Tag: response direct mail

Design From the Heart

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Heart

Why do your customers buy from you? Is it because your company provides the Best Price, Quality & Service? Blah, blah, blah…snooze.

Every amateur marketer or salesperson relies on these points to sell their services, but that’s not what we buy.

We buy the intangibles

We don’t buy the sweater. We buy the feeling of the fit, the energy of the color, and the experience of the texture. We invest in who we feel we become in the sweater.

We purchase pride and prestige

We pay for the feeling of belonging to something bigger, something popular, current or trendy. Bang wagon Superbowl fans understand this. Not unlike last minute Valentine’s Day cards, team gear flies off the shelves the days leading up to the Superbowl – Not to mention all the Skittles in Seattle. We don’t want to feel left behind. Wanting to be a part of the fun.

Think beyond Price, Quality and Service. Aren’t those expected anyway?

Have you ever seen an ad for a dental office touting they are the cheapest dentists in town, using the highest quality fillings while they drill into your tooth faster than any other dentist within 100 miles? Of course not, that would be ridiculous. And a little frightening.

Design From the Heart

Choose your words carefully and get to the point with your copy. Period. Just because you write it, doesn’t mean they’ll read it.

Use authentic adjectives to describe the products you’re selling (Luxurious Ride, Painless Fillings, Current Styles, etc.).

Don’t go overboard with the over-promising adjectives or you’ll sound like an infomercial (Amazing Offer, Spectacular Savings, Unbelievable Quality, etc.).

Use pictures to provoke a thought or evoke a feeling. Prospects are more likely to remember your story if they figure it out themselves and Photos are a great tool to create a perception of your company in their minds.

Focus on the feeling and speak to the senses. You’ve heard it before “Sell the Sizzle, NOT the Steak”.

Details about Price, Quality & Service are important in preventing buyer’s remorse, so be sure to reinforce these attributes after the sale. This reinforces your customer’s excellent decision and creates confidence. Stay in touch and you’ll likely land a repeat customer.

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Convey Your Brand with a Finishing Touch

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Die Cut Custom Printing
Die Cut Custom Printing

Creative copy and stunning photography utilized to tell your story leaves a (hopefully) lasting perception of your company. The words and images convey throughout both digital and printed communications the same as when they are viewed by your audience.

Sight, however, is only one of our 5 senses, leaving us with other opportunities to convey our brand.

The FINISHES on a Direct Mailer, Brochure or Invitation can send a message to the end user in a more subtle, lasting way.

We’re programmed to block out advertising images and words because of the constant bombardment we experience daily. But if you add a soft coating or interesting shape to your message will get in through the sense of ‘touch’. And aren’t we trying to get our customers to feel something about us in our marketing efforts?

Here are some simple finishes that will add a tactile experience:

Coatings
Some of the most common coatings used to stimulate the reader’s senses are Aqueous, Varnish and UV.

Aqueous Coatings are applied in-line on some printing presses, so it’s a reasonably priced and very effective option. These finishes can add a gloss, satin or soft touch experience to your print. It is only available in an overall coat.

Varnishes are applied on the press as well, but printed with a plate like laying down an additional color of ink. These finishes are available in gloss or matte. Varnishes are the least obvious coatings and not recommended for a high sheen.

UV Coating is applied off press as a secondary process. It can be applied as an overall finish or as a spot finish highlighting only chosen parts of the brochure. This process provides the highest contrast of coating and will make the coated images pop off the sheet.

Die Cutting is used to create a shape. A die for the shape is made and each sheet is cut one piece at a time on a separate press after it’s printed.

Round Corners, Business Card Slits and Index Tabs are the most common examples of die cutting but you can let your imagination run wild with this one and cut any shape you can think up.

Careful with the mailing pieces though, the post office has very strict rules about die cut mailings.

Folding creates anticipation. The process of unfolding a creatively designed piece is stimulating because the reader anticipates the next step. They are lead to read the next page as it’s revealed to them.

Your customer can hear and feel the quality of the paper as they unfold your message. Here are some creative, cool folds that you don’t see every day.

Packaging generates excitement. Ever since we were kids, receiving a gift has always been exciting. And opening that package has been a big part of that titillating experience. Presentation is everything.

A catalog sent in a FedEx Mailer is way more fun to receive than someone handing it to you in person. That “ZIP” when the package is opened creates just a little more emotion that adds to the message.

Package your message to create some feeling before they begin reading the message inside.

  • Envelopes are the most common form of packaging so don’t forget their importance. Increase your open rate by adding a message to the outside. Consider paying full first class postage- use a live stamp and hand-write the address. Your Grandma does and you never throw her stuff away.
  • Chipboard Mailers, like the FedEx Letter mailer mentioned above, can be customized with your message. We guarantee that it will be opened and involves a recognizable sound when it’s unzipped.
  • Boxes of all shapes and sizes can be sent to hold dimensional or heavy pieces like samples, catalogs or promotional products that enhance your message. Boxes offer the most secure delivery of your message without damage.

The next time you put together a marketing campaign, consider the other 4 senses that are available to tell your story. And yes, you can add candy hearts to your box with your logo on them to involve taste too.

K.I.S.S. your Mail Hello!

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A rising trend in Direct Mail is the use of Self-Mailers. Keep it Simple with this effective mailer. Self-Mailers include postcards and any mailing that is not contained in an envelope (or box).

It’s no secret why the Self-Mailer is so successful in today’s busy world.

Here are the benefits:

Less Intrusive. Self-mailers require less of the recipient’s time compared to mail that must be opened.

Lower Production Costs. The cost of inserting and packaging is eliminated

Get to the Point. Capture their attention, tell them why to buy from you, tell them how to buy from you.

Consistent. Lower costing, less intrusive, focused mailers can be sent more frequently to the mailbox of your clients, prospects or donors without breaking the bank.

If you apply the K.I.S.S. Principle when designing your self-mailers you’ll reap the rewards of an efficient, effective Direct Mail Program.