Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Profit? [Infographic]

Despite the persistent rumors that print is dead, mailboxes everywhere continue to get stuffed with direct mail marketing pieces. But how successful is direct mail marketing?

According to the following infographic by Bolt Insurance, direct mail marketing is on the rise. In 2011, direct mail spending totaled $47.8 billion; spending has been increasing in 2013 and will achieve a 3.6% growth through 2014, according to the projections cited by Bolt.

The reason for direct mail marketing's growth is the power it wields: On average, 6.5 in 10 people who receive direct mail marketing make purchases or otherwise engage with the business.

In comparison to emails sent to existing customers, "direct mail has 30 times the chance of receiving a response from the customer," according to the infographic.

For certain topics, direct mail marketing is the preferred method of receiving information. For example, the top three areas in which people prefer direct mail marketing (as opposed to the Internet or email) are...