Direct Mail Ads: Why They're Effective

BY Rachel Cagle
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When you encounter your daily email inbox full of messages, you probably scan for senders you’re familiar with and delete the rest right away, right? After all, you wouldn’t want to open an email with a link that could give your computer a virus. It’s the same with text ads; if it’s not from a number or company you recognize, there’s no way you’re clicking on that link. Your client’s customers are the same way. However, there is one type of ad that most consumers are comfortable receiving and opening no matter whom it’s from: direct mail ads.

Trust in Direct Mail Ads

According to a recent study of over 2,000 American consumers, conducted by LoopMe, 25% of consumers are comfortable receiving direct mail ads. That’s higher than the consumer comfort level with mass media, such as TV and radio ads (24%). Digital ads on websites and mobile apps fall even further behind on the scale of consumer comfort levels with only 19% of consumers saying they’re comfortable receiving digital ads. And the comfort level for social media ads is even lower (11% are comfortable receiving these ads).

Not only are American consumers comfortable with receiving direct mail ads and catalogs from businesses, 26% of consumers say these types of ads help them make the smartest buying decisions. The only form of advertising that can boast a higher percentage is website and mobile ads at 27%.

The Competition

Fewer businesses are bothering with print ads in an increasingly digital age. The pandemic has only helped further digital ads’ influence on both consumers and the businesses choosing to invest in them. According to data from Winterberry Group highlighted in a recent SalesFuel blog post, direct mail ad spending fell by 17.2% in 2020 and the number of direct mail ads being sent dropped by 18.1%. So, that means that your client’s ads will stand out if they choose to use direct mail advertising this year. Consumers are comfortable receiving and opening these ads AND the client’s competition most likely isn’t bothering to use these ads. How could the situation get any better?

How Receptive are Your Client’s Customers?

What if I told you that, according to AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel, 54.1% of U.S. adults have taken action within the last 30 days because of direct mail ads and coupons they have received? And this is the data for U.S. adults on average. If your client wants to see the exact impact these ads have on their customers, you can check out their audience profiles on AudienceSCAN. There, you can find out what percentage took action after receiving direct mail ads within the last year and how much more likely they are to take action because of these ads. You can also discover how many usually read the ads they get in their mailboxes, as well as how many consumers feel that direct mail ads are the best for bringing sales to their attention and the best for comparing prices.

With all this information at your disposal, it shouldn’t take much effort to get your clients on board with direct mail ads.


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