differences between direct mail and online advertising
Direct mail marketing is the most traditional marketing campaign process, compared to online advertising. Research has shown that print ads are more effective than online ads. Today, we are so immersed in the digital world and spam, while print ads evoke stronger emotions, and you can hold on to the ads too.
Online ads are ideal for offering your services to consumers and getting them to buy right away. For example, if someone sees an ad for a particular item of clothing online, they can click through to the website and purchase the item within minutes. therefore, an online advertising campaign is perfect for impulse buyers and quick purchases. however, direct mail invokes customer loyalty and trust for larger purchases. For example, you might not click on an online ad for a mortgage company, but if you receive personalized direct mail about the business, you’re more likely to click.
advantages of direct mail
To really come to a conclusion about direct mail versus online advertising, you first need to look at the advantages of each. There are many benefits to direct mail; One of them is building trust with your target customer. talking to them directly, rather than through an online ad, wins consumer loyalty and thus builds that elusive trust. By doing this, responses will increase as will revenue. direct mail consistently has higher response rates than online and email marketing – it’s a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness and improving return on investment.
You only have to look at your email inbox to understand the power of direct mail. our inboxes are regularly filled with spam, but people still collect your physical mail. As analyzed in this direct mail study, 77% of audiences still check your direct mail, so it has a high chance of being missed and seen by the right people.
advantages of online advertising
A significant advantage of online advertising is, of course, how fast and effective it is for the consumer and your business. If your target customer sees a particular online ad while browsing the internet, they can immediately click and buy it. in turn, this will improve your brand awareness and visibility. Online advertising also allows a business to reach many more people than it would with direct mail, again enhancing its brand and sharing its services with a wider audience. however, this becomes a disadvantage compared to direct mail, which targets fewer people but is often hyper-personalized, adding more value to the consumer’s life and buying habits.
types of direct mail
Direct mail marketing can take many forms and when used correctly can guarantee great responses from your target customer. types of direct mail may include:
- postcards
- catalogues
- brochures
- auto-ships
- lead letters
It is worth noting that creating unique and personalized direct mail campaigns will improve response rate. We’ve highlighted 10 creative examples of direct mail marketing to consider when crafting your next campaign.
types of online advertising
Like direct mail marketing, online advertising can also take many forms. The most common types of online advertising are the following:
- social media (facebook ads are a great example)
- banner advertising
- newsletter advertising
- pay per click advertising (google adwords)
conclusion
While we are in the age of online advertising, direct mail marketing has not lost its power. At wdm, we specialize in direct mail and personalized direct mail services to enhance your business. If you’d like to talk to someone on our team about our offerings and what direct mail can do for your business, just give us a call.