What Is Handwritten Direct Mail and Why It Works
Handwritten direct mail marketing continues to outperform other marketing channels in open rates, response rates, and overall impact. Despite this, it remains one of the most underutilized strategies in business today.
In this article, we’ll break down what handwritten direct mail marketing is, why it works, and the impact it can have on your business.
Want to see the results for yourself? Contact us today to launch your first handwritten direct mail marketing campaign and get 200 free letters with your order.
What Is Handwritten Direct Mail Marketing?
Handwritten direct mail is when businesses send handwritten mail, like letters, cards, or notes, to current or potential customers. Unlike traditional direct mail that uses mass-printed marketing materials like flyers or brochures, handwritten marketing letters feel more personal and authentic.
Businesses often use handwritten direct mail for things like thank you cards, follow-ups, holiday cards, and sales outreach campaigns. While companies used to handwrite every letter themselves, services like Scribe Handwritten make it easy to scale by using automated AI-powered handwriting robots to create mail that looks like a human wrote it.
Why Handwritten Direct Mail Works
Think back to the last time you received a handwritten letter. Now compare that to the last printed ad that appeared in your mailbox, which likely ended up in your trash can. Chances are, you remember the handwritten mail, even if it wasn’t recent, because it stood out. That’s exactly why handwritten direct mail services work so well.
A direct mail handwritten letter doesn’t blend in with the pile of mass-produced flyers. When you receive handwritten mail, even if it’s a handwritten marketing letter, it doesn’t feel like marketing or advertising. Because it feels personal, it creates a stronger emotional connection to the brand, which makes people more likely to read the message and act on it.
The Impact of Handwritten Direct Mail Marketing on Business
It’s easy to understand why handwritten letters work, but what does that actually mean for business? And what kind of return on your investment could automated handwritten letters create? Below are some of the ways handwritten direct mail marketing has a direct impact on business.
Increased Open & Response Rates
Handwritten direct mail envelopes stand out in a mailbox, which makes them more likely to be opened. On average, handwritten direct mail marketing has an open rate of 90%, compared to just 42% for traditional printed direct mail. Additionally, Scribe Handwritten clients have an open rate of 99%, above the already impressive industry average.
And if that wasn’t enough, handwritten direct mail marketing also gets 41% more responses compared to traditional direct mail. The return on the investment in handwritten mail is clear just from these statistics alone.
Stronger Customer Relationships & Lifetime Value
Receiving a personalized, handwritten letter makes customers feel more appreciated and valued, which increases their loyalty to your brand. Given how expensive it is to acquire new customers compared to retaining existing ones, handwritten direct mail marketing is an incredibly cost-effective way to increase the lifetime value of your existing customers.
Improved Brand Image & Recall
Even when customers and prospects know they’re receiving marketing material, handwritten marketing letters come across as more thoughtful than a printed flyer. Not only does this show that your brand cares, but it also makes the message more likely to be remembered.
With Scribe Handwritten, you can customize handwriting styles, designs, and logos to show your brand’s personality in a way that sticks with the customer and keeps you top of mind.
Industries That Use Handwritten Direct Mail
You may be interested in using handwritten direct mail marketing in your business, but are unsure of what that would look like. Below are some examples of how handwritten letter services are used in different industries:
- Real Estate: Introduce yourself to a neighborhood, send thank you notes after a sale, or follow up with leads
- Real Estate Investing: Send letters to potential properties to connect with owners
- Insurance: Welcome new clients, thank referrals, or send reminders for policy renewals
- E-Commerce: Thank customers after their first purchase, request reviews or referrals, or send a special coupon code for their next order
- Home Service Providers: Send thank you notes, ask for reviews or referrals, or re-engage past clients with reminders to schedule services
If your goal is to stand out, attract new clients, and increase sales, handwritten mailers can help, no matter what industry you are in.
Scaling with Handwritten Direct Mail
Scribe Handwritten is the best handwritten mail platform for sending personalized, handwritten mail at scale. We use advanced AI technology to control our handwriting robots to vary each letter to mimic natural handwriting with real pens. This makes every letter unique and nearly impossible to tell apart from one written by a human hand.
Whether you want to send one or one thousand handwritten letters out each day, Scribe Handwritten makes scaling easy. You can sync with your CRM to trigger automated messages, set up custom flows, or upload a list to launch a campaign at any time. With no order minimums, our handwritten direct mail services make it easy for any business to get started.
Get Started with Scribe Handwritten
Handwritten direct mail marketing consistently outperforms other marketing channels in open rates, response rates, and overall impact. Businesses that partner with Scribe Handwritten have an above-average response rate of 99% and a 49% increase in purchases.
With handwritten notes that are indistinguishable from real handwriting and the ability to scale easily, Scribe Handwritten is the best handwritten letter service on the market. Contact us today to get started and receive 200 free handwritten notes with your order.