Even with the evolving technologies available to communicate with prospects from your dealership, direct mail should be a critical piece in your dealership’s marketing mix. But only if it’s personalized. When combined with behavior prediction technology that can curate offers specific to each prospect’s needs, direct mail is sure to drive more sales. In this whitepaper we discuss the importance of direct mail and how it can complement your digital marketing strategies in today’s constantly evolving market.
The Resurgence of Direct Mail
Dealers are often seeking tried-and-true marketing methods that yield positive results for their business. Direct mail, while traditional, is still very effective. Four in ten Americans look forward to checking their mailbox, and they tend to hold on to physical mail for up to 17 days. That exceeds the life of your advertising far beyond a single digital impression. The resurgence of direct mail is largely being driven by the recognition that direct mail, even when created and delivered via “snail mail”, drives high response rates.
Consumers love to receive mail. It’s tangible and it’s real. 454 is the average number of mail pieces that get delivered to each U.S. household every year. Almost half of that either gets read or scanned by the recipient and almost 75% of the recipients prefer it. Print mail scratches a different itch than email, and for that reason, companies should approach them as complementary, separate channels. Direct mail is never going to be the new kid on the block or in this case, the new technology on the market, but it sure is effective.
62% of consumers who respond to a direct mail campaign make a purchase within 3 months.
Combining Print & Digital: Better Together
Using direct mail and email marketing in tandem is often overlooked because the two vehicles are frequently compared to one another. They are two sides of the same coin when they really should be viewed as two separate mediums. From the eyes of the consumer, they could not be any more different; prospects just react differently to digital communication than they do a physical piece of collateral. Combining these two outreach methods strengthens your message and multiplies your chance to close the deal while lowering your potential cost per sale.
Top marketing experts agree that a multi-channel marketing approach will always outperform a single channel campaign. Mastermind has delivered millions of direct mail pieces on behalf of our dealer partners, and we universally see higher response rates when the two channels are combined. Our average direct mail open rate is about 90% with a 6% response rate. Our email open rates far surpass industry standards, as well, with an open rate averaging 44%. What is the secret sauce? Personalization.
Adding personalization to direct mail yields as much as a 135% lift in response rates
Are you attending NADA 2020?
If your dealership’s marketing strategy is focused too much on identifying the best marketing channel and not enough on understanding what your prospects want and need from you, it’s time for a change. Pre-book and Contact us for a free Market EyeQ consultation on how to make all your channels more efficient and effective through predictive marketing.
