What to Include in a Direct Mail Pack

For many years, "junk mail’"had a poor reputation with customers, businesses and marketers alike; and this was no wonder, given the ugly, loud, one-size-fits-all approach of a lot of direct mail in the past. But the most powerful, cleverly executed direct mail campaigns have radically changed those perceptions in recent years by offering quality campaigns to prospects who actually want to engage with them. Here are some ways your campaign can put an envelope in your prospects’ hands that makes them want to tear, unfold, read, and respond.

Add a personal touch

Perhaps one of the most important realisations of marketers has been that personal touches are important. Personally addressing each recipient is often the difference between an open envelope and the wastepaper basket. A handwritten greeting is a sign of openness and warmth, while some information that recognises a customer’s past engagement can show an enticing level of familiarity.

Tailor the content

Tailoring the contents of a mailing to a prospect’s age, gender or location is also a very effective tool in terms of generating customer engagement. Strong imagery is another must in any effective direct mail pack. Use imagery that provokes an emotional response in your target audience, with people they can relate to smiling, feeling relieved, or having a great experience – whatever emotional response is most appropriate for your campaign.

Have a strong call to action

Your call to action is perhaps the most critical element of your campaign, triggering a response from the recipient towards a marketing outcome. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by the Royal Mail, nearly half of marketers (44.8%) ranked the call to action as the most important element of their integrated marketing campaigns. A good call to action should drive your prospect to a specific website, phone service, postal or email address to find further information, make a purchase, or take out a subscription.

Make it easy for them to respond

Of course, it’s not as simple as drawing your prospect in with the call to action and then chalking up a win. The outcome needs to also be easy and satisfying enough to keep your prospect engaged. If inviting your prospect to reply by mail, postage should be reply paid. In many cases, the enclosure of a reply/subscription form is also essential. Phone numbers, email and website addresses all need to stand out from the mail and be clear and legible. Phone services need to be up and running efficiently. Your URL should not only work, but should work effortlessly, as well as integrating stylistically with the mailing.

If you'd like in-depth insights to successful direct mail campaigns, call me, David Amor on 01494 885490 or email me - david@firstmove.co.uk

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