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In today’s marketing landscape of social media, online quote forms, email newsletters, and email marketing, direct mail can seem out of touch. But the reality is that many insurance agents are still mailing prospective customers directly—and making money at it. Here’s a look at why.

Email inboxes are overflowing. Most businesses promote themselves through email marketing rather than direct mail these days. What this means is that people’s inboxes are full—and their mailboxes are relatively empty. Just by sending an attractive postcard, you make yourself stand out—in a way that wasn’t necessarily true a few decades before. With the postal mail, you have a lot less competition for your prospects’ attention.

With direct mail, you don’t need to worry about filters. Your email message could get filtered out of your prospects’ inboxes for a variety of reasons—including for using the word “insurance.” With direct mail, you don’t have to worry about that. If you pay the postage, your message will get through.

With direct mail, you can have more bells and whistles. How likely are you to open an unfamiliar email with an attachment? It’s difficult to make your sales email distinctive or to send more than the basic text. Some spam filters even screen out images.

With direct mail, you can send all the little extras—and it makes people more likely, not less, to open your package. You can include a small gift or design a colorful package and increase your success rate. In general, people trust the mail more than they trust what comes to them in an email—and that gives you more freedom.

Direct mail is physical. With email, there’s no physical product. With direct mail, however, you can choose irregular postcard sizes, letters, brochures, and coupons to attract attention—and the recipient has a tangible physical product to hold in their hands. If they don’t need insurance right away, they can still put your mailing on their fridge or in another visible place as a reminder for when they need your services. With direct mail, it can be easier to stay top-of-mind.

Direct mail has a few significant advantages over email. It can—and should—be integrated with a comprehensive outreach campaign that includes email marketing, social media, and other channels to reach your prospects wherever they are. With a strong, concerted strategy that includes direct mail, it’s likely you’ll get great results.