Digital, social, TV, radio, print, outdoor, indoor direct mail…

And for us marketers, solving this attention problem is really the key to improving our ROIs, our campaigns' effectiveness, and our bottom lines.

So how? How do we capture this rarest of commodities – attention?

In the dynamic world of direct marketing, knowing your consumer has always been paramount.

In the last few years (I’m sure you’ve noticed), behavioral economics has started to impact the way marketers build their strategies and campaigns. So let’s explore this discipline and see what it means for us direct marketers.

What exactly are we seeing out there?

Put your goggles on… grab your lab coat…

Because scientific studies and research have produced evidence that direct mail works.

Let's all agree...

Direct mail can be a powerful and profitable marketing tool.

But attempting to execute it without the help of a good DM agency can be a slippery slope and might mean some big missed revenue opportunities. Worst case it might land you in some hot water legally.

But there's ONE other important reason not to deploy a DIY campaign (see the comments in red below).

Like you don't have enough to worry about...

On top of everything else keeping you up at night, here are the most pressing issues direct marketers need to be aware of over the next 12 to 36 months — and interestingly enough, they all seem to have something in common – an added measure of CAUTION.

CMOs aren’t sleeping much these days.

And when you ask them what's keeping them up at night — there’s a discernible pattern in their answers…

No surprise — it’s all about that bottom line (sounds like a Megan Trainor song?).

But what’s particularly troubling for our marketing brethren, and a major source of their sleepless nights, is this: getting a decent return on their marketing investment. Their ROMI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an exciting technology that has transformed the marketing industry — enabling businesses to automate processes, optimize campaigns, and improve customer experience.

However, while AI can be a powerful tool in direct marketing, it also poses significant risks to marketers and brands.

Here are 5 reasons why using AI in direct marketing could be dangerous:

Over 150 years ago, Henry David Thoreau stated that the world needed to "simplify." 

That was before IOT... self-driving cars... and ChatGPT.

Today the world seems more complicated than ever.

If ever there were a time to "simplify," it's today.

Especially in the world of direct mail design.

Because direct mail design, much like digital design, has been changing over the years.

Direct response marketers have a lot on their minds these days. And if you ask them to rank their most pressing issues, the results are quite interesting. That’s exactly what the folks at Lob did. Results from selected survey questions are laid out here...

Direct mail has been around for centuries...

But with the rise of digital ads, email, etc., it has been deemed "old hat" by some. Yet, there are still several advantages that direct mail has — and will always have — over today’s technology that make it a worthwhile investment for businesses in 2023.

Here are the top three reasons direct mail is the best place to put your marketing dollar right now: