For decades, one of the main reasons digital media has been sold as a more effective advertising solution than direct mail was due to the ability to effectively measure digital attention metrics, or how long a consumer spends viewing or interacting with a given advertisement. Thanks to JICMail’s most recent study, that’s changed.
The Time We Spend With Mail is one of the first studies to help us understand how much attention direct mail and printed media receive—and the results might surprise you! Let’s look at some of the key findings.
What gets more attention, digital media or direct mail?
According to JICMail’s year-long study encompassing 1,000 households, the average piece of direct mail is observed for 108 seconds, and the DoorDrop for 46 seconds over the span of a month.
But does viewing time really translate into buyer power?
Mail Attention & Commercial Impact
A key finding was that “mail attention”, or time spent looking at or physically interacting with a direct mail product, is directly correlated with its ability to drive the desired commercial action. The study found that the time spent with direct mail items had a x2 to x3 multiplier for commercial activity, with DoorDrops resulting in a x3 to x5 multiplier.
Results showed that these two forms of printed media were highly effective methods of leading buyers toward digital brand platforms, such as websites and social media shop pages.
They found that an effective direct mail item leads to an average time of 5 minutes spent on a brand’s website. This is huge! Especially in a world where brands and marketing agencies are being increasingly pushed toward a fully digital outreach strategy.
But what about the printing costs of direct mail? Is it really worth it?
In Terms of Mail Attention, Direct Mail is More Cost-Efficient
Based on a methodology reviewed by PwC, the findings revealed that capturing a minute of consumer attention costs only £0.07 and £0.11 with DoorDrops and Direct Mail, respectively. This brought them to the conclusion that direct mail ad spend is a more cost-effective way of capturing your audience’s attention than digital display or social media advertising.
When you think about the fact that the average person is bombarded with an estimated 4,000-10,000 digital ads per day, it comes as no surprise that our attention is becoming less and less receptive to online advertising.
So, while it may be easier to send off hundreds of social media posts per month, the quality of the outreach simply doesn’t compare to the power of direct mail.
Direct Mail gets you quality (attention) and quantity (buying action)
In a world where every second counts, we invite you to make your message matter with the proven magic of print. By partnering with direct mail companies, you can harness the power of hybrid marketing, leading more consumers to your online shop without dishing out thousands on digital ad spend.
Contact us today to get started on your next direct mail campaign.
