Just today I learned the “truth” about click rates and open rates and the cost of a mail “click” and the cost of a banner “click and I am now proselytizing this truth.  Listen to wisdom:   “The problem with comparing direct mail costs… to on-line marketing is that a common lexicon for equivalent consumer actions and costs associated with those actions has not been established.  Until now.

…

Both mediums [online and mail] are successful when they place an advertisement in front of a consumer and are able to generate a request for more information.  A “click” can therefore be used to define this consumer action…Simply put, a “click” is opening an ad for more information.

The mistake the direct mail industry has made is to allow those selling on-line ads to equate the traditional direct mail response, generally defined as a purchase, with an on-line response defined as a click. The direct mail industry also allows on-line advertisers to equate direct mail’s production costs with on-line advertising’s cost per response pricing.  These inaccurate comparisons make on-line advertising appear much more responsive and significantly less expensive than direct mail.”

TO READ THE REST, DOWNLOAD TODD BUTLER’S TERRIFIC ARTICLE BELOW: COST COMPARISONS: DISC BASED MAIL VS. ON-LINE ADVERTISING.   AND GO SEE ALL HIS ARGUMENTS AT www.ekeymailer.com.