By
Lob
Customer acquisition is how you turn strangers into customers. Most teams lean on digital ads, email, and social. The smart ones add direct mail.
Below, you’ll see how mail lowers customer acquisition cost (CAC), fits into your funnel, and scales with the right stack.
Acquisition marketing reaches people who have not interacted with your brand yet. Direct mail helps by getting a physical message into the home.
People see and handle mail. It does not depend on cookies or third-party identifiers. It reaches audiences digital can miss. That includes ad-blocked users and light internet users.
Three common acquisition plays:
CAC includes media, creative, software, and team time. When digital auction costs rise, CAC follows.
Direct mail gives you a second path. You target real addresses. You control reach and frequency. You can model, test, and scale without fighting the same auctions as everyone else.
Mail also stays around. A postcard can be seen more than once, which boosts recall. Many brands see lower cost per response when they pair high-intent targeting with strong offers.
Direct mail marketing also sidesteps issues like digital fatigue, where users scroll past ads.
Use mail to:
Direct mail works best alongside your digital mix. See more in our guide on direct mail for omnichannel marketing.
Set rules that send a postcard or letter after key actions:
Connect your CDP, CRM, or MAP so online behavior can trigger offline outreach.
Keep your offer consistent everywhere.
When people stop opening emails or clicking ads, mail can bring them back. Send a simple, relevant offer and a clear next step.
Research from USPS OIG and academic partners shows physical ads drive stronger attention, emotion, and memory than digital formats. Tangible media engages different parts of the brain linked to desire and reward. Programs like Informed Delivery add a digital preview to the mailbox moment, which can lift engagement further.
The bottom line: mail earns attention. Personalization and timing amplify it.
Five data-driven tactics for customer acquisition
See more examples in our guide to direct mail acquisition campaigns.
Segment by:
Follow compliance rules for prescreened credit or insurance offers.
Marketers can create personalized direct mail campaigns at scale with tailored offers, copy, and imagery. Use unique codes or PURLs to attribute responses at the piece level.
Model your best customers. Build look-alike audiences. Mail to households that share high-value traits. Learn more about lookalike audiences.
Test one variable at a time:
Roll winners into the next wave.
You can trigger direct mail for ecommerce to follow up on abandoned carts. Include reminders, product images, and limited-time offers to drive conversions.
Track the full path from mailbox to conversion with tools that measure direct mail ROI.
Key metrics
Attribution tools
Optimize frequency and spend
Use controlled splits to test cadence. Compare one touch vs two touches spaced a few weeks apart. Shift budget to the groups that convert.
Tie mail to the same data you use for email and ads. Common connections include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo.
With Lob, you can:
Use USPS Informed Visibility scans for piece-level and container-level tracking. Time your follow-up emails and ads to expected in-home dates.
Protect PII and follow industry rules:
Lob maintains core certifications and provides documentation on request.
Validate and standardize addresses. Remove undeliverable and duplicate records. Save on print and postage and protect your brand.
Relevance wins. Tailor the offer and message to audience, location, and intent.
Assign tracking before you print. If you cannot measure it, you cannot scale it.
Take the next step toward profitable acquisition
Direct mail brings a tangible, brand-safe touch to acquisition. It is targetable, testable, and measurable when you connect it to your data and automation.
Lob helps you design, send, and track mail from the tools you already use. Connect your CRM or MAP, trigger sends from real behaviors, and measure outcomes in one place.
Ready to see it in action? Request a demo.
How much budget should I put into the first test?
Start small with a controlled audience and a clear success metric. Scale what works.
Which formats work best for cold prospects?
Postcards are fast and cost-effective. Letters help when your offer needs more context.
How long does a triggered mailer take to arrive?
Most triggered campaigns reach homes within a few business days, depending on class and location.
Can I run acquisition mail outside the U.S.?
Yes, many platforms support international delivery. Costs, timelines, and rules vary by country.
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