Why Flyers Are Still an Effective Marketing Tool in 2024

In the digital age, businesses are trending towards online marketing as well as radio and television ads. After all, it makes sense to target your marketing and advertising campaigns where your target audience members are most likely to see them. That’s certainly an effective policy to follow, and the majority of companies are investing most, if not all, of their marketing budgets into these realms. Though they’re largely being rewarded for their efforts, quite a few businesses are overlooking a particularly fruitful marketing outlet: direct mail.

Exploring the Importance of Direct Mail in the Digital Age

Despite what many people may think, direct mail remains effective even though the digital realm has essentially taken over the world at this point. Many analysts and marketers insist print mail is effective right now because of all the digital advertising and marketing people are currently bombarded by. Regardless of the cause of this development, direct mail can be a helpful addition to your overall marketing repertoire. Take a look at some of the current direct mail facts and figures to better understand why you need custom marketing materials to help foster your advertising campaigns. 

Consumers Say They Prefer Direct Mail

According to one write-up, direct mail has been rising through the popularity ranks for some time now. Nearly 75 percent of consumers now prefer that companies contact them via direct mail rather than email, pop-up ads, and other methods. Why is that the case? For one, people can read mailers whenever they like. If recipients don’t read those flyers and postcards right away, chances are they end up on the counter or table, where they stay for weeks or months. Then, when the right time comes, the people on your mailing list read your direct mail and retain the information for when they need it.

Secondly, direct mail is easier to scan and mentally process than many online ads and marketing efforts. Many people seek the simplest route these days, no matter what they’re doing, and reading is no different. Those are only a couple of the reasons people prefer to get direct mail. Though it lost favour for a while after the internet became prevalent, direct mail has regained its novelty status, and people actually enjoy receiving those tangible forms of marketing and advertising.

Consumers Actually Read Your Mailers

More than 40 percent of recipients say they actually read, or at least scan, marketing direct mail. As much as 90 percent of direct mail gets opened, as opposed to only about 25 percent of emails. At the same time, almost 60 percent of consumers enjoy receiving direct mail from brands and businesses. This is why it may be worth making the effort to look for a reputable leaflet distribution company for your business. They especially enjoy getting mail that includes coupons, discount codes, and other special offers. It’s also important to point out that about 60 percent of people who receive catalogs in the mail end up visiting the company’s website to browse and purchase products.

Consumers also tend to hold onto marketing mail for at least two weeks, so they can potentially revisit the direct mail you send them several times before they get rid of it. About half of consumers find postcards from companies to be helpful when choosing the products and services they want and need. On top of all that, 75 percent of consumers remember information about companies they receive direct mail from. In contrast, only 44 percent recall information about companies that send them emails.

Of course, the benefits don’t end there. Consumers also share direct mail with their friends, neighbors, and relatives. It’s a physical piece of information that recipients can actually hand over to other people or talk to them about. They don’t have to sort through weeks of emails to find the right one or struggle to figure out which platform to share on for each person who might need your products or services, as they would in the digital world. They can simply pull out the flyer, pamphlet, or postcard, and pass it along or give others the information it provides.

Direct Mail Generates More Sales

Direct mail also has the power to generate more sales. Since more people open and read those mailers and thumb through catalogs, they’re naturally more inclined to take action after the fact. Additionally, because those mailers lead to greater brand recall, people are bound to remember your company, products and services, and special offers for days or weeks after they read the mail you send them. They may not need what you have to offer immediately, but they’re bound to eventually.

Those factors come together to create an interesting effect from direct mail. According to the latest figures, people who receive marketing and advertising mailers purchase nearly 30 percent more items than those who receive emails and see digital ads. They also spend almost 30 percent more on their purchases than consumers, who are only exposed to digital marketing efforts from businesses. This makes for a return on investment of approximately 29 percent, though it’s even higher for some companies in certain areas across the country.

All Things Considered

Direct mail offers a range of advantages over other marketing and advertising outlets. People are more likely to read it, remember it, and share it with others. They’re also nine times more likely to respond to mailers than emails and online ads. If they don’t come to your brick-and-mortar locations to make purchases, they’ll at least visit your website for further details. They’re also more likely to make purchases and inclined to spend more when they receive tangible advertising material in the mail. If you know how to use direct mail to your fullest advantage, it can certainly work out in your favor.

Quite a few people voice their displeasure at receiving high volumes of marketing emails. They also tend to ignore those emails until they’re ultimately deleted without ever being opened. When it comes to direct mail, though, consumers actually look forward to getting and reading it. From there, they hold onto it for a while rather than immediately getting rid of it. Direct mail shouldn’t replace your digital marketing efforts by any means, but it should be a significant part of your lineup.

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