If you are an advertiser, you may wonder if direct marketing is still effective in this internet age.  Direct mail marketing involves sending information to a potential client and waiting for a response.  Most of these mailers usually involve a coupon or discount of some sort.  Does this still work?

The answer is “yes.”  And for many reasons.  Direct mail marketing should never be discounted in favor for internet marketing.  While a business should leave no stone unturned when it come to marketing, direct marketing is more effective than internet marketing.

One reason why direct mail marketing is still effective is that people tend to have a little more faith in what they get in the mail than what they see online.  Despite the fact that over 80 percent of Americans are now connected to the internet, many people still shy away from doing their banking online, making online purchases or trusting any online marketing.  This is partly due to the fact that online marketing is still relatively new,  people generally are a bit wary of new things and they have heard horror stories of people being cheated online.
 
People trust the mail.  When you send something through the mail, it better not be fraudulent.  Mail fraud is a serious crime and can carry a prison sentence.  This is one reason why direct mail marketing is still effect - people can trust it.
 
Another reason direct mail marketing is effective for advertiser is that customers can hold the coupon or mail product in their hands.  It is tangible.  They can look at it for a few moments and may even decide to hang it on their refrigerator for future use.  Not everyone who wants to have their carpets cleaned wants to do so at that second.  They are more inclined to call you than try to find a website, when the information that they need is right there.
 
Still another reason in favor of the effectiveness of direct mail marketing is that it is easy to understand.  Many people still find surfing the web very confusing.  They may not understand how to use a search engine properly.  Even if they know how to search, it can be a while before they get the business they are looking for.  With direct mail marketing, they have the product in front of them.  There is no coupon for them to print out on paper and the information is right there for them. 

Although the internet is good for marketing, do not discount direct mail marketing for businesses at all.  People still make a habit of rifling through their mail.  They like to look at coupons and also look for something to read.  With direct mail marketing, you also have the potential to put an idea into their heads that they would not have otherwise looked for on the internet.  Advertisers who are wondering if direct mail marketing is still effective in this internet age should know that it is not only effective, but looks like it will remain so in the years to come.