"Properly practiced creativity can make
 one ad do the work of ten".

Top Tips for Direct Mail Design

Here are 15 tips to get the best out of your direct mail marketing and mailer postcard design:

1. Plan

Make sure you have a good plan of action so you know what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. Planning equals better results, better targeting and will help minimise any problems you may come up against.

2. Use good up to date mailing data

Put simply, if you don’t, the direct mailer will just fail to reach its intended audience and go to the wrong person or no one instead – a highly effective waste of money and also bad for your business reputation too.

3. Keep it simple

Don’t overcomplicate your message. You will only have a few moments in which to grab the attention of the person receiving the direct mail. You must make it very clear what you are offering, why they need it and how to get it – your call to action.

4. Make it compelling

A deal or some sort of offer tends to work well i.e. money off or a free trial. Something that will grab their attention and make your prospect want to respond.

5. Format

What will work best for your intended audience and the message you want to get across i.e. postcard, sales letter, brochure, mailer – there are lots of different formats to choose from.

6. Creativity

The words and pictures you use. Eye catching and professional looking design works and needs to be appropriate for the audience and the mailing you are sending out. You also need well written literature that sells rather than confuses. If you can’t do it yourself Maximpact can take care of it for you.

7. Call to action

Direct mail always works best when it includes some form of call to action. A call to action makes it clear what you want the person receiving the direct mail to do next i.e. a free trial or money off offer will give them a reason to call your number, fill in and send back the reply paid card you’ve included or order online with the promotional code provided.

8. Always make it easy for people to respond by providing a variety of clear ways for them to get in contact.

9. Test

If you can, try a bit of trial and error and test out your direct mail. Send out a small quantity of direct mail first and try out different offers/timings to see what gets the best response. But don’t be afraid to go with your gut instinct and have a go. The use of good sales leads and mailing lists will minimise any risks.

10. Think integrated

Using other methods in combination with direct mail also works really well and can bring great results. Examples of integrated include the use of multiple direct mailings, phone calls and emails.

11. Results

Once you’ve tested your direct mail you are ready to go. Before you do, always make sure that you’ve set up some processes to measure the success of your direct mail. This is where your call to action comes back into play. For example, always include some form of reference number or promotional code in the direct mail that you send so that if people call or order online, for example, you’ll be able to match their response against the direct mail you sent out.

12. If you find your direct mail is working don’t be afraid to do it more than once. However, make sure that you don’t become a nuisance. If a one off mailing won’t deliver the results you need nor will a constant barrage of direct mail.

13. Follow up

Once you’ve gone to the trouble of sending out direct mail, make sure that you always respond. As a potential customer, there is nothing more frustrating than replying to direct mail and then not getting a response. It hardly gives them a good reason for giving you business.

14. Existing customers

Direct mail is also a good way to keep your customers informed of what you are doing and any special offers you can offer them too.

15. Opt out

Always provide an opt out facility so that your prospect can tell you if they don’t want to receive any further information from you.

And finally..

When planning the timing of your mail shot. Consider the following: Most businesses respond better to mail shots received midweek. Avoid holidays.