Direct Mailers to Die For! 5 Ways to Promote & 5 of the Best Mail Promotions You’ll Ever See!

Recently updated on October 2nd, 2017 at 08:04 pm

Let’s be honest, your postcard mailer and other direct mail campaigns can get a little pricey if you want to do something customized and unique. Once you’ve factored in the number of recipients, postcard mailing rate, and other mailing necessities, there is often little left in your budget to spend on the actual prints! But the strength and success of a campaign is not necessarily in the printing expense but in the idea itself.

Here are 5 ways that you can stand-out-from-the-crowd and 5 brilliant examples of successful postcard mailer and direct mailing campaigns:

1. Look Good and Be Interesting

Marketing is often compared to being the popular guy or girl at a party. You have to look good and you need to have something to say if you want to get people to interact with you. In a room full of people, you want to stand out with your looks and message. To do this, you need to be direct but truthful so that people will warm to you and your product. Don’t try any “flim-flam” or typical “sales lingo ” if it can be avoided. Be interesting, witty, exciting, playful, etc. Use natural language and handsome graphics to make people choose you over the other people at the party.

This playful and beautifully designed mailer is quite literally the kind of mailer that “talks back”. Created by primary care providers, Planet Kids, this local mailer campaign is something that speaks to both kids and parents in a fun way. It not only makes a point but really stands out at the party. It also shows how a simple folded piece can be made into something amazing. 

Original source: http://thenewlead.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/samples-of-creative-direct-mail-campaigns/

2. Make the Most out of Whatever Product is Available to You

People are bombarded with direct mail and it’s hard to get noticed. Especially when the majority of mailers that come through a customer’s door are bland and generic. Therefore, it’s really important for you to make the most out of the direct mail medium and do something distinct. Think beyond the normal confines of an envelope mailer or a postcard. This doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to invest in die-cuts, giant sizes, and other custom products (although this can help) , but it does mean that you should think creatively and make the most out of the medium you have available.

This campaign is simply an envelope mailer, but just look at how well they’ve utilized the medium!

Created by German ad team, Manuel Knill and Alexander Nagel for the Marttini Knife Company, they have perfectly captured the way that people struggle to fillet fish in a very literal sense by the simple addition of a “fish” graphic to the envelope.  This is an absolute genius piece of advertising that makes the direct mailer so interactive and fun.

Original source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Marttiini-Fish-Mailing/6949489

3. Give it a Point and Purpose

Make your mailers relevant to your brand but consider their usability as well. A mailer has to have a point and point of entry for your store or business. Whether this is a coupon, promotion of a particular product, a seasonal item for sale or an important message your organization is pushing, your mailer has to have a distinct purpose – never send a mailer for the sake of it or because your budget will allow it! Send it when it’s the right time and when you have something to say. A successful mailer is usually one that has a call-to-action beyond simply words printed on a page.

This ingenious little booklet mailer by Laura Maurice for The Home Depot is one that gets the customer to physically interact with the mailer by letting them change the flooring on a tiny room they hold in their hands. Not only is this mailer promotion an unforgettable experience for the user, it also offers them the opportunity to visit The Home Depot and try out a floor sample for real. Beautifully done!

Original Source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Home-Depot-Tile-SamplesDirect-Mail-and-Ambient/6045147

4. Make it Usable.

Create something that the customer can actually display in their house where it can be seen and admired. Something so graphically powerful that it can start a conversation is a wonderful thing indeed for any marketing campaign. If it’s in your budget, then sending a poster, postcard print, or something that the customer can cherish is a fantastic idea if you want to get into people’s homes to organically spread the word.

These direct mail posters represent two editions of a series of prints that were sent to customers by the Dulux Company as part of their color awards promotion. Personally, I would frame these and put them in my house in a heartbeat. So elegant and stylish, these posters are the kind of promotional item that start a conversation and create brand loyalty for life.

Original Source: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Dulux-Colour-Awards/2437001

5. Create a Big Impact

You can’t afford to be dull and boring with your mailers. You just can’t! With the amount of money you spend on them, you need to show something creative to connect with your target market. It’s also fair to say that doing something exciting and controversial is becoming almost essential in this viral marketing era. It’s hard to get people’s attention nowadays and it takes a special kind of concept to make people sit-up and take note. The example below is not a particularly expensive mailer (a simple die-cut shape) but its impact was resounding and it garnered massive amounts of press and attention. When creating your own campaigns, think about the power of words and images and the strength of an inspired idea.

Saatchi & Saatchi (Tel Aviv) created a controversial postcard mailer campaign that featured a baby being left on doorsteps. It was a simple but chilling message that highlighted a growing problem in Israel.  This conceptual mailer was absolutely unforgettable and even a little upsetting to the viewer – causing action and reaction in anyone who received it.

Original Source: http://thenewlead.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/samples-of-creative-direct-mail-campaigns/

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