Summer Gould2022 has started off very busy. The toughest part right now for direct mail is the paper shortage. Everyone is scrambling to get paper and in direct mail, no paper means no mail. The best way to combat that is to plan ahead and get your paper secured early. Once you have your paper, start planning your direct mail to stand out in the mail box.
Here are five ways to get your direct mail campaign to stand out and get noticed:
- Use color envelopes: Color is inviting and not used often enough. Your envelope will be opened because it is unique. There are many standard colors available that do not drastically increase your costs. They have been easier to get lately as well with the paper shortage since most envelopes are printed on white stock. Keep in mind some colors are not USPS approved, such as red. When was the last time you had a color envelope in your mail box?
- Use stamps: There is a stamp for each postage class, use them. Nonprofits are best at this. When they send out an appeal letter there is a stamp on the envelope. Your piece looks less like the other pieces in the mail box with permits or meters. Keep in mind that the presorted stamps do not come with fun image options. The look of the stamp is not as important as the fact that you are using a stamp.
- Use larger pieces: You can use up to a 6.125×11.5″ postcard and still pay the letter size postage rate. A folded self-mailer can be 6×10.5″. Take advantage of that. Larger pieces are noticed. It also gives you more room for design and larger text for your copy. Just because you have more room does not mean you should write a book. Keep your copy concise and on point.
- Use taglines: Add fun taglines to your envelopes, get your recipients excited about what they are going to find in the envelope. Using diagonal text, bright colors, or fun fonts. The more creative the better. Consider using a funny phrase that is in-line with your branding. People love to laugh!
- Use targeting: Target your message to the individual. If you are having a sale on fishing lures make sure you target people who use lures. I would not be a good target, as I like to bait fish. Send me a targeted piece on bait for sale. The better targeted the message the more likely they are to respond. Not everyone on your list is a fit for every offer, so make sure that you send relevant offers to the right people.
Remember to change only one thing at a time so that when you are analyzing your results you will be able to see if the change you made has increased your response. It would be best to have a control group of what you always have done and then split off a segment to try the new piece with. This will give you the most accurate results.
Remember to send a pdf of your new design to your mail service provider so that they can make sure your new design is still USPS compliant. You don’t want to print your great new design only to find out your postage is more than double because you did not meet USPS regulations. Are you ready to get started?
