Here’s How Many People Still Read Mail [New Data]

With so much of today’s business going paperless, you might be wondering if there’s a place for direct mail at all. Good news: There is!

Studies show that direct mail is more persuasive, more memorable, and easier to comprehend than digital media, which means direct mail can have a stronger impact on prospective customers.

The reasons for the long-lived success of physical mail are numerous, but the takeaway is simple: Direct mail works, and you should be using it to target and retain your customers.

The Pros of Postage

You’re looking for results, and direct mail gets them. In fact, according to the ANA / DMA Response Rate Report 2018 (the most recent available), direct mail achieves a higher response rate than any direct digital marketing medium – including email, paid search, online display, and social media. The “whys” of that statistic are varied, but they all make sense when you think about today’s marketing environment.

Electronic Overload

Consumers are constantly inundated with digital media messages. From overflowing inboxes and an endless feed of TV and radio to targeted social media ads, your customers are exposed to a constant flow of electronic information. Once saturated with these messages, they may be less likely to read your email, absorb your commercials, or act on your dealership’s calls to action.

What they are likely to do? Glance over the eye-catching pieces of paper mail that find their way into e-weary hands. Even short attention spans are captured by the flyers, cards, and letters that are razor-focused and expertly targeted to your audience. And with a paper document in hand, your customers will have your information conveniently at the ready when they have time to give it the attention it deserves.

A Preference for Paper

According to a MarketingSherpa survey, print ads are the most trusted type of advertising channel and the most likely to be relied upon when a purchasing decision is being made.

With headlines filled with news of data breaches and identity theft, confidence in the security of online transactions is struggling to keep a foothold. Direct mail, by comparison, feels incomparably safe, secure, and simple.

Filtered Competition

Marketing mail volume has been on a downward trend over the past several years, according to statistics by the U.S. Postal Service. What does that mean for your dealership? There’s more room for your direct mail messages and less competition for your customers’ eyes at the mailbox. Getting access to a potential customer’s undivided attention even for just the few moments it will take to scan the ad is an invaluable edge.

Your Full-Spectrum Marketing Approach

Direct mail is vital, but it is just one aspect of the complete marketing portfolio you need to achieve peak success. When best practices of direct mail, email, production and graphic design, digital marketing, and media come together into one harmonious whole, your business will thrive.