Printed vs. Handwritten Direct Marketing ROI
If you’re in business, it’s important to know how to get the most out of your marketing budget so that every dollar spent gets results.
Direct mail services have consistently had some of the highest returns on investment (ROI) compared to other marketing strategies. In fact, a USPS study found that 75% of people recall receiving a piece of direct mail, and research indicates that direct mail typically remains in a household for 17 days. This means your message doesn’t just get read, it stays top of mind and increases the chances of being acted on.
While direct mail typically gets great returns, not all direct mail services are the same. Your direct mail marketing ROI will depend on what you send in the mail. Turns out, when you compare printed and handwritten direct mail, handwritten mail often comes out on top as the better direct mail marketing strategy that delivers the highest return on investment.
If you’re ready to see the direct mail marketing ROI for handwritten mail in your business, contact us today and get 200 free letters to see the results for yourself.
What is Printed vs. Handwritten Direct Mail?
Before we dive into the ROI of different direct mail services, it’s important to answer some common questions about what direct mail marketing is first.
Direct mail is when a physical promotional material is sent to prospects or clients. Unlike email or digital ads, direct mail services put something tangible into your customers’ hands. Direct mail marketing is a strategy where companies use physical mail to connect with new or existing customers, build brand awareness, or drive action.
There are two approaches to direct mail:
Printed (Traditional) Mail: When companies send professionally printed material, such as flyers, brochures, or direct mail postcards. The entire campaign is identical, and every piece sent is the same, and there are often requirements to run a campaign with a few hundred mailers.
Handwritten Mail: When companies send handwritten material that is written by hand or created with handwriting robots that mimic human handwriting. Handwritten direct mail examples include thank-you cards, referral requests, and follow-up letters. With our technology, every piece sent can be unique, and you can send a single piece of mail to one person.
Whether you choose printed or handwritten direct mail, both have been proven to deliver incredible marketing results and a high return on investment.
What is the Direct Marketing ROI?
Direct mail has a reputation for delivering excellent results, but is that actually the truth?
To help answer that question, we’ve broken down the average direct mail response rates, how much direct mail marketing costs, and other statistics related to ROI to help you understand how effective direct mail marketing really is.
Direct Mail Open Rates
Printed direct mail has an average open rate of 42%. Handwritten mail performs much higher, with an average open rate of 90%.
At Scribe Handwritten, our clients’ campaigns consistently surpass the already high industry average, with open rates as high as 99%.
Direct Mail Response Rates
Printed mail has a 3-5% direct mail response rate depending on the industry, with an overall average of 3.63%. When businesses switch to handwritten direct mail, they typically see their response rate double compared to what they achieved in prior campaigns.
Direct Mail Costs
How much direct mail costs will vary based on the type of physical mail you are sending. For printed mail, the average cost ranges from $0.30 to $3.00 per piece. The industry average for handwritten mail is typically more expensive, averaging $2.95 to $8.95 per piece.
However, because of Scribe Handwritten’s use of direct mail automation, the average cost for handwritten direct mail with Scribe is between $1.69 and $3.49 per piece, which is close to the cost of some printed mail formats.
Direct Marketing ROI
In terms of ROI, customers who received printed direct mail purchased about 28% more items compared to those not reached by direct mail. By comparison, handwritten campaigns drove nearly twice the ROI of printed direct mail. On average, businesses that used handwritten direct mail saw a 49% increase in purchases.
While both printed and handwritten direct mail campaigns can deliver strong results, the data shows that handwritten direct mail consistently delivers the strongest open rates, response rates, and overall ROI.
Why Does Handwritten Direct Mail Outperform Printed?
When you examine the numbers, it’s clear that direct mail remains effective, especially when you are running a handwritten direct mail marketing campaign.
While the numbers show handwritten mail is more effective, it’s important to understand why. There are three main reasons why handwritten campaigns consistently outperform printed direct mail marketing.
Perceived Effort & Care
A handwritten note shows more effort and thoughtfulness than a printed flyer or brochure ever could. That perceived effort makes customers feel cared for, which makes them more likely to respond. In fact, research found that simply adding a name to direct mail increases response rates by 135%.
Stands Out
Today’s customers are inundated with marketing messages that are easy to ignore or delete. A handwritten note immediately stands out from the marketing noise because it is uncommon to receive one. That uniqueness increases the likelihood it will be noticed and opened.
Builds a Stronger Emotional Connection
Handwritten notes feel more personal, which naturally makes customers feel more connected to your business. That sense of authenticity builds trust and makes customers more likely to buy from you in the future.
In a world where most communication feels transactional and impersonal, receiving a handwritten note stands out, makes customers feel valued, and leaves a positive impression.
How Scribe Makes Handwritten Mail at Scale
Handwritten direct mail has always delivered a strong ROI, but the biggest challenges have been cost and scalability. Scribe Handwritten solves these challenges by combining AI-powered robots and CRM integration.
- AI-Powered Robots: Every piece is written with a real pen and is programmed to utilize natural variations in pen pressure and strokes, making the final product indistinguishable from human handwriting. This ensures customers feel that personal touch, while using automation to lower costs and increase output.
- CRM Integration: Scribe connects directly with your customer database, making it easy to automate campaigns and personalize messages at scale.
With Scribe’s use of direct mail automation, it’s possible to get personalization, scalability, and low costs.
Increase Your Marketing ROI with Scribe’s Handwritten Letters
Handwritten direct mail marketing stands out in a way that printed mail cannot compete with. Our clients have seen the results firsthand, with many getting returns of over 1,000%. Their stories are proof that handwritten direct mail is an incredibly effective way to increase your business’s ROI.
Start your handwritten direct mail campaign and see how Scribe’s handwritten letters can improve your ROI. There’s no minimum order quantity, and if you order 1,000 letters, we’ll give you 200 for free.
Start today to experience the results for yourself.