Designing Your Mailer: Marketing that Gets Results
So, you’ve decided to go with a direct mail campaign. Good choice! Print marketing is still a valid form of advertising. Direct mail gets noticed, providing potential customers with a tangible, physical advertisement for your business.
Time and again, print has proven effective even in this digital age. Digital ads are pervasive, but they are usually only in front of a prospective customer for a few brief seconds and are often “tuned out” by those you are trying to reach. Direct mail has staying power and improves customer engagement for an increased ROI.
What’s the best kind of mailer to send?
We’d love to tell you the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you can mail... but unfortunately, the limit is most likely budget. The GOOD NEWS is there are a lot of options for your mailing campaign! You can have an attractive, engaging mailer at an affordable price and send it at a great postage rate.
Some of the most common options are postcards, letters and newsletters. These can all be very effective and budget-friendly but serve different purposes.
Postcards are a great way to generate awareness of a product or service, to offer deals or inform or invite to events. It’s probably the simplest and most efficient type of mail.
For bulk mail, we can print a range of sizes. Oversized postcards get a lot of attention! Plus, they don’t rely on a recipient opening the envelope - allowing for a direct and immediate experience of your message. Learn more about other direct mail options here.
Letters and newsletters are especially effective if you have a lot of information to convey to a prospect. Appeals for donations by non-profit organizations or information for established customers about changes to your business. Enclosing letters in an envelope also allows you to send additional brochures, inserts, or return envelopes and forms.
Depending on the type of mailing you’d like to do, the overall size of the mailer will come into play as it must meet postal requirements for certain postage rates and methods – and that can be a little confusing! The weight of your finished mailer is also a factor in USPS postage rates.
Whether working with a designer or producing the artwork yourself, you’ll need to know the correct size BEFORE you get started. A-Link Printing and Marketing Solutions is always here to help. Connect with our helpful team here. We can help you decide on the right mailer for the right price!
What kind of information should be on a postcard?
Whether working on your own, with a designer, or with A-Link Printing’s design team, you’ll need to think about your target audience and how you’re more likely to connect with potential clients. Mailers allow you to reach out to customers individually. Use this personal connection to set yourself apart from the competition.
Keep any direct mail pieces you receive that you find particularly interesting – these are an excellent source of ideas and inspiration!
The Headline: Make your direct mail headline simple and to the point since most people "skim" rather than read carefully.
- Powerful words such as Free, Discover, Exclusive, Limited Time, Congratulations, and Proven all command attention.
- You can also personalize the headline with the recipient's name!
A Brief Statement of What you’re Offering: A few sentences and/or a bulleted list will quickly convey the details of your message.
A Compelling Call to Action: What steps do you want your audience to take? State what you want them to do next.
- Examples of basic CTAs (Calls to Action) are: Call Now, Contact Us, Apply, Donate Now, Learn More, Shop Now, etc... urge your potential customers to take the next step.
Mention an Event or Valuable Limited-Time Offer: Give your customer an incentive to act!
- This can be paired with your Call to Action
- Add a coupon, mention a sale or promotion, or an invite to an event or seminar
- Inform customers about the offer but also give them a reason to keep your mailer around; don't forget any dates, deadlines, or disclaimers.
Contact Information: Be sure to include your preferred methods of contact.
- Make sure a potential customer knows how to easily reach you and how to find out more about your company or services.
- Phone numbers, emails, addresses and websites - whatever is most relevant to your business - should be included in your mailer.
- Make it obvious and list it in multiple places, for instance on both the front and back of the postcard.
- TIP: If you want to guide someone to a specific webpage but the URL address is long and confusing, a QR Code can be added for ease of use.
Your Brand Identity: Keep in mind your brand’s identity.
- The repetition of logos, colors, etc., creates brand recognition
- Enhance your company’s reputation, leaving the impression that you are professional, established and trustworthy regardless of how long you’ve been in business.
Eye Catching Graphics: Choose high quality photographs and images that will draw the eye and showcase your business, product or event.
- Bright or high contrast images can attract attention, and photos with depth and color are ideal.
- If you don’t have great pictures of your own to use, there are many stock photo websites where you can purchase images.
A-Link Printing and Marketing Solutions can help here too! We have access to tons of stock images and can help select the graphic resources you need to make your mailer stand out!
Above all, KEEP IT SIMPLE! You don’t need to say everything all at once. Too many words or images can quickly make a mailer look busy and difficult to understand. Stick to a simple topic to make it easy and effortless for the recipient to take in your message.
Can I have help designing my postcard or mailer?
You don’t have to do it on your own! At A-Link Printing and Marketing Solutions, our design team is fast and experienced. We’re able to create the artwork you need to send out a visually stunning mailer and meet postal specifications. We can design entirely from scratch, seek out stock photography, or incorporate your ideas and sketches.
You will always see an electronic proof before we print and mail, so you will be able to make any changes or corrections you need. We never send anything without your approval
Can you use variable data printing to personalize my mailer?
Yes! we can print variable data using our specialized software. Data in your mailing list can be used to personalize each mailer with not only the postal address but also a greeting, unique message or even images tailored to each of your recipients. Get even more attention with a headline like “Joe, check out our deals on...” Let us know your ideas for personalized, variable print.
Learn more about the benefits of print marketing and how to attract leads with custom direct mail.
Need help with mailing lists? Learn about the two basic types of lists we offer – saturation and targeted mailing lists – and how they can generate the most leads for your business.