As a marketer, it’s time for you to tap into being creative and bring your creative side! The design part of the direct mail process enables you to free your imagination and artistic abilities.
However, it’s important for you to ensure your design is creative. 20% of your direct mail campaign success depends on creativity, meaning developing an attractive design is crucial to your response rate and return on marketing investment.
To help your direct mail marketing company create a perfect mail piece, here we have compiled a few tips:
- Select the perfect size
Every design starts with choosing the perfect size of mail to fit in the contexts accordingly. You can’t be creative without knowing the exact dimensions and bleed marks. Size can also increase its visibility in the mailbox.
Larger dimensions provide more space for design and stand out more. However, you can still bring an eye-catching design into existence at standard and smaller sizes. To determine the appropriate size, include a number of factors including appearance, space, timing, visibility, and cost-effectiveness.
Mail pieces come in various sizes and custom dimensions:
Postcards:
● Small: 4.24” x 6”
● Standard 6” x 9”
● Jumbo 6” x 11”
● Extra large 9” x 12”
Outside Envelopes:
● Monarch
● #10
● 6 x 9
● #11
Folded Self-Mailers:
● 3-Panel Horizontal 9” x 18”
● 3-Panel Oblong 6” x 27”
● 4-Panel 9” x 24”
When considering size, you may also want to think about choosing 3D mail instead of a 2D piece. To create thick mail, send your message or offer in a box, tube, or flat mail piece with a pop-up. One of the many reasons you should consider this is because using it, response rates increase dramatically.
- Use variable data printing
How relevant is your direct mail piece? If you are using variable data printing (VDP), there is a high chance it will be relevant to them. When you or a direct mail campaign company you hired designs a mail piece, consider adding customization.
VDP is a form of direct mail printing that enables marketers to develop personalised direct mail messages and designs for specific individuals. All of this frequently. Changing copy or images based on the recipient will increase the relevancy to the audience. This creates a deeper connection to the mail piece and results in increased response rates and ROI.
- Pick the right colors
Colours do matter in creating an effective design. There are two ways you can test with colour in your campaign design. Integrating your brand’s colours into the creatives ensures brand recall among recipients.
The more times the audience sees the patterns and tones associated with your brand, the more they are likely to remember your brand. The other method that direct mail campaign services provider suggest is choosing colours for the direct mail campaign based on the emotion they convey.
For example:
● Red: Passion, Power, Excitement
● Pink: Femininity, Love
- Research for Images
There are two directions you can take to add imagery: stock images or add your own creativity to the photograph. The type of images depends on the offer or message you are trying to convey.
Another tip you can consider when selecting an image is to include high-resolution photos at 1200 dpi. You should also try to avoid busy backgrounds. If you do, try to hold back from putting text directly over them.
- Incorporating white space
Whether digital or print, it’s essential you incorporate white space. By white space, designers mean negative space and not directly the actual white colour. White space can differ in two ways: use case and size.
When marketers make a continuous effort to use space for structure or emphasis, this is known as active white space. And passive white space is what comes naturally, and is found between words or around logos. Micro white space is the small gap between design elements while macro white space is a large area between layout elements. Adding different types of white space can enable readers to focus on the offer (or something that matters), improve comprehension, guide the receiver, and add emphasis.
- Keep your copy concise
To keep the appropriate balance between direct mail copy and graphics and to make sure all receivers understand your message, keep your copy clear and concise. Write an informal copy that captures readers’ interest and keep its size as required to make a point.
The mailing companies in USA suggest restricting the opening of the paragraph of a letter or brochure to not more than 11 words – using short words of 5 letters or less a short sentence throughout and using a font that’s easier and attractive enough to read. If a single paragraph includes more than 7 lines, break it into multiple paragraphs, it states.
- Proof your creative
Once you have decided on all the factors required to develop an eye-catching design, you may want to send it directly to the direct mail printing company – but hold on.
Proof your design to guarantee it reaches the printing company mistake-free. You and other tea maters should proofread the content in the copy – there could be spelling errors or grammatical errors you may mention in the copy.
Ensure your images align with the message mentioned. Your design should have flow, your copy should be short and concise, and your main points need to be clear. Review the call to action or tracking information you have mentioned – contact details, QR codes, PURLs, etc. And before sending it, check the design is in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) to ensure quality perfection.
Final Thoughts
By following these tips, it is easier for you to impress your customers while also ensuring to retain or attract new customers.And if you are stuck by creating a copy that converts or has a design that attracts, get a copywriter or a graphic designer in place to get the job done. And if you find doing it overwhelming as looking for an individual for each task – you can hire a direct mail campaign company instead. They will do all the work for you while also ensuring you get the results you desired!