Tips For Setting Your Direct Mail Campaigns Apart

Direct mailers come in the mail all the time; do you remember the last one that you received in the mail? Maybe not, but you probably remember some. Why is it that you recall those so easily? Creating direct mail campaigns that are memorable is a huge step towards success. Keep reading to learn a few strategies and approaches that you can use to ensure your campaign makes a significant impact.

Innovative Direct Mail Design

One of the more obvious places to begin with your direct mail campaign is the design. However, to ensure that your design stands out in a crowd, you must be creative—and it isn’t easy to come up with brand-new and innovative design ideas.

In 2011, the Kit Kat chunky campaign showed the perfect example of a creative design of a direct mailer. While the design wasn’t the most beautiful one, it was actually quite simple, but it stood out. The direct mailer was designed so that it resembled the card Royal Mail that is left to inform individuals that their parcel was undeliverable. Immediately, this grabbed the attention of the audience since people tend to be waiting on their parcels and are excited about receiving them in the mail. After reading the card, it was explained that the Kit Kat was just too chunky to fit into the letterbox. To prevent disappointment, the mailer offered the person a free Kit Kat chunky that could be redeemed from a local store with the card.

This is proof that the best mailer designs don’t have to be incredibly stunning. Getting the design perfect for your direct mailer campaign takes some creative thinking as well as great execution. You may come up with a great idea yourself, but if you don’t, that’s okay. It is possible to work with a professional creative agency that can help with the generation of ideas. These professionals are familiar with what works and what does not, in addition to using a variety of processes that help get ideas flowing.

Sensory Direct Mail

The primary focus of direct mail is what the recipient is going to see. What will the mailer look like? What will the recipients view or read? By taking into consideration other senses, you may be able to create something that causes your direct mailer to stand out. Why not consider smell, sound, or touch? Something tactile may leave a lasting impression in the same way that something that takes individuals by surprise with a sound or smell.

Bulk Cat Litter Warehouse, a Canadian company, used scent effectively to promote one of their products to none other than—cats! Infused with catnip, their direct mailer made cats go crazy when it fell through letterboxes, drawing the attention of the cat owners and ensuring that the mailer got noticed. This was an incredibly clever way to ensure that the campaign stood out.

Another ingenious use of sensory direct mail was from Gerstenberg, a high-end German cookbook publisher. They mailed a cookbook that was made from none other than fresh pasta sheets embossed with a recipe. This direct mail campaign incorporated sight, touch, taste, and smell to truly make an impact to bookstore purchases.

Emotional Direct Mail

When it comes to your direct mail campaign, the messaging you use is important. The messaging can be fun, exciting, or persuasive. However, one of the more powerful ways to make your messaging count is to make the messaging emotional. Copywriting that appeals to an audience’s emotions instantly helps to produce a response in individuals, forcing them to engage with your direct mailer immediately. In addition, it is more likely for a physical response to be evoked and for it to be more memorable.

Powerful images tend to work in a similar fashion. Heal, a medical start-up company based in the United States, used comforting and happy imagery to help evoke pleasant emotions regarding the idea of a physician visiting the home and helping people feel better. When you are feeling sick and needing a little bit of a pick-me-up, this type of imagery is highly likely to be recalled, which leads to the prospect to think about using the service.

On the other hand, the Dog’s Trust send out Valentine’s cards that encouraged prospects to connect with lonely dogs emotionally with the goal of encouraging donations. The card was asking for someone to be the dog’s “Valentine” since his owner had died and he was now without a home. This type of emotional hook put the predicament of these canines into perspective and encouraged responses to the direct mail campaign.

Lumpy Direct Mail

A simple and effective way to ensure your direct mailer is noticed is to use what is known as the lumpy mail strategy. Lumpy mail is basically anything that is a shape or size that stands out and simply can’t be missed. For instance, it can be a large card, package, or box. This is probably the most literal translation of ensuring your mail gets noticed, since it will look different than standard letters or mailers, and as a result, will command the attention of individuals.

This particular approach is particularly effective, but it is best utilized for smaller campaigns (things can get pretty pricey). If you are mailing something really useful, fun, or thoughtful, then lumpy mail has the potential to make an excellent impression. However, it also relies heavily on the smart use of your budget and effective targeting.

When it comes to making an impact to a select group of prospects, 100 customers were sent a helium balloon inside of a box by Land Rover to celebrate (and, of course, draw attention to) the opening of their brand-new dealership in Liverpool. The balloon had details attached to it, which popped out once the box was opened. This definitely was an idea that could not be ignored.

How Do You Choose an Approach?

The aforementioned ideas can be used in an assortment of ways to incorporate value and add impact to your direct mail campaign. However, there are specific options that can lend themselves to specific circumstances.

If you have a set budget that you are working with, you may need to use innovative design tweaks as well as emotional copy. If your audience is limited or you have a large budget, lump or sensory mail may be best. Sensory approaches may fair well with your company if you sell beverages, food, or tactile products. Emotional direct mail tends to be bets suited for charities, while innovative designs work well for quirky services and products. Regardless of what you choose, make certain that your upcoming direct mail campaign gets noticed by standing out from the rest of the crowd.

If you need help with your direct mail campaign, get in touch with us today at WebDetail.