97% of People Ignored Your Email. Let’s celebrate.
Last week, I watched a marketing director do a victory lap around the office because her email campaign hit a 3.2% open rate. There was actual applause. Someone brought cupcakes.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that in direct mail terms, 3.2% is what we call a "Tuesday."
Look, I get it. Digital marketing has conditioned us to celebrate mere crumbs. A 3% open rate feels like a win because, well, it's better than the 2.1% your email got last month. We've been boiling this frog so slowly that we don't even remember what decent response rates look like anymore.
So let me remind you: 80-90% open rates are normal in direct mail. Not "we crushed it on LinkedIn.” Actually normal open rates.
The Math That Should Make You Uncomfortable
Let's say you've got $50,000 to spend and a list of prospects you'd really like to reach. You have two options available to you:
“80-90% open rates are normal in direct mail marketing.”
The Email Route: You blast 100,000 emails. If you're having a great day, 3,000 people open it. Maybe 150 click throughs. And you're lucky if 5 people actually convert.
▶︎ Cost per acquisition? Around $10,000 per customer.
But hey, you got some "brand impressions," right? (Translation: 97,000 people trained their brain to ignore you.)
2. The Direct Mail Route: That same $50,000 gets you a sharp-looking letter package you can send to 15,000 carefully selected prospects. About 13,500 of them physically, actively handle, engage, open and hold your physical mail piece. Around 750 respond in some meaningful way. Assuming even a modest 5% conversion rate on those responses, you're looking at 35-40 new customers.
▶︎ Cost per acquisition? Roughly $1,250-1,400.
Now I'm no mathematician, but I can certainly spot an $8,750 difference when I see one.
But Wait, There's More
Here's where it gets really fun (and by “fun” I mean “not fun”).
Remember those 97,000 people who didn't open your email? Their inbox filters and AI tools learned that messages from you (yes, your name and email have been flagged) aren't worth surfacing. Gmail's algorithms just downranked everything you send. Congratulations, you paid to train artificial intelligence to ignore you.
Meanwhile, that direct mail piece? The postal carrier physically placed it in someone's mailbox. There's no spam folder for the mailbox. No algorithm deciding whether you're worthy of attention. Just gravity, habit, and human curiosity doing their thing.
Also, consider that today in 2026, with every company using the same AI tools to write the same compelling subject lines for the same perfectly-timed emails, your digital message is competing with 347 other emails that sound exactly like yours. ChatGPT is excellent, but it's not exactly writing prose that'll make Hemingway jealous. Everyone's emails now sound like they were written by the same overeager intern.
But in the consumer’s mailbox? You're one of maybe 3-5 pieces that get picked up and inspected that day. And if you've done your job right—good design, nice paper stock that doesn't feel like a grocery receipt, maybe a clever dimensional element, and compelling copy—yours is the only message they'll actually read.
“Everyone's emails now sound like they were written by the same overeager intern.”
The Instant Gratification Tax
I know what you're thinking: "But I can launch an email campaign in two hours. Direct mail takes weeks."
Sure. You can also microwave a steak in two minutes. How's that going to taste?
Speed-to-launch and speed-to-revenue are not the same thing. I've seen digital campaigns "launch" fast and then limp along for months, generating clicks and impressions and a whole lot of meetings where people say "let's optimize the funnel" while others are Googling "what is a funnel."
Meanwhile, a well-executed direct mail campaign hits mailboxes, generates phone calls within 72 hours, and starts closing deals within 10-14 days. So you can do that, or "milk” a 9-month nurture email campaign for weeks or even≥ months.
The upfront costs everyone gets nervous about? They're not sunk costs. They're investments with 6-8 week payback periods.
Meanwhile, your "free" email campaign has been running since July and still hasn't covered its allocated salary costs.
The Part Where I'm Supposed to Convince You
I'm not saying digital is dead.
I'm typing this blog on a digital platform right now, and I assume you got here on some sort of digital device—probably through some channel I'd be hypocritical to dismiss.
What I am saying is that we've let the pendulum swing so far toward digital that we've forgotten what real response rates look like anymore. We're celebrating 3% like it's an achievement instead of recognizing it as the anemic participation trophy it actually is.
“…a well-executed direct mail campaign hits mailboxes, generates phone calls within 72 hours, and starts closing deals within weeks.”
Direct mail isn't old-fashioned. It’s proven. It’s time-tested and tangible. It’s real. It's sitting on someone's counter or fridge for an average of 17 days — all while your email got archived, filtered, tagged, flagged or dumped in a “Not Important” folder in 1.3 seconds after you sent it.
Lastly, if you're still reading, then "maybe there's something here for you. Let's talk.
I'll show you real numbers from real campaigns in your industry. If after 30 minutes you're not convinced that direct mail deserves at least 20% of your 2026 budget, we'll part as friends and we can at least say we did our due diligence and explored the opportunity.
So, if you’re ready, let’s get to work.
