What form should your Direct Mail be in?

(We're giving you examples of some things we've done in the past. Just click an image to see more detail.)

Postcards are the cheapest. We've created lots of postcards and they're popular because you don't have to worry about them getting opened. It's important to use color on both sides so you have an opportunity to catch the recipients attention no matter which side is up.

Postcards are limited as to how much you can say. You'll need a graphic to grab attention and then your offer must be easy to understand at a glance. Putting a couple of valuable coupons on the address side can boost the response rate and get people to save the piece instead of chucking it in the garbage can and forgetting it.

Front

Back

Fliers and Brochures. A folding "self-mailer" (no envelope required) can be great if you've got a little more content than will fit a postcard. This is still a graphic intensive piece (as compared to a letter) and getting colorful helps get people to open it up. Include a strong headline on both of the sides that will be seen after it's been folded.

You've got some room for content on a flier, one thing I've had great success with in the past is to put in weekly offers to extend the shelf life of the piece. This is particularly effective for products with seasonal buying patterns (and for Christmas of course).

Letters. They give you the freedom to explain complex sales like nothing else. You'll only use a couple of graphics in a sales letter, because you don't want to stop the the reader from going all the way through to the end. Because length isn't an issue (just add another page), you can really build a case. High ticket items and sales seminars are excellent choices for sales letters.

Letters can also be used to present a "package" of materials. For instance, an open house invitation can include a letter inviting the recipient to atten, a set of tickets to the event (they can be stuffed into a wallet or purse) and additional tickets or tokens for drinks or food. Coordinating the look of all the pieces is mandatory to build the value of the event. The example here includes the letter, the ticket & a piece we numbered, laminated, and put on a lanyard during the event. The number was used when drawing for door prizes.

Another consideration when doing a letter is the envelope. You'll need something enticing on the outside to get the envelope opened. It could be a headline, or you could go the other route and have a hand addressed envelope (written in a feminine hand is best) possibly even with a drop of perfume and no return address.

Lumpy Mail. This is suited to very high end sales or when attempting to get an appointment with a prospect. The concept is simple, people will always open a package. It could be a sample of your product, or something that relates to your product. One idea might be to get an individual size Wheaties package, create a label that put your face (or better yet, your prospects face) on the package and an accompanying letter explaining how using your product will make them a champion.

Beyond mail. You could have even bulkier products hand delivered by a uniformed delivery person. In this case, think food, since that will draw people to your prospects office to find out more. Ice cream or pizza come to mind as something that will draw a crowd and force discussion of the offer.