How To Create The Proper Mail Piece

Direct Mail Service
Create Your Mail Piece:
You don’t have to be a creative genius to design your mail piece like a pro.

No designer knows your customers like you do, and it’s easy to get your customers’ attention when you know what they want. Take the biggest benefit your product or service offers your customer and pump it up with words and pictures. When your mail piece clearly shows the value of your product or service, you’re bound to bring in more business.

 1. Select a format
Choose the size, shape, and layout of your Direct Mail piece. 

Deliver your message in the most effective way.

The format you choose sets up the way that your message unfolds and includes the size, shape, and layout of your Direct Mail piece. The format you choose really depends on the type of information you want to present and how much you have to spend. Here are some questions to consider:
  • What is the goal of this mailing?
  • What is the most important thing I want people to remember?
  • What is my offer?
  • How much space do I need for my message?

Once you have your situation clearly defined, choose the format that will best satisfy your goals. It should allow you to say and show everything that you need—nothing more, nothing less.

Format Reason to use

Postcards

 Postcards give your message immediate attention.
Use them as:
  • Announcements for new products or services.
  • Sale notifications.
  • Special offers.
  • Coupons or tickets to store events.
  • Thank-you notes for recent purchases.

Letters

 With a letter, you can tell your story persuasively. You can also include other elements (like calendars and coupons) in and on the envelope.
Use them to:
  • Introduce your business.
  • Provide news and updates.
  • Fund-raising appeal.
  • Present information about your company.
  • Include coupons and reply envelopes.

Brochures
and Booklets

 These are a great way to share information with your customers visually.
Use them to:
  • Offer information about your business (in the form of a     newsletter).
  • Introduce new products and services.
  • Advertise special promotions.

Flyers and Self Mailers

 This larger format gives you more space to elaborate on the details of your offer, sell key benefits, and visually feature your products and services.
Use them to:
  • Send as a sheet with coupons.
  • Fold into a flyer.
  • Display glossy images of your product.
 

2. Write your message
Tell your story and sell your product with the right words and a little know-how. Get the point across with the right delivery. You have a great story to tell. Now all you need are the right words. While you don’t have to be a professional writer to develop your message, there’s a subtle art to fine-tuning what you say in order to make it sell.

When crafting your message, keep these tips in mind:
  • Visualize your audience, who they are, and how your product or service appeals to their needs.
  • Write to this individual in a conversational tone; your message should sound as if it’s coming from a friend.
  • Make the message about the recipient; use “you” more than “I” or “we.”
  • Focus on benefits: What will this person or business get from using your product and service? How will it make them feel?
  • Stimulate the reader’s senses and emotions.
  • Highlight your offer.
  • Include a clear and compelling Call-to-Action: What you want your audience to do when they read your offer.
  • Use proper grammar and avoid jargon.
  • Compose clear and concise sentences and paragraphs.
  • Proofread.

What is a Call-to-Action?
The call-to-action tells your audience how they can respond to your offer. Once a customer is interested, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to request your product or service. The components of your call-to-action are the what, where, how, and when of your offer:

  • Relate to the audience.
  • What are you offering or selling?
  • Where is it available?
  • How can a customer acquire it?
  • When does the offer expire?
  3. Create your design
Choose from a wealth of images, design tools, and colors to create a visual message that sells.
No design school required. You can make your whole campaign with a basic desktop publishing program. These programs offer a variety of type styles, clip art images, design tools, and colors. There are plenty of easy-to-use Web sites that you can use to format, design, print, and even send your mailing.

Easy design ideas
The design of your Direct Mail piece draws attention to your offer and helps the reader grasp the information presented. Keep these elements in mind:

  • Visualize your audience, who they are, and how your product or service appeals to their needs.
  • Give your layout a clean and simple design.
  • Allow only one element (headline or visual) to dominate the page.
  • If you have a logo, give it prominence so people know the message is from you.
  • Limit yourself to one or two type styles.
  • Use large, bold type for headlines and smaller, easy-to-read type for text.
  • Don’t fear open space—an airy design is more inviting.
  • Use relevant images.
  • Break up your message with bold statements or bullet points. These call attention to benefits or important information.
  • Make sure the call-to-action is easy to locate and read.

The dos and don'ts of design

DO:
Keep your layout clean and airy, stick to one or two type styles, break up your message with bold statements, and give your offer prominence.
 
DON’T:
Clutter up your layout with too many images, bury key points (especially your offer!), make it difficult to tell who it’s from, or overuse color.

Using photos
If you have something to sell, tell people why it’s great—and show them. A strategically positioned photo or illustration can work wonders for your mail piece, and it’s a great way to show off your featured product or service.

Instead of showing a photo of your product or service, try using related images to create a mood for your mailing. A florist advertising Spring Specials could show a smiling couple to express the joy flowers bring—instead of just showing a bouquet of tulips.

Consider purchasing or borrowing a digital camera and taking your own photos to upload and place into your mail piece design.

Buy illustrations and photos from stock photography Web sites for reasonable rates, or consider using royalty-free art, which is less expensive and offers more flexible usage.

 4. Print It
Choose the right printer for your design and budget. Choose the right printing method for your needs.

These days, it’s easy to create and print your own professional-looking Direct Mail pieces with a computer and a desktop printer purchased from your local office supply store. Or you can photocopy your design on colored paper for a quick and affordable flyer. We can give you a high-quality print, depending on your budget. To ensure that printing fees match your wallet, keep the following tips in mind:
  • Visualize your audience, who they are, and how your product or service appeals to their needs.
  • Choose a standard format size—these are more cost-effective to print and mail.
  • Highlight key messages with color to help your mailing stand out
  • Select the right kind of paper for your job—prices vary for different weights and finishes.
  • Avoid reprint costs by carefully proofreading your mailing before it’s printed.
  • Give us plenty of time to get the job done—a rush job may cost more.  
Article ID: 288, , Modified: 10/29/2012 at 5:44 PM

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