How to Dial In Direct Mail Targeting Across the Funnel

Great targeting with direct mail isn’t some weird, alien thing. 

It’s like great targeting in any other element of your marketing. 

Ultimately, better data tends to bring better results, and the more dialed-in your campaigns are, the better or more predictably stronger your results will be.

The brands crushing it with direct mail today are running full-funnel programs where targeting shifts based on intent, behavior, and lifecycle stage—and they’re tying direct mail to the rest of their stack to dial in messaging even further.

This guide breaks down exactly how to do that with real success stories from multiple industries.

First… Going Funnel-First in Your Targeting

Most direct mail underperforms for one simple reason. Every recipient is treated the same.

A prospect, a cart abandoner, and a VIP customer should not receive the same message or be targeted the same way.

High-performing direct mail programs answer three questions before anything is mailed:

1. Where is this person in the funnel?
2. What signal have they already given?
3. What action are they most likely to take next?

When targeting aligns with these answers, ROAS improves, creative performs better, and programs scale more cleanly.

Prospecting Targeting: Acquire Better Customers with Modern Platforms

Prospecting with direct mail has undergone a revolution in recent years. 

Legacy direct mail platforms still retain the old ways (that sounds a hell of a lot more romantic than it actually is): effectively, a strugglesome system of third-party vendors.

The Traditional Prospecting Model vs. Programmatic Prospecting

More on that.

The old way to do direct mail prospecting is a disjointed system involving data brokers, printers, and design agencies for every prospecting drop.

The timeline to launch is months—audience building alone takes weeks. 

The audience isn’t up-to-date, either. 

Plus, your team will inevitably get way more involved than originally planned.

And when all is said and done, tracking performance is a nightmare and a half.

Results arrive slowly (generally 3–4 months after catalogs arrive in homes). And by the time you’ve analyzed the data (in spreadsheets), the spend for your next drop is already locked in.

(Don't believe us? Read what Cozy Earth's in-house direct mail manager told us.)

Modern direct mail prospecting uses lookalike audiences modeled on real customers.

AI evaluates hundreds of attributes to identify households that behave like buyers rather than households that simply share a ZIP code.

This approach allows brands to launch infinitely faster, build audiences in HOURS, scale proven segments with confidence, and track all results as they come in.

Basically:

• Have AI do the work. 
• Have an expert design team design direct mail for you. 
• Never once think about printing.
• Track results in real-time in dashboards

The way it should be.

Case Study Callout: Kindred Bravely

Kindred Bravely expanded from retention into full-funnel direct mail using AI-powered prospecting, and rather than a weekslong process to get audiences built and locked in, it only took a few hours.

Results included:

• 5x+ ROAS on shared mail prospecting
• 3.07x ROAS on solo lookalike postcard campaigns
• Conversion rates approaching 2 percent

These results were driven by audience quality rather than creative experimentation.

Bottom line…

Prospecting works when audiences resemble your best customers.

Retargeting Targeting: Mail After the Flows Finish

Retargeting is where direct mail consistently delivers strong returns when sequenced correctly.

The Core Retargeting Principle

Email and SMS should always run first.

When someone subscribes, clicks, adds to cart, starts their checkout, or completes a Klaviyo flow without purchasing, direct mail becomes the next logical step.

High-Intent Retargeting Segments

Welcome flow non-buyers
Subscribers who finish a welcome series without converting remain warm. A postcard creates a second chance to convert without adding inbox noise.

Abandoned cart or checkout after flows end
Mail triggers after digital reminders stop, allowing the postcard to arrive when attention is no longer divided.

Anonymous site visitors
High-intent visitors often leave without subscribing. Retargeting those visitors unlocks revenue most brands never reach.

Case Study Callout: Barker Beds

Barker Beds layered direct mail into their retargeting strategy:

• Approximately 3x ROAS targeting anonymous site visitors who visited specific site pages and having high dwell times
• Double-digit ROAS retargeting known non-buying subscribers and cart abandoners timed to arrive at the end of their Klaviyo flows

Results crushed because mail followed demonstrated intent.

It's that simple.

