How to Build an Effective Direct Mail Marketing Campaign

Are you thinking about utilizing a direct mail marketing campaign for the first time? Or perhaps you tried it but had little success with your direct mail initiatives in the past, now is a good time to consider the importance of effective design. You already have your intended target market established and you know what you company does better than the competition, so now is the time to reach out and show those potential customers exactly what you have to offer.

Draw Them In

If the unopened envelope is tossed in the trash or the postcard is never turned over, then your advertising direct mail is a failure. This points to the significance of the packaging. Imagine pulling an advertising flyer from your mailbox. How do you respond to it? Do different pieces get different levels of attention? Why? What catches your attention? What makes you cast it aside? Knowing and understanding your own habits and those of the people around you can help give you a clear picture of what you must achieve with your own marketing flyer, and, perhaps more importantly, how to approach the envelope that holds it. Images, color, different types of text, and even peak-through windows can help to ensure that your potential customer base actually sees what you have to offer.

Understand Trends and Remake Them

What’s great in your industry right now? What is pulling customers into stores around the country and beyond? Can your mailing call attention to that or even mimic the shape, style, or coloring of that hot product? Direct mail that is shaped and colored like a tire, an engine, or some other vehicle component, for instance, is likely to capture attention faster than a standard piece of paper. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, or, in this instance, outside the envelope. This is a very important concept to keep in mind if you intend to run several advertising direct mail programs throughout the year. If they all begin to look the same, potential customers are more likely to toss them without a second look, missing out on exciting new services, products, or deals that might otherwise entice them.

Today’s Society Loves Interaction

Since the invention of the internet and the many fancy technological developments that have come after, people, in general, have developed a love for interactive media. Just because you are opting for direct marketing in the form of mailers instead of an internet-based format, doesn’t mean that you have to forego interactive advertising. Consider ways to make the recipient of your mailer engage with it. Pull tabs, stickers, stamps, scratch-offs, or even trivia-style questions that require the package to be opened for an answer can be effective and can improve your direct mail design.