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6 steps for creating a good direct mail piece

September 22, 2008

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It is possible to create good direct mail pieces. It's even better to create a direct mail piece and a complimentary email piece at the same time. The saying in Marketing 101 class is you have to hit someone seven times before they remember you. At the extreme, that's an ad in a magazine, a direct mail piece, a classified ad, an email coupon, a drive-by your store, a drop-in your store and a billboard combined. At the easiest, it's seeing a classified ad repeatedly, or driving by your storefront every day on the way to work.

One of the advertising things we have discovered over the years is most people in retail love to send direct mail pieces. It's usually creative, artistic and contains lots of images to grab people's attention. Since direct mail is a very precise medium, it is possible to create highly customized and targeted pieces. This is what makes them work, and why retailers love using this form of marketing.

Ensuring you're creating an effective piece:

  1. Personalize it. Today's technology allows you to simply add their names using a Word merge technique. Dear Sir has been replaced with a Dear Sam.
  2. Target their birthday or big event if possible. Send a coupon to be used during this time.
  3. Use quality mailing materials. A striking, attractive envelope; thick paper stock, nice photos ...people tend to throw away what they perceive as junk.
  4. Include a response mechanism. A reply card or envelope, contact information, sale dates, etc.
  5. Write persuasive copy, and remember to keep the "cheese factor" out of it.
  6. Create a well-designed layout. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity....

Remember this tip: never treat current customers as "prospects" - watch your copy and market accordingly. Also, the best direct mail pieces are they ones you yourself remember. Keep these as references and draw upon them when creating yours.


Posted by Suze Bragg on September 22, 2008 | Comments (4)


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October 1, 2008
In response to: 6 steps for creating a good direct mail piece
Postal Systems commented:

Great Article. Personalizing direct mail is the key to a good ROI. That is why PURLs are becoming so important in Direct mail marketing.

Check this out: postalsystems.blogspot.com





January 30, 2009
In response to: 6 steps for creating a good direct mail piece
Sandra Blum commented:

To your point, most experts recommend minimal personalizing in prospect mailings. Besides issues of name accuracy, prospects don't have a relationship with you and it's easy to turn them off if you go overboard. They also tend to resent references to any semi-personal information you might get with or are able to infer from lists you rent. The wrong reference is a quick way to trigger distrust and raise privacy concerns.

Take a look at the direct mail tips at
learn.pbmarketingservices.com

Sandra Blum




January 30, 2009
In response to: 6 steps for creating a good direct mail piece
Sandra Blum commented:

To your point, most experts recommend minimal personalizing in prospect mailings. Besides issues of name accuracy, prospects don't have a relationship with you and it's easy to turn them off if you go overboard. They also tend to resent references to any semi-personal information you might get with or are able to infer from lists you rent. The wrong reference is a quick way to trigger distrust and raise privacy concerns.

Take a look at the direct mail tips at
learn.pbmarketingservices.com

Sandra Blum




October 9, 2009
In response to: 6 steps for creating a good direct mail piece
ccb3c commented:


ccb3c







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