4 Ways to Keep Your Direct Mail Out of the Trash

By: Andrew Glover
August 17, 2020
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One of the most significant challenges organizations face is getting someone’s attention with direct mail marketing. Your main obstacle is making your piece stand out in the middle of a mail stack when a person removes it from the box. Direct mail usually winds up in the trash because mailpieces are too often seen as relevant to the receiver; they fail to draw attention or are unconvincing.

You can easily give your audience reasons to get excited about your direct mail and follow up instead of giving your audience reasons to trash your mailpieces.

Here is an overview of a few of the best ways to create attention-grabbing mailers to ramp up your direct mail success.

Add Dimensions

Regular letters and postcards often get lost in the clutter. They look like every other piece of mail in a typical box. Most people discard sales-related pieces from the pile without a second thought.

To get through this initial scan, you can add dimensions that force the reader to consider what to do. Kits, boxes, and other non-standard mailers stick out because they are an unconventional shape compared to standard mail. Recipients get excited about finding small packages in their mailbox. You can give them an initial positive vibe toward your piece by sending them a unique mail piece or parcel. Then you can deliver a compelling demonstration of value with a sample, great content, or a custom offer.

Introduce Color

Attract the readers’ attention with color. Typical postcards and letters have a white canvas. They blend in with the rest of the other white envelopes and postcards. A vivid mailer may be pricier than a white mailer, but including beautiful color into your piece helps divert the subconscious mind of the person looking for mail to throw away.

You can earn that second look with powerful visualization. When you get attention, you should follow through with quick demonstrations of value based on the member’s identified needs, your solution’s benefits, and custom offers.

A Touch Factor

Engaging in the human sense of touch is not as common, but it’s a reasonably efficient way to earn recognition with your direct mail. The goal is to break people out of their subconscious routines that cause them to toss out traditional items.

Firmer and better quality paper is a good starting point. An excellent quality paper feels good in someone’s hands compared to a cheap, thin paper. Take things up a notch with a soft material like cotton or a luxurious feel with a material like silk. As people sift through their mail, they can’t help but notice the distinct feeling of quality, comfort, and sophistication that comes with these materials.

Send the Right Offer

Prospects like to receive a good deal on whatever you are providing. They know you want their attention because you send them a postcard. The icing on the cake that makes them respond is sending them a discount, a giveaway, or some other enticement.

Offers are an excellent way to get new people in the door and to reward existing members for their ongoing commitment to your mission. Not every offer resonates with every person, though. You can craft offers that succeed by designing mailersthat speak directly to your target audience.

When you know your audience, design your direct mail to deliver the most critical and relevant information. You can entice prospects with a tempting offer. Then your prospects wouldn’t ever think of tossing your mailer in the trash.

Valtim’s Uniquely Designed Direct Mail

Appealing to the senses is something that all of these strategies have in common. Each of these direct mail strategies gets attention because they appeal to multiple senses like sight and touch.

Valtim offers many unique ways of designing direct mail that will stand out in every mailbox. One of our unique tools is MyFont, which allows you to craft mailpieces with digitally handwritten messages to all of your prospects and members.

Contact Valtim to learn more about MyFont and how our direct mail services can help eliminate your mailers ending up in the trash.

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