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Direct mail is a channel that’s been often overlooked. With so much reliance on digital platforms, direct mail is often one of the last channels to be considered when marketers are strategizing their media mix.
However, through a data-driven approach, today’s direct mail offers you more control of your targeting, so you can reach the prospects and customers who matter most to you.
According to new research from Lob, 79% of executives rank direct mail as the top performing marketing channel. What’s more? Direct mail leads in ROI.
Let’s take a look at what types of targeting strategies marketers are leveraging for their direct mail campaigns.
7 Direct Mail Targeting Strategies Marketers are Using in 2025
1. Geographic Targeting
Geographic targeting is used by 58% of marketers in their direct mail campaigns.
Geographic targeting focuses on marketing to specific locations or regions based on geographic characteristics, allowing you to focus your efforts on areas where you’re most likely to find potential customers, such as specific neighborhoods, cities, or zip codes.
For example, say you’re in charge of customer acquisition campaigns for a gym. With geographic targeting, you could send postcards with an exclusive new member offer to households within a 5-mile radius of your location. This allows you to reach potential customers who are within a reasonable commuting distance from your gym location.
2. Interest-Based Targeting
Almost the same amount, 57%, of marketers use interest-based targeting in their direct mail campaigns.
Interest-based targeting helps you reach consumers based on their specific interests, preferences, or behaviors. Interest-based targeting relies on data like recurring past purchases and online browsing activity to identify people who are most likely to be interested in a particular product or service. Using this type of targeting ensures the relevancy of your message, helping to increase engagement with your offer.
If you led marketing for a travel agency and wanted to get in front of people who frequently express interest in traveling (regularly looking at hotel bookings, purchasing travel insurance, etc.), interest-based targeting helps you reach them.
3. Demographic Targeting
Another key strategy marketers are relying on is demographic targeting, with 56% using it for their direct mail campaigns.
Demographic targeting helps you reach people based on factors like age, gender, income, education, or family status. While demographic targeting plays an important role in helping you reach your ideal customers, it’s most effective when combined with other types of targeting strategies, like behavioral targeting and interest-based targeting.
If you’re the marketing manager for a retirement community, for example, you’d want to make sure you’re only reaching people who are near retirement age (65+ years old). To refine your targeting, you may also want to target people with a certain household income or within a certain ZIP code.
4. Behavioral Targeting
Research from Lob shows that 51% of marketers use behavioral targeting in their direct mail campaigns.
Behavioral targeting in direct mail means sending ads to people based on what they’ve done before, like what they’ve bought or looked at online. By using this info, businesses can send more relevant messages, making it more likely the person will respond. This makes the campaign more personal and effective.
One example of behavioral targeting would be if you ran marketing for a streaming platform and wanted to send an offer for a discounted subscription to users who had watched several episodes of a particular show or genre but have not subscribed yet. In this scenario, behavioral targeting would enable you to market to an audience that has a higher likelihood of being receptive to your offer based on their behavioral patterns (watching several episodes of a particular show/genre).
5. Loyalty Program Segmentation
Loyalty program segmentation targeting is only used by 49% of marketers for their direct mail campaigns, according to the research above.
This form of segmentation in direct mail involves dividing a customer base into specific groups based on their behaviors, preferences, or value to the brand. These segments can include things like high spenders, frequent buyers, or lapsed customers. They’d then receive personalized mail tailored around their habits or needs. This approach in direct mail marketing can boost engagement, increase ROI, and make your messaging more relevant and effective.
For example, if you’re in charge of customer retention marketing campaigns for a coffee chain, you’d want to reward loyal customers with exclusive perks, such as discounts, rewards, and even free drinks.
It’s important to keep customers coming back and if you’re able to give out free or discounted items, it shows them that they’re seen and important, which makes them more likely to purchase from you in the future.
6. Lapsed Customer Re-engagement
Lob’s research indicates that 36% of direct mail campaigns focus on re-engaging lapsed customers.
This type of re-engagement helps you target customers who haven’t interacted with you in a while. Targeting these customers with personalized mail, like special discounts, reminders of past purchases, can help reignite interest and bring them back to your website or store.
If you owned a clothing boutique, you could re-engage dormant customers by sending a personalized “We Miss You” postcard. The goal is to make these customers feel noticed and remind them that you’re still around. Sometimes life gets busy, and a clothing retailer isn’t always at the forefront of someone’s mind, so a reminder that you’re still there or a special deal could help rekindle your relationship.
7. Lookalike or Modeled Audiences
According to the research, lookalike or modeled audiences are used in 30% of campaigns.
Lookalike audiences in direct mail are made by finding new people to target, who are similar to your best customers. By sending them targeted mail, you can reach more likely buyers and make your campaign more effective.
Let’s say you owned a luxury watch brand that uses a lookalike audience model to target individuals who share similar characteristics and traits with your top buyers. You might look at their age, high income, an interest in high end brands, or even those who drive a luxury vehicle.
Focusing on people that look like your best customers helps you reach people that are more likely to do business with you.
