5 Tips To Make Your Direct Mail Stand Out

Originally featured on arcanedirectmarketing.co.uk

While we may be living in an ever-increasingly digital world, traditional forms of marketing, such as printed direct mail, are still effective and can even complement your digital strategies and campaigns. 

When using direct mail as a part of your marketing strategy, you want to create high-quality mail that grabs the attention of your target market. Luckily, advancements in technology have made this easier than ever. So, in order to help you get the most out of your direct mail campaigns, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you make your direct mail stand out. 

What Makes A Good Direct Mail Piece?

When it comes to creating a direct mail campaign, you may think that it’ll be as easy as designing a postcard with some company branding and sending it out to potential consumers. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Using direct mail can help your brand stand out from competitors; however, if you want to grab the attention of consumers, you need to design direct mail that is unique and compels your audience to take action.  

How To Make Your Direct Mail Stand Out

Businesses need to go the extra mile to make their marketing materials stand out to consumers in today’s world. Direct mail alone offers a unique opportunity to grab consumers’ attention; however, these five tips will help you create direct mail that stands out from the crowd. 

1. Individualise Your Direct Mail 

One thing we mentioned earlier is how technological advancements have made it easier to create attention-grabbing direct mail material. Technology has also made personalisation easier, be that with product offerings, targeted emails or videos – the possibilities are endless. 

Direct mail is no exception to this rule. You can use existing consumer data to create individualised messages. Combine this with digital printing technology, and you’ll be able to make and send out personalised direct mail to your target market. 

2. Engage The Senses 

One of the significant advantages of using direct mail in your marketing strategy is that it gives consumers a tangible item to interact with. Not only is there the potential to engage consumers’ sight and hearing (as is the case with digital marketing), but you can also engage the other senses, like smell, taste and touch. 

One of the best examples of this is scratch and smell product samples, which perfume companies often use. You could also look to include textured elements into your direct mail which will engage a consumer’s tactile sense. 

3. Use Special Effects 

Think about this one – sending standard direct mail such as postcards is quick and easy, but it’s more likely to get lost amongst all the other mail consumers receive. A great way to create intrigue in consumers is through the use of special effects. 

One of the best examples of this is 3D mail. Implementing this can be as easy as inserting a promotional postcard and practical branded item, like a pen, into a lumpy envelope. 3D packaging is another great idea that is not only memorable but also allows consumers to interact with it. 

4. Send Product Samples

Yes, we know you may be thinking that using product samples is an age-old tactic. However, samples remain highly effective – it increases consumers’ awareness of your brand, and it also allows the consumer to test out your product before purchasing it. 

It is important to remember that this also comes with risks too. Consumers will use this sample to judge your product – so be sure to create only the highest quality samples. If they like it, they’ll be more likely to purchase your products in future. 

5. Make It Interactive

Creating interactive direct mail is a great way to catch consumers’ attention and get them involved with your campaign, which often results in increased response rates. Using your direct mail, you can connect your target consumers to an interactive experience with your business. 

Two easy ways to do this, which also incorporate digital marketing, are the use of QR codes and personalised URLs. These two techniques can be used to take the consumer to a personalised landing page, a promotional video or even one of your social media platforms – the possibilities are endless. 

Ready To Implement These Tips In Your Direct Mail Efforts? 

With these tips, you’ll be creating unique direct mail in no time. However, if you’re new to this form of marketing and aren’t quite sure where to start, feel free to get in touch with us. We at Arcane marketing have extensive experience working on direct mail campaigns.