5 Best Direct Mail Formats

When marketing your business, you need to use the best direct mail formats. Whether or not you currently use direct mail as part of your marketing strategy, you must consider the best ways to stand out.

Currently, 98% of consumers look through their mail the day it’s delivered, meaning customers are excited to go through items addressed directly to them.

With this in mind, there is a huge opportunity to connect with customers by simply putting your brand in their mailboxes. But what are the best ways?

Here are a few great ideas to try for your next direct mail campaign to help your brand stand out:

Postcards

Perhaps the best piece of direct mail to use is a postcard. Since this is a brief format, you are able to effectively reach customers without overwhelming them with information.

Postcards are a great source for offering promo codes to new customers as well, especially if you’re running a small business. By using a postcard to announce a new sale, you stand to capture the attention of your audience.

Finally, postcards are among the most efficient direct mail formats. They can be produced in mass quantities and save money for your business. If you’re paying close attention to your budget, this is the best format for you.

Brochures

Another cost-effective direct mail format is brochures. Working as a step-above option to postcards, brochures give you audience a chance to learn more about you.

Brochures also provide a sense of transparency to your audience as they get a more detailed look at your brand. By giving them a brochure, you get to outline more benefits to your business, as well as how your products and services work.

Similar to postcards, brochures are able to be bought in bulk and can be used for direct mail and trade show collateral. This means you get to use this format in more than one place while saving on cost as well.

 

Letters

The most personal format of all, letters are handwritten pieces of personalized content. By reaching out in a detailed letter explaining why your brand is best, you gain valuable trust with your customers.

What this format does is promote mindfulness that your brand is thinking specifically about the recipient. Mentioning their wants, needs, and challenges in your letter will carry a demonstration that your brand knows how to help.

Not only will this win over recipients, but it will help you gain brand loyalty.

Catalogs

Catalogs are the type of content that your sales team loves to see. Not only do they lay out everything you do, but they provide a great educational reference for when a sales call takes place.

By having a catalog delivered through direct mail, you provide recipients with a chance to see everything your company is about. Once you’ve been able to target who is most interested in seeing a catalog, you put the right material in front of them.

SWAG

Perhaps the most fun of all the direct mail formats, SWAG (a.k.a. Branded merchandise) gives your recipients something fun to keep while creating a lasting impression on the customer.

What this format does is maximize the customer’s exposure to your brand. By sending customers something like a mini flashlight or a small stress ball, you give customers something that they can keep.

Not only does a SWAG item stand out in a mailbox, but it also stands out every time the recipient uses it. Wherever it is, SWAG items will stay with those you send them to and they will remember your brand the most.

Overall, each direct mail format helps your brand connect with customers so they will remember your name. By using direct mail to make an impression, you put your brand in the homes of potential customers. This increases your chances of having them buy from you.