“Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately it takes a lifetime to master.” This quote by Phil Kolter pretty much sums it up. Direct mail design is one part of business marketing that takes testing and planning to master. These direct mail design tips will help your direct mailing campaign succeed.
This article covers six import direct mail design tips:
- Testing
- Proofing
- Call to Action
- Copywriting
- Creativity
- Follow up
There are some direct mail design tips that can be very helpful for small business marketing. These can make a difference between running a campaign that succeeds and one that gets little notice from your recipients. The first tip is that you should always test a specific design before you use it on a large scale, to ensure that it works as intended.
Proofing each item is a must with each type of material that you will be using, from postcards to brochures to flyers. Even the best printers and experienced marketers often make some common mistakes in this area. If you print without proofing you could end up with hundreds or even thousands of useless materials that are not up to your company image or quality standards.
Remember to include a call to action in your mail, otherwise, the recipient may not respond as you hope. Creativity in the material design and great copywriting that is compelling are both extremely important. Follow up is also a critical component of a highly successful direct mail campaign, one that works and gives you better results.
Table of Contents
Always Test a Direct Mail Design before Committing to It
Testing out your direct mail design before you send out a mass mailing to your targeted audience can help you achieve optimal results. This step can help you identify any problems that your chosen design may have, and let you see just how effective your materials are before you invest more time and money on this type of campaign.
Proofing Every Item Before Printing will Improve Your Business Marketing Results
A key component of direct mail design and business marketing is to make sure that everything is as perfect as possible. Otherwise, any errors reflect poorly on the business represented. Make sure to proof all final copies before the printing process is started. This will help you correct any typos or other errors and allow you to make sure the finished results are top quality.
To use digital printing for proofing and short run production, proper reproduction of spot colors with digital printers is essential.
Source: Printing Industries of America
Don’t Forget a Call to Action
When you start the direct mail design process, you will need to come up with a call to action. This needs to help guide the recipient to take the action for which you are looking. If you neglect to include a powerful call to action then your campaign may not be as successful as it could be, and your mail could be ignored and tossed away.
Prompt customers to act, to see the call to action screaming at them from the printed piece in a way that moves them to react and act.
Source: Target Marketing
Copywriting May be the Most Important Design Element Involved
When many people think of direct mail design, they do not think about the text and copywriting aspect right away. Nevertheless, this may be the most important design element. The content of your material will be what draws in your targeted audience. It must be very compelling without going over the top.
Creativity is Critical with Direct Mail
When you think about direct mail design, try to be creative and think outside the box. Thanks to a big increase in business marketing for most companies your targeted recipients may receive several mailers each day from various businesses. You have to be highly creative and make yours different from everyone else, so that your mail stands out and gets attention.
Make Sure to Follow Up for Greater Effectiveness and Better Results
One of the most common business marketing mistakes is to spend a lot of time and money on a direct mail campaign and then not follow up, and you can do this with the design that you use as well. Offer a discount or small gift if the recipient brings the mailer in to you. This can be the perfect time to follow up with the recipient.
How have direct mail design tips helped you in your campaigns, and do you have any that you are willing to share?
