Direct mail marketing is incredibly effective at capturing the attention of your target audience and generating a response, but only if all the proper direct mail design elements are included!
At Plum Direct Marketing, we’ve spent over a decade helping businesses grow with direct mail and we’ve learned by experience what gets conversions and what gets tossed in the recycling bin. Successful postcard marketing requires a well-thought-out plan and a careful formula for execution. Regardless of your campaign goals or target audience, your mailers need to include the following direct mail design elements if you want to get a solid return on your investment:
Company Name/Logo
The best direct mail designs don’t just produce an immediate response that dies out after a week or two; they generate brand awareness overtime with multiple mailings. You want your name and logo to be prominent on your mailer so that when they see another one of your advertisements or hear about you from a friend, they’ll already be familiar with your name.
People are far more likely to work with businesses that they’ve heard of before, even if they don’t know anything about the company. With a well-branded mailer, even if they don’t become a customer right when they receive it, you have a better shot at earning their business in the future because your name and logo is ingrained in their minds.
Address/Contact Info
A return address is essential for all direct mail designs, but it’s also important to give recipients as many options to contact you as possible. Your website, phone number, and possibly your email address should be clearly visible just under your name/logo. If you run a physical store that you want recipients to visit, you can include a small locator map and/or written directions to make sure that prospects can find you easily, for example: “Our offices are located at 123 Sesame Street, on the third floor, right between ABC Law Firm and XYZ Dental.”
Eye-Catching Color Scheme
Choosing the color scheme for your direct mail design can be difficult. The first thing you should consider is your branding; you want the colors of your mailer to match the colors of your logo and the colors that you typically use in your marketing materials. The second thing you should consider is your audience and the message you’re trying to convey to them.
You want to stand out from your competitors, but if your industry sticks to a relevant color scheme you don’t want your mailer to be too far off from what your target audience is used to, so make an appropriate choice. For example: dentists usually use white and light blue, landscapers use green, childcare businesses use a mix of primary colors (red, yellow, blue). You can also use certain colors to evoke certain moods, for example: red evokes a sense of urgency. Dark blues and maroons evoke a feeling of trust.
Images
The graphics used on your mailer are just as important as the text because they will be the first thing to catch the recipient’s eye. Use relevant images that make sense for what you’re selling and who you’re selling to. VDP (variable data printing) allows for image variation within a single campaign. That means it’s possible for you to send the campaign to people of various demographics and have the imagery relate directly to each segment.
For example: if you are advertising your products/services to both millenials and senior citizens, you can customize your campaign so that each recipient sees an image of someone close to their age using your product/service. This personalization can dramatically increase conversion rates. Whether you choose to utilize VDP or not, it’s important that your images make sense and grab attention without distracting from your written content too much.
Bold Headline
You have less than 3 seconds to grab your recipient’s attention before your mailer gets added to the “junk mail” pile. That means you need a big, bold headline that gets your point across upon first glance. With direct mail, there’s no need to add an element of mystery to your headline… unfortunately consumers aren’t curious enough to spend any amount of time figuring out what your mailer is all about. Your headline should address a real problem that they have and offer your product/service as the best solution.
Bulleted Benefits
Bullet points give your mailer an organized look and they make it easier for readers to quickly scan and understand the information being presented. The key to good bullet points is to not just sell prospects on the features of your product/service, but more importantly, the benefits. Tell people what they will get out of doing business with you, how it will positively impact their lives, and how it will solve their problems. Shy away from technical specifications and jargon that most wouldn’t understand and instead opt for emotional language that every reader can relate to.
Proof
You can’t just tell prospects how valuable your product/service is without proving it somehow. Use numbers as much as possible to quantify the benefits of your product/service. Some businesses will be able to use before/after photos as proof (fitness trainers, home remodelers, cleaning companies, etc). One form of proof that every business can use on their direct mailer is a testimonial from a happy customer. Include their name, picture, and a real quote from them to help build trust and credibility.
Enticing Offer
The most successful direct mail campaigns include an enticing offer or multiple offers. These should be proudly displayed and aimed at prospects who haven’t done business with you yet. For example: “New customers: get 15% off your first order if you bring this postcard to our store!” or “Visit www.companyname.com/campain and use the promo code ‘YRN28’ to receive $50 off your first service” or “Call 1-800-555-5555 for a free consultation! Call within the next 24 hours and get a special gift, on us!”
Strong Call-To-Action
Your recipients need to be guided through the buying process very carefully. You want to tell them explicitly what the next step is. Whatever you want them to do (make a phone call, visit your store, visit your website/landing page, etc.) make sure you tell them to do exactly that!
Your call to action should be big, bold, and contrasting in color from the rest of your mailer so that it stands out. Be persuasive and descriptive with your calls-to-action. For example: “Don’t wait until there’s a problem to see a dentist; set an appointment with XYZ Dental and start your journey to a healthy, beautiful smile today! 1-800-555-5555”
Using these 9 crucial direct mail design elements, your campaign is sure to be a success! If you want a custom direct mail campaign with professional design that includes all 9 elements (and more!), contact Plum Direct Marketing for a free consultation.
Call today at 1-800-992-9663 or learn more here.
