How to Design Direct Mail That Gets Results?

 

Learn how to design direct mail pieces that grab attention, convey your message, and persuade your audience to take action.

Direct mail is a powerful marketing tool that can help you reach your target audience, generate leads, and increase sales. But how do you make sure your direct mail pieces stand out from the crowd and communicate your message clearly?

In this article, we’ll share some tips and best practices for designing direct mail that gets results. We’ll cover:

• The importance of having a clear goal and a strong offer
• The elements of a good direct mail piece: headline, copy, images, and call to action
• The principles of effective direct mail design: contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity
• The common mistakes to avoid when designing direct mail
• The benefits of testing and optimizing your direct mail campaigns

Have a Clear Goal and a Strong Offer

Before you start designing your direct mail piece, you need to have a clear goal and a strong offer. What do you want your recipients to do after they receive your mail? Do you want them to visit your website, call your phone number, or redeem a coupon? Your goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Your offer is the incentive that motivates your recipients to take action. It should be relevant to your audience’s needs and wants, and provide them with a clear benefit or value proposition. Your offer should also be unique and compelling, and create a sense of urgency or scarcity.

For example, if you’re a dentist who wants to attract new patients, your goal might be to get them to book an appointment within the next month. Your offer might be a free teeth whitening session or a 50% discount on their first visit.

Use the Elements of a Good Direct Mail Piece

A good direct mail piece consists of four main elements: headline, copy, images, and call to action. Each element plays a different role in capturing attention, conveying your message, and persuading your audience to take action.

Headline

Your headline is the first thing your recipients see when they open your mail. It should be catchy, concise, and clear. It should also communicate the main benefit or value proposition of your offer. Your headline should answer the question: “What’s in it for me?”

For example, if you’re a landscaper who wants to promote your services, your headline might be: “How to Transform Your Backyard into a Paradise in 3 Easy Steps”.

Copy

Your copy is the text that supports your headline and explains your offer in more detail. It should be informative, engaging, and persuasive. It should also address the pain points or problems of your audience, and show how your offer can solve them. Your copy should answer the question: “Why should I care?”

For example, if you’re a fitness trainer who wants to sell your online course, your copy might be: “Are you tired of feeling sluggish and out of shape? Do you want to lose weight, tone up, and boost your energy levels? If so, you need to check out my online course: The Ultimate Fitness Formula. In this course, you’ll learn how to exercise effectively, eat healthily, and stay motivated. You’ll also get access to personalized coaching, support groups, and bonus materials. Don’t miss this opportunity to transform your body and life in just 8 weeks!”

Images

Your images are the visual elements that complement your headline and copy. They should be relevant, high-quality, and appealing. They should also illustrate the benefits or features of your offer or show testimonials or social proof. Your images should answer the question: “How does it look?”

For example, if you’re a travel agency who wants to sell vacation packages, your images might be: photos of exotic destinations, happy customers enjoying their trips, or logos of reputable partners.

Call to Action

Your call to action (CTA) is the most important element of your direct mail piece. It’s the instruction that tells your recipients what to do next. It should be clear, simple, and actionable. It should also create a sense of urgency or scarcity, and highlight the benefits or incentives of taking action. Your CTA should answer the question: “What do I do now?”

For example, if you’re a restaurant who wants to increase foot traffic, your CTA might be: “Bring this coupon to get 20% off your next meal. Offer expires in 7 days. Hurry up and book your table now!”

Follow the Principles of Effective Direct Mail Design

Once you have the elements of your direct mail piece, you need to arrange them in a way that makes them easy to read and understand. You can use the principles of effective direct mail design to achieve this:

• Contrast: Use different colors, fonts, sizes, and shapes to create visual interest and emphasize important information.
• Alignment: Align your elements to create a sense of order and harmony. Avoid using too many different alignments or leaving too much white space.
• Repetition: Repeat certain elements, such as colors, fonts, or logos, to create consistency and brand recognition.
• Proximity: Group related elements together to create a logical flow and hierarchy. Avoid placing unrelated elements too close or too far apart.

Avoid the Common Mistakes When Designing Direct Mail

Even if you follow the tips and best practices above, you might still make some common mistakes when designing your direct mail piece. Here are some of them and how to avoid them:

• Using too much text: Don’t overwhelm your recipients with too much information or details. Use bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs to break up your text and make it easier to scan.
• Using too many images: Don’t clutter your design with too many images or graphics. Use only the ones that are relevant and necessary to support your message and offer.
• Using low-quality images: Don’t use images that are blurry, pixelated, or distorted. Use high-resolution images that are clear and crisp.
• Using the wrong colors: Don’t use colors that are too bright, dull, or conflicting. Use colors that are appropriate for your brand, audience, and message. You can also use color psychology to evoke certain emotions or associations.
• Using the wrong fonts: Don’t use fonts that are too small, large, or hard to read. Use fonts that are legible, simple, and consistent. You can also use font pairing to create contrast and harmony.

Test and Optimize Your Direct Mail Campaigns

Finally, you need to test and optimize your direct mail campaigns to measure their effectiveness and improve their performance. You can use methods such as:

• Split testing: Split testing, also known as A/B testing, is a method of comparing two versions of your direct mail piece to see which one performs better. You can test different elements, such as headlines, images, or CTAs, and measure metrics such as response rate, conversion rate, or ROI.
• Tracking codes: Tracking codes are unique identifiers that you can add to your direct mail pieces to track their results. You can use QR codes, barcodes, URLs, phone numbers, or coupon codes to track how many recipients visit your website, call your phone number, or redeem your offer.
• Response rates: Response rates are the percentage of recipients who respond to your direct mail piece. You can calculate them by dividing the number of responses by the number of mailings sent. The average response rate for direct mail campaigns is 5.3%, according to the Data & Marketing Association (DMA).
• ROI: ROI stands for return on investment. It’s a measure of how much profit you make from your direct mail campaigns compared to how much you spend on them. You can calculate it by subtracting the cost of your campaign from the revenue generated by it, and dividing it by the cost of your campaign. The average ROI for direct mail campaigns is 29%, according to the DMA.

By following these tips and best practices, you can design direct mail pieces that grab attention, convey your message, and persuade your audience to take action.

If you want to learn more about how to create successful direct mail campaigns, check out our website for more resources and tips.