During these unique times, the marketing landscape has changed as many people are working from home. Digital fatigue has set in as more people are tired of seeing a screen than a person. Old chores like taking a trip to the mailbox are now an opportunity to stretch your legs and maybe see a neighbor. Take advantage of this renewed engagement with direct mail! Here's a breakdown of the different tactics:
Personal Letter
It may be a dying art, but people still enjoy the feeling of a personalized letter sent to them! Marketers must instill trust and professionalism, and a sharp letter that's to the point can generate great response. In letter form, you have the benefit of evoking emotion and explaining your offer in detail. If the recipient opens and gets to the body content of the letter, you will likely see them finish the letter. If the offer is strong, then the engagement should be too.
Envelopes play a significant role in getting to the conversion with personalized letters. There are a variety of envelopes, many with windows teasing the potential customer with a preview. Printed messaging on the envelope plays a role too with calls to action like 'Urgent– Open Immediately'. Cleverly engaging to get the mail open is the first, and sometimes the most important, step to getting the sale.
Postcards
Now we're not exactly talking about a fancy photo from Italy with a message from your aunt crammed into the limited space on the back. In marketing, postcards have the same size and feel but are more about the messaging, and they can be one of the most cost effective ways to see response. The government, dental offices, and other official services often use this style of postcard as reminders, so they'll catch someone's attention in a stack of mail. Direct, urgent messages do really well.
There is value in the two sided printing available as well: twice the number of headlines! At Milestone Marketing Solutions, we've seen great response with just black ink on pink or yellow card stock. We've also had impressive feedback from our clients on Red and White post cards with black ink. Urgency is the name of the game when you have a smaller medium to work with, and when it comes to Cost per Sale, postcards are one of our best performers.
Snap Pack
This might not be a household name, but every wage earner has experienced the snap pack when the W-2's arrive during tax season. It's official. It's important. It stands out from other mail. And most importantly, it gets responses. The tactile experience of unlocking the hidden message is the first level of engagement. A well formatted body content will keep them engaged. And like always, a strong CTA at the bottom will get the response.
We have successfully implemented two design strategies for snap packs. The first is inspired by information heavy, grid style of tax forms or other official documents. This can be a little overwhelming but at the same time engaging because the recipient wants to interpret the importance. The second creative style of the snap pack content is a personal letter. It may not be exactly what you expect, but like a regular letter, a potential customer appreciates a personal note.
Loud Letter
There's a lot of ways these type of pieces can manifest, and sometimes it's hard to pigeonhole them even as a letter. Our clients have occasionally requested something loud and impactful, and we have an arsenal of tactics. We've sent out holographic scratch off letters, bold red ink on green paper for the holiday season, or sticky note reminders attached to letters. These tactics sacrifice subtlety for immediate response.
Considering one of these tactics requires some cost analysis, because the price per unit gets higher and higher the more pizzazz you add. For specifically targeted leads or for remailing previously engaged customers, these mail styles can close the deal. There's also the added benefit of brand recognition; even if someone isn't opening the mail piece, they'll see your brand loud and clear in their stack of mail. There's always added value in being known.
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Direct mail doesn't always get the respect it deserves, and that's usually coming from people who haven't looked at the numbers. Now more than ever, it's time to seize the opportunity to excite and delight a potential lead with direct mail. I haven't touched on every possible mail strategy, but at Milestone Marketing Solutions, we know what works. We are rapidly growing both our clientele and databases, don't miss out on these low cost, high return direct mail strategies.
If you would like to see samples or have our creative team mock up designs for your company, please reach out with the 'Free Quote' link below. Thanks!