From The Next Decision Podcast: A conversation with Dennis Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Postalytics, on rebuilding trust in marketing, modernizing direct mail, and why physical channels are gaining power in a digital-first world.
“If I stopped sending direct mail, my sales went down.”
That line captures the paradox at the heart of this conversation. In an era dominated by AI, automation, and digital saturation, one of marketing’s oldest channels is quietly proving its staying power. Hosted by Jared Bolander, this episode of The Next Decision explores why direct mail continues to perform and how technology is finally unlocking its full potential.
In this post, we break down the key insights from the episode, including why trust has become a competitive advantage, how omnichannel execution amplifies impact, and why direct mail is evolving from a legacy tactic into a modern, measurable growth engine.
Direct Mail Still Cuts Through the Noise
Direct mail’s effectiveness has less to do with nostalgia and more to do with human attention.
Today’s buyers are exposed to thousands of digital ads and hundreds of emails every day. Most of them are filtered, ignored, or forgotten. Physical mail is different.
When a piece of mail arrives, it demands a decision. It must be handled, examined, and consciously discarded or saved. That brief interaction creates a deeper cognitive imprint than most digital impressions ever achieve.
Direct mail is more expensive on a per-unit basis, but for products and services with meaningful lifetime value, it remains a powerful way to break through.
Why Omnichannel Matters More Than Ever
Direct mail works best when it is not used alone.
Its real strength emerges as part of a coordinated omnichannel strategy, working in concert with email, digital advertising, and web experiences. In this role, direct mail often acts as the interrupt—the moment that captures attention and makes other channels more effective.
When messaging is aligned and timing is intentional, direct mail becomes a catalyst rather than a standalone effort.
Who Direct Mail Works For
Not every organization is a fit, and the channel performs best in specific environments.
Strong use cases span a wide range of industries, including:
- Telecom and broadband providers
- Financial services and wealth management
- Healthcare and insurance
- Home services and local businesses
- Nonprofits and donor-driven organizations
On the B2B side, success depends on reachability. Industries where decision-makers are physically present—in offices, clinics, or regulated environments—see the strongest results. Highly distributed teams and early-stage startups often struggle to justify the channel.
Trust Is the Differentiator
One of the most compelling themes in the episode is the role of trust.
Digital channels are fast and scalable, but they are also crowded with spoofing, fraud, and noise. Buyers have learned to be skeptical. Mail carries a different weight.
Physical mail feels intentional. It feels harder to fake. It feels official.
That perception matters. Brands that communicate through mail are often seen as more credible and more trustworthy—an increasingly important advantage as confidence in institutions continues to erode.
Turning Mail Into a Measurable Channel
For decades, direct mail relied on intuition rather than insight. That is changing.
Modern platforms now enable:
- Unique QR codes tied to individual recipients
- Campaign-level and contact-level attribution
- Integration with CRM, e-commerce, and billing systems
- Clear visibility from delivery to conversion
This transforms direct mail into a channel that can be tested, optimized, and scaled—just like digital marketing.
The best-performing teams treat it as an ongoing system, constantly refining creative, targeting, and timing.
The Most Common Mistake Marketers Make
Trying direct mail once.
A salesperson who makes a hundred calls and never follows up would be considered ineffective. Yet many marketers approach direct mail the same way—running a single campaign, sending a single message, and drawing conclusions from limited data.
Direct mail works best when it is programmatic:
- Multiple touches
- Sequential messaging
- Continuous testing
- Long-term commitment
Without that structure, even strong creative will underperform.
Inside the Next Decision at Postalytics
Late in the conversation, Dennis shares what is occupying his attention now: reengineering how sales and client success work together.
The focus is on bringing client success earlier into the sales process without slowing deals, so customers can launch with clarity, confidence, and early momentum.
It is a reminder that sustainable growth depends as much on internal systems as it does on external channels.
Final Thought
Direct mail is not a step backward. It is a high-trust channel being rebuilt for a modern marketing landscape.
As digital channels grow noisier and buyer skepticism rises, physical mail offers something rare: attention, credibility, and focus.
The teams that win will not be the ones chasing every new tool.
They will be the ones who combine old strengths with new systems—and execute with discipline.
Now is the time to do exactly that.
