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Seasonal Direct Mail: How Seasons Can Affect Your Mail Campaigns

By: Andrew Glover
September 16, 2019
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Did you know that seasons can impact your direct mail campaigns? Beyond just worrying about your mail getting lost in a snowstorm, it’s important to consider what’s happening during different parts of the year, and how your mail pieces—right down to the coloring—can impact how potential donors interact with them. There are many style options to help customize the appearance of your mailers as the season’s change. Seasonal colors and themes are appealing to many and will help your message remain relevant to the changing weather.

When you are loaded with information on the most suitable times to mail, you will make the best use of your advertising budget.

Seasonal Styles and Messaging

Direct mail marketers focus on what they mail and the whom, but they are not always concerned with when they send. Depending on the content, you can determine the best time to mail your materials. For example, financial planners may not receive the best response from people during the holiday months. People are more focused on buying gifts and spending time with family. Holiday time is not the ideal time for a financial planner to advertise their services. Think about what you want to achieve and when would be the best time to send your direct mail.

For example, it might not be best to send a summer theme in the dead of winter unless you are advertising for a summer event. Otherwise, the mailer may not seem as appealing to the member. Here are a few ways on how to customize mail offerings during each season.

Spring

People welcome spring after spending most of their time indoors over the winter months. Your direct mail during the spring months should be lively and colorful. Your print materials can be lighter and airier than the colder months. Focus on sending your summer event details around the springtime. Sending summer reminders during spring will allow your members and prospects enough time to plan for your summer event.

Summer

Much like spring, summer is a lively season. People are enjoying the outdoors and basking in the sun. Your direct mail during the summer should continue to embrace bright colors and lighter paper. Sending postcard reminders for a summer event is critical. You want to make sure your members didn’t forget about the planned event between your spring mailer and the summer event day. Keep your summer mailers both fun and informative.

Fall

The weather starts to cool down during the fall months. Parents and students are about to start the school year after enjoying their summer vacations. During the fall, you have a new batch of colors to choose from. The leaves are changing, and dark oranges and reds are catching the eyes of everyone as the trees change with the season. If your organization is planning holiday events, it’s a great time to send event information during the fall. Send Thanksgiving donation reminders early in the season, but anything involving major winter holidays and New Years can wait till further into the fall months. You can also start to use heavier materials that may be a bit more durable than the warmer months.

Winter

Everyone is bundled up again as winter comes around. Most people stay indoors for longer periods of time and spend time with their families around the holidays. The color palette for winter is different than all previous seasons. You can opt for festive type colors like greens and reds, or you can focus on snowy tones of silver and blue. Remember to send holiday reminders early in the season to ensure your members don’t forget about events and donation periods.

Analyze the Best Time

For you to generate the best possible response, look at the seasons and how they may impact your direct mailing. Direct mail around Christmas competes with an abundance of flyers, brochures, and leaflets. Your members may feel overwhelmed with mail during the holiday’s, so it’s essential to create clear and personalized messages.

Seasonal Direct Mail with Valtim

Valtim offers an extensive palette of offerings to customize direct mail. We can suggest the best materials and the best mailer based on your message and the season. We have an extensive selection of colors to help coordinate your message with the season. Customizing the colors, materials, and mailers around the season will ensure members and prospects will receive your message well. Let Valtim assist with your seasonally targeted mailers.

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