Retention Targeting: RFM and Timing Drive Scale

Retention is where targeting either compounds results or quietly erodes them.

The difference is how clearly you define who someone is and when they are most likely to buy again. 

That is where RFM comes in. Here’s how we think about it:

• LOD (Last Order Date): How long it has been since the customer last purchased
• NO (Number of Orders): Total number of purchases
• Spend (Total Spend): Cumulative lifetime spend (revenue)

Together, these inputs create retention segments precise enough to automate and flexible enough to scale.

How RFM Works in Practice

RFM segments should be defined with explicit thresholds rather than abstract labels.

Below are examples of how high-performing brands commonly structure retention targeting.

Example 1: One-Time Buyers Focused on a Second Purchase

This segment has the highest upside because behavior has already been validated once.

A common RFM definition:

• LOD = 180 days
• NO = 1
• Spend = $75
  

What this tells you:

• The customer bought once
• About six months have passed since their last order
• They are still within a realistic reactivation window

How to target them with direct mail:

• Lead with a second-purchase incentive
• Highlight bestsellers or social proof
• Time sends around 90 or 180 days

This segment often produces some of the strongest incremental returns.

Example 2: Repeat Buyers Focused on Habit Reinforcement

Repeat buyers already understand the brand. The goal is to keep the buying pattern intact.

A typical RFM definition:

• LOD = 60 days
• NO = 3
  Spend = $225

What this tells you:

• The customer purchases multiple times
• Their average order value is consistent
• They are slightly overdue relative to expected reorder timing

How to target them with direct mail:

• Promote replenishment or category expansion
• Personalize based on last product purchased
• Use lighter incentives or value-based messaging
  

For many brands, this segment drives the most predictable retention revenue.

Example 3: VIP Customers Focused on Relationship Preservation

VIP customers require a different approach. Over-discounting erodes margin and brand equity.

A common VIP RFM definition:

• LOD = 120 days
• NO = 5+
• Spend = $600+
  

What this tells you:

• The customer has demonstrated long-term loyalty
• Their lifetime value is meaningfully higher than average
• Retention matters more than immediate conversion
  

How to target them with direct mail:

• Lead with appreciation and recognition
• Offer exclusives, early access, or limited editions
• Mail less frequently with higher-quality creative

This is where direct mail often outperforms digital channels because it feels intentional rather than automated.

Case Study Callout: Diane von Furstenberg

Diane von Furstenberg used RFM-based winback targeting across buyer segments and achieved 11x+ ROAS on retention campaigns

Performance improved because messaging aligned with lifecycle stage.

Case Study Callout: GOOD AMERICAN

GOOD AMERICAN’s targeted winback postcards generated:

• 8x+ ROI
• Approximately $1.40 in incremental revenue per postcard sent

Revenue was driven by disciplined segmentation and timing—these postcards had messaging specifically mentioning "It's been a. while...", and these postcards worked to win back customers who hadn't repurchased in half a year.

Why Targeting and Personalization Multiply Results

Targeting determines who receives the postcard. Personalization determines whether the postcard converts.

High-performing personalization includes:

• Last product purchased
• VIP or loyalty status
• Category affinity
• Expected reorder timing

When these elements align, direct mail feels intensely personalized and relevant.

Direct Your Direct Mail Questions to Us

If you want to run AI-powered prospecting, Klaviyo-triggered retargeting, and RFM-based retention grounded in real customer behavior, PostPilot makes it possible.

The platform supports full-funnel direct mail for Shopify brands with advanced targeting, deep personalization, and incremental measurement built in.

FAQs: Direct Mail Targeting

How fast can I launch a targeted direct mail campaign?
Programmatic direct mail campaigns typically launch in about one week for postcards and trifolds.

Can I retarget people who only gave me an email address?
Yes. Non-buyers can be retargeted with direct mail even without a physical address.

Should direct mail replace email or SMS?
No. Direct mail complements digital channels and performs best after automated flows finish.

How do I choose the right timing for retention mail?
Time between orders data provides natural reorder checkpoints.

How do I know my targeting is incremental?
Holdout testing and lift analysis show true impact.

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