LSC25 | Innovations in Direct Mail | IM Group Marketing

March 25, 2025•3 min read

📬 Direct Mail Gets a Digital Makeover

How Innovation Is Driving New Engagement in Lending Campaigns

By Dennis Fish, IM Group Marketing
Presented at Innovation Hall 2025 | Tue, Mar 11, 2025, 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM (EDT)

TL;DR: Direct mail is far from dead—in fact, it's more powerful than ever thanks to new technologies, deep data segmentation, real-time triggers, and hybrid digital integrations. Dennis Fisher walks us through what’s working today and what’s coming next.

🔄 The New Era of Direct Mail

Direct mail used to mean printing, stuffing, mailing, and hoping for the best. Today, it's about precision targeting, personalized content, digital integration, and leveraging tech to maximize engagement and ROI.

“It’s not just ink on paper anymore. It’s about delivering an experience.”

🔍 Key Trends Driving Direct Mail Innovation

1. 🎯 Hyper-Segmentation & Data-Driven Targeting

Modern direct mail uses thousands of data points to:

Segment by credit profile, lifestyle, intent, and need
Anticipate when a customer is about to be in market
Trigger automated campaigns using behavioral and credit data

Example: A customer pays off a loan → trigger a new mail offer that arrives within 3 days.

2. ⚡ Real-Time Event Triggers (Coming Soon to LendSuite)

Dennis announced IM Group is integrating with the LendSuite platform to support:

Real-time direct mail triggers (e.g., payment completion, collections alerts)
Lifecycle campaigns tied to borrower behavior
Cost-efficient mail drops based on system events

Launch expected in the next 60–90 days.

🔄 Retargeting & Anonymous Abandoners

Not everyone completes a loan application—but they still leave a digital footprint.

Use pixels to identify anonymous website visitors
Match digital behavior to real-world data (name, address, email)
Deploy direct mail or email within 24–72 hours

“Even if a user doesn’t complete a form, we can match them to physical identity and get an offer in front of them.”

3. 🚫 Suppression Triggers to Avoid Waste

Suppress mailers to consumers who recently defaulted, charged off, or filed bankruptcy
Filter your mailing list using bureau-triggered suppression logic
Improve compliance and avoid reputational risk

🏭 The Print Tech Revolution: It's Not Just Paper

High-Speed Digital Print

Each piece is fully customized
Change headlines, offers, imagery, and layout—per recipient
Print runs are personalized down to the individual

Read/Write Inserting Machines

Custom outer envelopes with recipient-specific messages and QR codes
Better personalization → better open rates

Tactile & Sensory Tech (At Almost No Extra Cost)

Scented inks
Textured stock
Die-cut formats that “pop” in the mailbox
NFC (near-field communication) embedded tech
Smart speaker integrations (e.g., Alexa triggers on envelope)

“Engagement is sensory. If it stands out in the hand, it stands out in the mind.”

🎥 Video, VR & AR in Print? Yep.

Launch personalized videos from printed pieces via QR codes or URLs
Use cardboard VR headsets to create immersive brand moments
Incorporate voice-response tools and integrations

Imagine a mailer that launches a testimonial video with your name in the intro.

💵 Bonus: Postal Discounts

All of this tech doesn’t just improve engagement—it can lower costs.

USPS offers aggressive discounts for advanced mail tech
I AM Group and its parent company IX Corporation have invested $5M+ in production tech to help clients qualify

🎯 Direct Mail Use Cases for Lending

Custom HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT

🗣️ Final Thoughts

Direct mail isn’t going away—it’s evolving. And for lenders, it's now one of the most trackable, targeted, and tech-enabled marketing channels available.