Sometimes we want to step away from our screens, kick back with a magazine, and become immersed in something tangible. Yes, the digital world is prevalent and powerful, and we love to use it to reach our customers, but we also love to blend it with the physical marketing vehicles of print for even more powerful reach. Print has staying power, and receiving it in the mail is still a special surprise. It’s an established fact that direct mail is a delight to receive. And it pays off, especially now. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) reports letter-sized mailers generated average ROIs as high as 112% in 2021. Direct mail is highly effective, as proven by the following information:
- Almost half of consumers read or scan the direct mail they receive.
- Customers who receive a direct mail piece, on average, spend about 28% more than those who didn’t.
- About 73% of consumers say they prefer direct mail to other forms of advertising because they can read it whenever they want to.
- About 41% of Americans look forward to getting something in the mail.
Source: Small Biz Genius
Since we’re direct mail aficionados, we get a lot of questions about direct mail. Here are the answers you need to know:
1. What Is Direct Mail Exactly?
While it comes in many formats, direct mail is simply a physical piece of mail, or a package, sent “directly” to prospective customers to generate sales. It’s especially effective when paired with digital marketing to create multiple touchpoints in a campaign along the buyer’s journey. For example, a postcard can send customers online with a QR code or URL. It can also have a coupon code that can be redeemed there, allowing the marketer to track the campaign’s effectiveness.
2. What Are the Different Formats of Printed Marketing Collateral?
There are as many marketing mail formats as you can imagine — and more are being dreamt up daily! These highly effective marketing machines have evolved over the years to faithfully tell brand stories and drive traffic, leads, and conversions. Here are some of the most popular formats to get your creative juices flowing:
- Self-Mailers
- Letter With Envelope
- Catalogs
- Dimensional Pieces or Packages
Self-Mailers
Since addresses can be printed directly onto postcards, coupons, brochures, or more, these beauties will help you skip the outer envelope cost and also save on postage. They’re the model of cost-effectiveness and planet friendliness — and they’re especially enticing since consumers can see the offer without even opening them.
Here are some of the common sizes for self-mailers:
- Postcards: 4” x 6”, 5” x 7”, 8 1/2” x 5 1/2”, 6” x 9”, or 6” x 11”
- Self-Mailer: Printed on 8 1/2” x 11”, 8.5” x 14”, or 11” x 17”, and folded to a smaller size and tabbed before addressing.
Letter With Envelope
These formats offer more space than a postcard would, so you’ll have double the room to tell your story. Getting creative with the outer envelope can also attract a prospect’s attention. Teasing an offer inside will also make it more effective.
Here are some of the common sizes for letters with envelopes:
- At least 5” long and 3 1/2” high
- Those larger than the maximum of 6 1/8” x 11 ½” are called “flat” and cannot be bigger than 12” x 15.” Note the “flat” distinction also significantly increases the postage rate. This can be worth it if you have a longer format story to tell, a compelling offer to describe, and/or a design where bigger is better.
Catalogs
Catalogs work. Over 77% of catalog recipients visit a retail store or website because they viewed the brand’s catalog. In fact, a large majority of consumers say they genuinely enjoy receiving catalogs. This longer format has grown up over the years and often represents a mix between a high-end fashion magazine and a coffee table book.
Catalogs can be visually arresting and exciting. They can advertise a range of products or services and tell a fuller brand story. They can also include personalized coupons or inserts with previous orders to entice easy ordering. They’re also especially good as inspiration books, and likely to have a longer shelf-life than most vehicles. While postage costs are higher, catalogs generate sales because you can target them so well and they are such compelling pieces.
The most common sizes for catalogs are 8.5” x 11” and 6” x 9”. They’re also available in other sizes.
Dimensional Pieces or Packages
Virtually limitless in size and scope, this category includes boxes to mail customer appreciation gifts, samples for prospects, and especially the boxes that transport your own merchandise (talk about free advertising). They have gotten ever more sophisticated, with eco-friendly materials, fancy folding techniques, well-branded colors and designs, and of course, ties to the digital world with QR codes and other links.
