Is Snail Mail Obsolete?

Depends on your goal

Whether or not snail mail is obsolete depends on your goal or intention in using or integrating it into your campaign or collateral. It sometimes still has value, in particular when targeting older demographics who might not be internet users at all, who might not be proficient at using tech, or who are suspicious of it.

Such groups have different types of life experiences and references than younger people, and they often still assign unconscious value and gravitas to snail mail above electronic communications, whether warranted or not. However, when it comes to junk mail – circulars, unaddressed mail, or whatever term you use to describe generic scattershot mail and flyers, these have had their day.

Sending snail mail is very costly compared to most other ad targeting methods, both on and offline, so before using such an approach, you need to have a reasonable expectation of it paying off. This means doing plenty of research into your demographic targets and their preferences.

Addressed mail and that which is also different from the norm, such as mail containing a gift like a pen or a keyring rather than a single slip of paper or a bill, can be highly effective. This is because it draws the attention before the addressee even looks at it. The feel of mail that holds something other than papers is different, weightier, and catches the attention and draws the eye. This results in such mail being opened, and even if the [offer] isn’t immediately taken, recipients are unlikely to throw the solid item away. They can either make use of it (or think they can) or they simply won’t want to be wasteful, which means that branded promotional collateral has now made its way into your prospect’s home where it may remain for some time.

Is this something your audience might act on, and does this sound like the consumer behavior you’d expect your demographic targets to display upon receipt of your snail mail? If the research says yes, you might find value in this otherwise potentially outdated method of communication yet.

The love of putting pen to paper

Writing letters is the one meditative practice I've managed to incorporate into my busy life. Letter-writing has been a big part of my life, first as a new mother in the ‘80s when magazines like "Women's Circle" still carried pen pal ads, and later as a homeschooling mother of eight children, as a way to connect with the outside world. Even my children had pen pals with common interests. My oldest daughter met her husband through a pen pal ad in "Countryside" magazine.

I have a long-standing pen friendship with my good friend Mary, who wrote a book with me on the topic of female friendship and letter writing. I kept every letter my mother wrote to me during those years I was busy raising young children and lived a distance from her. I now have them organized in binders. Even though she died ten years ago, when I re-read them, it's like visiting with her again.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I started writing sisters and friends I hadn't been keeping in touch with very well. It was a way to stay connected that didn't involve screen time or texts. I was surprised when letters back began arriving in my mailbox. I even started a new pen pal relationship with a widower in Texas. Since I was widowed in 2012, and we are both writers, we have a lot in common, including the love of putting pen to paper.

Will never cease to exist

Snail mail will never cease to exist. I’ve given this answer a thousand times to a thousand people. While I still hear a thousand more criticisms questioning my stand, it will never [convince] me to back down. There will always be someone who still wants to send handwritten personalized notes, love letters, or a gift to someone they love. The need for hard copies with original signatures on things will always be there. The paper trail will still remain valuable. And snail mail will never go extinct, especially while package delivery is on the rise. Lastly, nothing can ever replace the power of a word written in ink on paper.

In today's digital age, communication has changed drastically, and it continuously evolves as time passes. While most of the traditional ways of doing things are slowly becoming obsolete, snail mail will never become one of those.

Has reached its end

There comes a time when you simply have to let go. Snail mail has already done its part, and now it's time for the new generation to step in and take over. The world is changing, and speed is becoming the standard of excellence. Gone are the days that you need to wait for a couple of days to get the mail. With the development of the internet, things have become instantaneous, including mail.

I can definitely say that snail mail has reached its end. There's simply no way it could compete with emails, messages, and social media. Although there are still some who stubbornly refuse to quit, it's only a matter of time before we see the last of snail mail. In the near future, no one will even remember what it was.