It seems like the question of the hour, or the last few years, is, “how do we connect with Millennials?” The infamous generation is seen as a group of young people who heavily rely on their parents for financial support, are addicted to technology, and don’t pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds. So, how do we communicate with an audience who isn’t interested in anything they can’t find on their phone? Your first thought probably isn’t direct mail, but it should be.

First things first, it’s important to know who you’re really trying to connect with. When marketing to Millennials, keep in mind that the Millennial generation is no longer made up of children. Millennials are anyone born between the years of 1977 and 1995, making the youngest member 23 years old. According to Gallup Analysis, 41% of Millennials are married with children. So instead of working to reach a generation of children, you’re really working to reach a generation of young adults; a large portion of which have started a family of their own. What this means is that those in the Millennial generation have adult concerns and priorities, and your marketing strategy needs to reflect that.

Although the Millennial generation, much like most generations, is heavily invested in technology, they still appreciate non-digital forms of communication. As surprising as it may sound, studies show that Millennials respond extremely well to direct mail. In fact, according to MarketingCharts, 92% of Millennials say they are influenced by direct mail to make purchase decisions, compared to 78% being influenced by email. Just to clarify, here are a few more statistics about Millennials and direct mail:

• 75% of Millennials find that the mail they receive is valuable
• 90% of Millennials say they would prefer direct mail over email when receiving promotional items
• 73% of Millennials use direct mail coupons when making purchases
• 63% of Millennials who responded to a direct mail piece within the past 3 months made a purchase
• 90% of Millennials think direct mail advertising is reliable

So, the next time you’re trying to reach a Millennial audience, try a direct mail approach. Get to know your audience, understand their values, connect with their interests, integrate print and online (they do love their technology!), have a compelling message that will hold their attention, give your mailer some personality, and you will successfully get the attention of Millennials. Direct mail may sound “old-school” to some, but Millennials are all about it.