Sizes vary widely depending upon the product.
Related: 14 Direct Mail Ideas Your Boss Will Love
3. What Do I Need to Start a Direct Mail Campaign?
We’ve got you. To optimize your direct mail for conversions, follow these steps:
- Define Your Target Audience: First, know who you want to target. You can use:
- Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): Most cost-effective. This USPS service reaches every address on a carrier route without listing names or addresses.
- Saturation Mailing (or residential mailing): This USPS service also reaches every address on a carrier route, but includes a name and address for each so it’s more targeted. The sender also receives general demographic information about the route, including the average age, annual household income, number of children, and more.
- Targeted Mailing: The most expensive option. With a rented or purchased list, you can target businesses or consumers by geographic location, demographics, and psychographics, like ZIP code, car type, new parents, pre-moves, fishing aficionados, and many other groups. You can also build your own list by collecting customer and prospect names through contests online or in-store, gated pages on your website requiring an email address or other identifier to access information, or by asking for that information at checkout. We can’t overemphasize the importance of a clean and accurate list, so make sure it’s correct. Then, using variable data printing, you can print pieces with specific names, addresses, messages, codes, and more.
- Creative: The right message makes the mail. Be sure your creative is on brand so it ties in with your overall campaign. Make sure it’s clear, professional, and well-designed. Check (and double-check) for typos and other errors.
- Quantity: There’s a large price break between 500 postcards for $1.00 per piece and 5,000 for only $0.50 per piece. We recommend starting with at least 5,000 pieces depending on your goals.
- Offer: Direct mail works best with a Call-to-Action. Whether it’s “call for a free quote” or “use this code for 25% off,” this offer will prompt the consumer to take action.
- Measurement: You can only hone your approach to direct mail well if you’re able to measure its effectiveness. Use a unique code for each piece so you can track it.
Related: How to Set Up Your Direct Mail Piece for Mailing
4. How Can I Boost Returns With Predictive Analytics?
Our recent acquisition of Deliver Media was a boon for many reasons. Besides being a natural fit with our team, this talented group of mailing professionals leverages first- and third-party data and predictive analytics powered by machine learning (ML) to build strategic multi-channel marketing campaigns — bringing the best of physical and digital together to create phygital marketing power.
Our predictive analytics tools account for past prospects, as well as customer purchases and preferences, to obtain crystal ball-like accuracy in reaching them at the right moment with the right message. This technology can significantly boost your return on investment.
Related: Ironmark Adds Predictive Analytics and SOC 2 Compliance With Dual Acquisition
5. How Do I Ensure SOC 2 Compliance?
Many companies strive for the cybersecurity compliance framework known as Systems and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2) to achieve a higher level of trust and security in their print and digital communications. Whether they’re in the healthcare, financial, or other service organizations, this certification ensures they prioritize customer safety and credibility. For this reason, Ironmark is SOC 2 certified and HIPAA compliant to keep all your information secure during the entire printing process.
Related: Why SOC 2 Compliance is Important for Securing Customer Data
6. Did My Campaign Work?
The beauty of printed marketing collateral is that responses are pretty fast. Usually, you’ll see a lift within one or two weeks, or even within days. If you don’t see a lift, it can be hard to pinpoint if it was the creative, the offer, or the list that didn’t work. To find out, you can reach out to the target audience for feedback. You can also consider a smaller pilot mailing first to test each.
7. Direct Mail Really Works
How do we know? We’ve been sending it for over 60 years, and we’ve seen firsthand how it has delivered serious business growth. Ironmark is here for all of your direct mail needs. We leverage the most innovative tools to ensure your success, and can help you design your campaign from strategy, to design, to fulfillment, or any combination within the process. It’s time to revive your direct mail campaigns and bring new business to life!
