Well-crafted search campaigns produce strong results on their own, but some marketers are discovering the benefits of combining the online ads with traditional media such as television and direct mail.

Shoppers who are browsing websites generate triggers and signals from online searches. Marketers need to create real-time data that can identify interests from page visits, time spent on sites, keyword searches, cart abandonment, and page-level and behavioral activity.

I’m not sure about you, but I automatically shred irrelevant direct mail that comes to my home. Data from PebblePost, which focuses on programmatic direct mail by tying in search and other data, shows I’m not alone.

About 68% of consumers toss mail from brands they have no interest in reading about. Having the ability to identify interests from online searches eliminates — or at least reduces — the amount of unwanted mail, according to the data.

In fact, consumers are 75% more likely to talk about products they see online and through direct mail. They are 31% more likely to visit the brand’s website, about 22% more likely to follow the brand on social platforms and 20% more likely to contact the brand. They are 19% more likely to post on social media and 18% more likely to write an online review.

The 20-minute online survey of 3,200 customers from PebblePost, which focuses on programmatic direct mail, found that the buying process typically begins at home. Eighty-eight percent of the key purchase decisions are made at home, and some 94% are about automobiles, while 91% are about finances, and 82% are about retail purchases.

Some 89% of key purchases are pre-planned and discussed with others in the home. Direct mail influences the purchase decision for 61%, and 75% go back online to consult sources.