Show, Don’t Just Tell — Design’s Crucial Role in Direct Mail Marketing

Imagine…you grab your mail from your mailbox after work and you quickly scan through the bills and statements, when something catches your eye. It’s a large, bright postcard for a company you’ve never heard of. A quick impression was made. You stopped and took a second glance at the piece of mail in your hand. Taking you from a company you’ve never heard of to one that has piqued your interest. The fact that a single postcard made you stop and take time to look at their message has already made their campaign successful. Research shows that it takes us 1/10 of a second to make a first impression. With that little time, great design is what you need to catch your audience’s attention.

Does sophisticated design have a higher perceived value?

In short, yes. Better design elevates the perceived value of a brand. With higher perceived value you can help build credibility and trust for your brand to potential customers. People are more likely to be receptive and believe what you’re saying if they believe you’re a reputable company, and that can’t be conveyed only through content. It also requires thoughtful design.

According to the USPS, 47% of consumers typically keep printed direct mail ads, while only 17% of consumers keep their digital ads. People hold onto things that they perceive to have value. Tangible things have more value than digital — and if the tangible item has a higher perceived value than other digital advertisements, you’ll get more impressions with that one piece of mail. It’s more memorable. Speaking from personal experience, when I get a piece of mail that I find useful or relevant, I hang onto it until I find I need it.

What do you want to convey in your design?

You want design to elevate your message, not distract from it. Your design should communicate your message clearly and effectively. The design may catch your target audience’s eye, but you don’t want it to stop them from understanding what you are trying to tell them. You also want your call to action to stand out, and a well-designed mail piece will emphasize it, not hide it. Learn more in our previous blog.

40/40/20 rule

Effective direct mail pieces follow the 40/40/20 rule. For 100% success, it looks like this – 40% audience – if you don’t target your correct audience, it doesn’t matter what your content or design is, they won’t find it relevant; 40% offer – your audience needs to be enticed into action, and by knowing what they want or need, you already know what to offer them to get them to bite; 20% creative – the design of your postcard should reflect what you want your target audience to feel. Work with Kramer’s talented design team to create unique and tailored mail pieces. Certain colors and imagery make us feel certain emotions. The size, format, colors, and fonts on your mail piece will all affect how someone feels about your message and your brand.

Be sure to personalize your mail. 95% of 18-to-29-year-olds have a positive response to receiving personal cards and letters. Direct mail does not always have to be generalized, impersonal mail. We can use technology to make direct mail more relevant through personalization. Names, images, content, and even offers can be personalized depending on your messaging. By doing so, recipients feel a stronger connection to the message and your company, leaving a lasting impression through one mail piece.

Postcards are great conveyors of your messaging. They force you to keep your messaging short and to-the-point while still giving enough space for creative liberties to catch your audience’s eye. They’re also one of the most cost-effective pieces to mail and are the most successful formats. The results speak for themselves, with a response rate of 5.7% from postcards. And don’t think that they can only be 4”x6” or 5”x7 – sometimes bigger really is better. Postcards can be as large as 11”x6”, which gives you more room to be creative with your messaging and offers, but also physically stand out amongst the other envelopes and postcards in your mailbox.

The power of graphic design in enhancing direct mail campaigns cannot be overstated. Well-designed direct mail campaigns capture attention, convey your intended message, and can literally leave a lasting impression, ultimately driving higher engagement and response rates than other marketing strategies. Whether it’s a postcard, brochure, or flyer, the visual appeal of a direct mail piece can be a decisive factor in its success. Great design is what you need to catch your audience’s attention. Use creativity to your advantage and see the results!