5 Direct Mail Marketing Ideas That Stand Out

We used to stand over the trash, shredding and tossing junk mail. Now? We have our mouse hovering over the bin icon to trash emails. Or our thumbs autopilot a swipe to get rid of notifications. 

There's a novelty to receiving mail these days vs digital messages.

We're kind of excited to know we're getting something physical in the mailbox. We've returned to anxiously waiting for the mail person to come by. Because of this, direct mail marketing is coming back in a lot of big ways!

Here are a few direct mail marketing ideas you could try at your business.


1. Break Away From the Traditional Formats

Mail carriers can handle an assortment of mailing sizes and formats. Using different formatting or a dab of creativity can go a long way in standing out.

Get creative with the mailing formats:

• Try different finishes between matte and glossy
• Test booklets and flyers over postcards and letters
• Use handwritten or drawn elements vs stock images or graphics

Get creative with the presentation. But, also be sure to follow the USPS mailing standards so you don't waste resources. 


2. Do the Mailing In-House

There are many direct mail services. Some operate right through the USPS, FedEx, UPS, and other popular carriers. These are good options for bulk but you can scale as needed by doing the direct mailing in-house.

Try turning the mailing campaign ideas into reality this way:

1. Download mailing templates online from official sources
2. Get inspiration from competitors and industry professionals
3. Create a handful of designs and poll the team, seeing which is best
4. Print out the mailer, get envelopes, and order labels online
5. Go through the mailing list, ready the mailers, and ship them out

Track to see what kind of response you get from the in-house campaign. Then, make some changes to the old design, continually improving the campaign.


3. Personalize the Experience

Customers are 80% more likely to buy when they have a personalized experience. The high ROI is pretty easy to wrap your head around. Consider the fact that people love when they're the center of attention.

Try personalizing the experience with your direct mailings:

• Use the person's name vs a formal, open-ended greeting
• Include a prior experience such as contact or purchase history
• Localize the mailing and references so it feels neighborly

It comes down to taking a few extra moments to add the little touches. 


4. Combine the Interactive Channels

Combine a bit of all your marketing efforts in the direct mailing campaign:

• Follow up with an email newsletter referencing a recent mailer
• Point people to a targeted landing page from within the piece
• Phone recipients, bringing up the campaign or that they should expect it

What you're doing is creating continuity in marketing and branding. The direct mail becomes an element of the experience they don't want to miss.  


5. Track and Make Improvements

Use the data points and feedback to make improvements to everything:

• Test and try new creative designs and mailer copy
• Have mailers delivered at a different time or day
• Use what works and remove the trials that didn't

It's not as fast as A/B testing online. But, you can make small but big ROI improvements through a bit of split testing. It wouldn't hurt to try!


Turning Direct Mail Marketing Ideas into Profits

4 out of 10 Americans actually look forward to physical mail each day. This is awesome if you're currently exploring direct mail marketing ideas. 

People WANT to hear your message because they're so burnt out on email. A physical piece of mail could be all that's needed to stand out in your industry.

Give direct mailing a try, today, and see what comes of it. And, be sure to check out other helpful business-related resources right here on our site!