Why Dealership Mailers Still Matter in a Digital World

Since the turn of the century, the marketing world has shifted its focus from print to digital, reaching people primarily through email, text messaging and social media rather than print ads and mailers. While these online strategies have proven to be impactful in the past, people have become wary of digital offers, often using a nonprimary email address to sign up for retail correspondence or leaving such messages unread. 

To combat this, many marketers are returning to an old-school method of advertising: direct mail marketing. Granted, it’s more expensive than shooting off an email, but sending out mailers could have a net-positive effect on your business. Here’s why.

People Read Mailers

It’s difficult to compare digital marketing methods with print, as the former provides so much more ready data (e.g., real-time open rates, engagement time, click-through rates, etc.) than the latter. It appears that direct mail marketing may offer higher open rates. Some studies have reported businesses reaching a 90% open rate with mailers versus about 35% with emails.

Physical advertisements also provide a high ROI. According to the 2022 ANA Response Report, marketers saw a 112% ROI from letter mail and a 92% ROI from postcards.

Humans Have a Positive Neurophysiological Response to Printed Material

According to a joint study by Temple University and the U.S. Postal Service, which looked at consumers’ neurophysical responses to marketing materials, physical ads affected people more deeply than digital ones. Recipients spent more time reviewing the printed ads and could remember them more quickly. The study also found that participants’ brain activity indicated a greater subconscious desire for the services and products presented in print. 

Similarly, another study by neuromarketing firm TrueImpact and Canada Post found that direct mailers took less cognitive effort for participants to digest than email communication, and people had better brand recall for information advertised in a printed format.

Digital marketing messages, on the other hand, seem to merit a lot less of the recipient’s time. In fact, research suggests that people engage with a digital ad for less than 1 second.

Mailers Shouldn’t Replace Digital Marketing Entirely

Both digital and print marketing have their pluses and minuses, and it’s likely unwise to devote all your resources to just one or the other. According to the Temple University study, the best campaigns are multifaceted, blending different mediums to reach the target audience. That’s why it’s a good idea to think of direct mailers as just one tool in your marketing kit. 

Dealerships can also leverage modern technology to determine who should get a physical ad. For example, if a customer clicks through an email newsletter about service but fails to schedule an appointment, your DMS could tell your Marketing team to send out an offer via snail mail. This kind of trigger-based direct mailing ensures the ad reaches its targeted audience rather than a broad swath of customers who may just throw it in the bin.

Another option would be for your dealership to use artificial intelligence to analyze data in your CRM, namely if a customer has used a mailer before to receive a discount on a service. It could then identify when that customer is ready for their next service visit and tell your team to send out another mailer to encourage their business.