Sometimes human behavior defies common sense. Marketing behaviors are no exception. According to new research from Printing for Less (PFL) and Demand Metric, marketers are not always using the most effective channels, even when they know what they are. Instead, they use the channels they know and are most familiar with. If you can’t understand why certain clients don’t use this or that channel or channel combination, even though it got a terrific result last time, maybe that’s why.

First, which channels are marketers using?

Source: “2019 Multichannel Marketing Study” (PFL/Demand Metric 2019)

The most commonly used channels are email and social media. No surprise there. These channels are ubiquitous, inexpensive, and easy to deploy. But which channels do marketers feel are most effective at reaching their target audiences?

Source: “2019 Multichannel Marketing Study” (PFL/Demand Metric 2019)

The line-up is quite different. Let’s look at the two categories, usage and effectiveness, side by side:

Source: “2019 Multichannel Marketing Study” (PFL/Demand Metric 2019)

Isn’t that fun? The most effective channels and the most used channels are quite different.

Here’s what the report has to say:

Common sense suggests that when comparing the effectiveness data to the usage data, the most effective channels are also the most used. Our research found that this isn’t the case. Only events occupy a top three ranking on both lists. Marketers are not consistently using the most effective channels.

This is the case even when effectiveness is being assessed by the marketers themselves. The report goes on to say that it “seems apparent” that marketers tend to use the channels that are the easiest or more familiar, not necessarily those that work best.

This inconsistency extends to direct mail types. Here are the types of direct mail that marketers use most compared to those that they feel that are most effective at representing their brand:

Source: “2019 Multichannel Marketing Study” (PFL/Demand Metric 2019)

Postcards, the most used format, actually rank the lowest in terms of perceived effectiveness. Dimensional mail, which is seen as the most effective (89%), is used by less than half of marketers (42%).

Regardless of format used, 52% of respondents report a moderate to major improvement in campaign performance when direct mail is one of the channels.

How Well Direct Mail Improves Multichannel Campaign Performance

Source: “2019 Multichannel Marketing Study” (PFL/Demand Metric 2019)

Respondents know this because two-third are using moderate to complete integration of their direct mail into their technology stack. (“Moderate” is defined as being able to push lists from one system to another. “High” is defined as direct mail sent by a core marketing technology, with measurement being separate or not available. “Complete” is defined as the sending and measuring of direct mail being an inherent part of their marketing technology.)

So what’s the takeaway? Like kids looking down at the vegetables still sitting on their plates, just because we know something work (or is good for us) doesn’t mean we do it. In this case, marketers with the technology to track their channel effectiveness know that direct mail works and makes a significant difference in their campaign response rate and ROI, yet they aren’t always using the formats that work best for them and deliver the best results.

Tsk! Marketers, eat your vegetables.