Email + Direct Mail: How Marketers Get The Most Out Of This Powerful Combo

The crown that email wears in marketing circles has a new shiny jewel of a title to showcase: channel most tightly integrated with direct mail campaigns.

71% of marketing executives surveyed in Lob’s State of Direct Mail 2025 report confirm that email leads the way, ahead of paid digital marketing (58%), social media marketing (57%), SMS (56%), display advertising (46%), national TV or streaming (43%), and newspaper and magazines (41%).

“86% of marketing executives agree direct mail performs best when integrated with other channels,” the report says. “Yet, many companies struggle to create a truly seamless customer experience. Only 46% leverage it for retargeting or trigger-based campaigns … [and] 25% of executives struggle to connect direct mail with their tech stack.”

As for how direct mail integrates with their digital channels, 59% said they use direct mail to drive traffic through QR codes and apps and 53% to reactivate dormant digital leads.

(Source: Lob)

“While 79% of executives say direct mail is their best-performing channel, success isn’t guaranteed,” writes Ryan Ferrier, Lob’s CEO. “The companies seeing the strongest ROI aren’t just sending more — they’re working smarter. The data shows they are 32% more likely to use automation partners to scale efficiently [and] 163%+ more likely to have high-quality data for precise targeting.”

For more information about how to improve your email deliverability, download A Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing by Mirabel’s Marketing Manager: