How Creative Can Increase the ROI of Your Direct Mail Campaign

Direct mail campaigns can yield an excellent return on your investment. However, this only happens when all the creative elements are aligned to ensure your message is heard loud and clear. When planning a direct mail campaign, following these three principles will directly affect your bottom line and ensure it’s more effective.

3 Creative Tips to Ensure Direct Mail Campaign Success

Tip #1: Keep Your Branding Consistent

I’ve said this before elsewhere on the Mediagistic blog, but it’s a point that bears repeating. No matter which channel you’re using, your branding needs to stay consistent on all collateral. Here are a few key reasons:

• Brand familiarity works in your favor when you stay consistent, especially when you’re targeting the same customers through different media.
• Strong branding builds value by strengthening the trust, recognition, and clarity of your business’ image.
• Consistent branding also helps to raise your business’ profile in the local community, particularly if leveraged alongside socially responsible and philanthropic efforts.

As you design your direct mail campaign, be sure to include the same brand language and graphics. If you have a slogan, motto, logo, mascot, or other marketing collateral, leverage these brand assets so your audience can quickly identify the source.

Have you recently refreshed or redesigned your brand? Don’t sweat it. We aren’t saying your brand needs to be set in stone. But once you’ve decided on your new direction, it’s important to follow this principle moving forward.

Tip #2: Focus Your Messaging

Direct mail will work harder for you when you create your materials in a way that doesn’t leave the reader guessing what you’re selling. The purpose and source of the information in your direct mail campaign shouldn’t be a mystery.

Make sure the text is good from a readability standpoint. In other words, readers should be able to easily scan the content and get the maximum amount of information in the least amount of time.

Try using a value-oriented headlines that leverage loss-aversion triggers. Use words that emphasize both your product and the angle of your campaign, such as “discount,” “one-time offer,” or “free.” And last but not least, remember that less is more when it comes to direct mail copy. Getting your readers’ attention is more important than drowning them with information.

Tip #3: Include Strong Calls to Action

A powerful call to action — when coupled with an incentive to do what you’re asking — is what seals the deal in an effective direct mail campaign. Even with a strong headline and brilliant sales copy, you won’t prompt the reader to take action without explaining to the readers what they have to do to accept your offer.

In your call to action, be explicitly clear and direct. Do readers need to call to take advantage of this discount? Do they need to visit your website for a signup form or your Facebook page for more information?

For example, you could send out a postcard that asks readers to visit your website for a limited-time coupon or a newsletter that pushes readers to a social media campaign. Make sure the incentives you attach to your call to action — such as “save 30 percent on HVAC services in September” — are repeated consistently across all your promotional platforms to ensure your campaign follows an “optimized thought process” for the end user.

Align Every Element of Your Direct Mail Campaign

Direct mail is an excellent way to acquire new customers and retain old ones. However, direct mail also can be a big investment, and the benefits will only materialize if every element of the campaign is arranged to ensure maximum returns. At the end of the day, cohesive creative will help to drive the ROI of your direct mail campaign.

Mediagistic’s creative services team can help focus your direct mail branding with our expert designers and copywriters. Because Mediagistic is a one-stop shop for all your advertising and marketing needs, our team is uniquely capable when it comes to managing consistent branding and messaging with multi-platform campaigns.

Susan Rosner is a Senior Designer and Creative Lead for Mediagistic. Previously, she rubbed elbows with Big Bird as the Creative Services Manager for the primary PBS station in Tampa Bay. Susan’s journey has enabled her to play key creative roles for manufacturers, restaurant decorators, and even a science museum!