DM more effective at driving online traffic
The survey was conducted by Pitney Bowes - yes, the mailing workflow company - and included 10,000 people across the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Scandinavia. But the results bear a second look because the company seems to have been quite balanced in its conclusions.
According to the report, 60 percent of those interviewed felt that marketing such as addressed mail was more effective in prompting a visit to a company's website. Only 24 percent felt an email, online advertisement or sponsored link was a stronger way to stimulate a first visit.
On a more in-depth level, direct marketing was seen as being more effective at creating traffic than digital advertising across all the age groups surveyed.
Of those surveyed, just over two thirds in the 35-44 age bracket were most likely to visit and consider a purchase following receipt of an offline message.
"These figures demonstrate how critically important it is for businesses to find the right marketing mix," said General Manager of Pitney Bowes DMT in the UK, Gareth Stoten.
Image 7 Group Managing Director Brad Entwistle said it should be no surprise to B2B marketing professionals that targeted addressed mail has more impact than online communications. "Online marketing usually lacks the same focus on targeting simply because it is cheaper (per impact) to deliver - the imperative to make every piece count is significantly less."
When faced with management who are looking for even better ROI on their marcom investment, it pays to do the sums and calculate the optimal marketing mix for your individual business.
In a parting shot Mr Stoten said, "Online channels such as social networking are a hot topic, but it is the traditional print and mail channels that are driving people to make web purchases."
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