For commercial banks and lending institutions, the ability to cut through the competition and connect with consumers in a substantive way is key in enhancing brand recognition and customer acquisition. For example, commercial banking institutions spent about 40% of their annual budget on advertising in 2024, with a healthy percentage of this spend going to digital outreach efforts.1
The amount of noise in the digital marketing space is just part of the reason why commercial banks are incorporating direct mail campaigns — data-driven direct mail campaigns in particular — as a part of more comprehensive marketing strategies. With so much clutter in the digital marketing channel, direct mailers can be extremely valuable in helping commercial banks differentiate themselves from competitors.
I’ve seen firsthand how data-driven direct mail marketing can help commercial banks and finance institutions grow their brand and their customer base, and here are a couple of reasons why commercial banks are loving data-driven direct mail in a world largely driven by digital communication.
Paperless billing and digital banking have made quite the ruckus in the last 10 or so years as being the primary methods with which customers interact with their banks or lenders. But even with the paperless push, less than half of consumers say digital channels are the main way they conduct their banking. What’s more, almost 50% of consumers feel print marketing is more trustworthy than any other form of outreach.2
This means print marketing like direct mail has a wide open lane to communicate with customers in a way that demonstrates authenticity and trustworthiness, two things that consumers want from their banking and financial institutions. Data-driven direct mailers use a variety of customer data to infuse print with targeted, relevant messaging that speaks to a customer’s unique experience, needs, or challenges.
The end result? Print communications that are more likely to connect with your target audience, increasing the likelihood that your direct mailer ends up on the fridge as opposed to in the recycling bin, and increasing the likelihood of response.
Direct mail in the commercial banking and financial services industry is not limited to just a standard postcard — in fact, one of the big advantages of direct mail is the variety of formats at your disposal based on your audience or objective.
Direct mailers can include print types like jumbo postcards, bi-fold and tri-fold brochures, and self-mailers that use a variety of unique folds to help enhance the interactivity of your mailer. Thinking outside of the box with the form of your direct mailer not only helps it stand out in the recipient’s mailbox, it also creates new and interesting ways to use data-driven messaging that engages your audience in a more meaningful way.
For example, you could create a jumbo postcard promoting a special $300 bonus for opening a new savings account that uses data like the length of the customer relationship to entice them to flip over the postcard to redeem the offer, contact their personal banker, or visit a website page.
For more complex or detailed communications, bi-fold and tri-fold brochures can be interactive, engaging formats. For instance, you could use a tri-fold direct mailer to promote the benefits of a new college tuition savings program, where each panel of the mailer reveals different parts of the program.
Data-driven direct mail requires the ability to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) software data with a digital print platform to create personalized mailers that use customer data to create a more meaningful connection with your target audience. This integration makes it possible to create more dynamic mailers that can help create significant increases in revenue.
Companies that leverage personalization generate 40% more revenue than those that do not take a personalized approach to communication. This makes a data-driven approach to direct mail key in increasing market share in a very crowded field.3
You can leverage a range of data points to produce mailers that speak directly to a consumer’s challenges or opportunities, demonstrating to consumers that they’re more than just an address on a mailing list. Some of the customer data points you can use to build a direct mailer that creates a stronger connection with your audience include:
What’s more, a data-driven approach can help commercial banks cross-sell or upsell products or services based on customer behavior or preferences. A customer that applies for a commercial real estate loan may also be interested in equipment financing to help build the necessary infrastructure to operate a business.
This type of data makes it easier to produce a mailer that demonstrates you understand what your customer needs and that you have the ability to satisfy these needs.
This data-driven approach is at the core of Quantum’s direct mail marketing services. As a strategic print partner, we work with commercial banks and financial services brands to create the kind of personalized, targeted direct mail campaigns that increase brand awareness and customer acquisition.
Contact us to get started on your next data-driven direct mail campaign.
1 https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2025/01/bank-marketing-budget-and-staffing-considerations-for-2025/
2 https://www.aba.com/about-us/press-room/press-releases/consumer-survey-banking-methods-2023