As brands look ahead to 2025, one thing is clear: customers expect seamless experiences across all touchpoints. In the evolving marketing landscape, an omnichannel strategy—one that leverages both digital and physical channels like direct mail—will be the key to maximizing return on investment and delivering highly personalized, data-driven campaigns.

But how do you ensure that you’re making the most of both digital and traditional channels?

This post explores how brands should budget for an effective omnichannel strategy that combines the immediacy of digital with the impact of direct mail, bolstered by sophisticated tracking and reporting across all platforms.

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Why Your 2025 Budget Needs Both Direct Mail and Digital

Direct mail and digital channels each have unique strengths that, when combined, can significantly enhance the impact of a marketing campaign. Here's why both should be included in your 2025 budget:

  • Memorability Through Touch
    Direct mail creates a lasting impression, especially when tactile elements like special coatings are used. It activates the sense of touch, resulting in stronger brand recognition and memory.

  • Digital Flexibility 
    One of digital marketing's greatest strengths is the ability to make quick pivots mid-campaign, whether it’s changing a quiz question or optimizing email content. This allows for more dynamic, responsive marketing strategies that can adjust based on performance.

  • Personalization
    With data-driven insights and variable printing, both direct mail and digital can deliver hyper-personalized experiences that make customers feel understood and valued.


Key Budgeting Considerations for 2025

Invest in Reporting Automation for Real-Time Insights 
Automated reporting and tracking are no longer just for digital channels. Direct mail, paired with advanced reporting tools, now provides insights that allow you to measure real-time engagement. This means marketers can see direct mail’s performance as easily as they would for a digital ad, ensuring optimal ROI from both channels.

Allocate for Digital Agility 
Digital campaigns give you the ability to pivot quickly and optimize on the go and direct mail analytics combined with digital channel analytics can inform optimizations. Whether it's changing a campaign’s visuals or adjusting quiz questions, allocating budget for agile digital capabilities based on analytics ensures you can respond to market changes and customer behaviors dynamically.

Blend Print and Digital for a Balanced Omnichannel Approach 
A campaign that relies on only one channel limits its reach. By combining direct mail with digital channels —like targeted social ads, retargeting emails, and even SMS—you create multiple touchpoints that reinforce your message. Allocate your budget to ensure you can integrate these seamlessly, maximizing engagement across platforms.

 

For 2025, building an omnichannel strategy that integrates both direct mail and digital isn’t just about adding more channels—it’s about creating a cohesive, dynamic experience that resonates across touchpoints. By investing in both digital and tangible touchpoints, you’ll maximize engagement, increase ROI, and create memorable customer interactions.

Planning your 2025 marketing budget? Download our guide on how to balance print, digital agility, and advanced analytics to deliver personalized campaigns that stand out and deliver results.

 

Embracing Technology Redefining Print

Article by Theresa Rotter, Director of User Experience

With 20 years of experience in the print industry including graphic design, mailing, variable data, and management, Theresa Rotter understands the importance of process and omni-channel approaches. As Director of User Experience, she uses her curiosity, savvy tech know-how, and thoughtful observation skills to ensure internal and external systems – including GATHER – are as fluid and friendly as possible for fellow SeaChangers and clients.