Un-boring Direct Mail Campaigns: Strategies for Staying Out of the ...

Keep your direct mail in the prospect?s hand and out of the trashcan with the bzzHive guide to adding pop to your small business direct mail campaign.

Key takeaways:

• Direct mail needs to shout ?Read Me!? instead of ?Trash Me!?
• Adding pizzazz to a direct mail campaign will boost response rates.
• Use tactics like sending die-cut mailers or pop-up 3D cards.

The toss-n-trash. We?ve all gone through the routine of tossing direct mail that doesn?t catch our eye. The problem is that our prospects have the same tendency. So how do you find unique direct mail ideas that scream ?Read Me!? instead of ?Trash Me!?? The answer could be as simple as rejecting the flat rectangle?that ubiquitous shape that blends in with every other thing in the mailbox.

When it comes to small business marketing ideas, thinking outside the box (or outside the rectangle, if you will) can generate big results. A unique direct mail campaign triggers a higher response rate for small businesses, which translates into higher ROI. And because each piece is making a bigger impact, it reduces hassle because you?ll need to send mailings less frequently.

Here?s how to increase response and ROI with unique direct mail ideas:

• Be shapely. No, not the Jessica Rabbit or Joan from Mad Men kind. Unique direct mail shapes make offline marketing sensational. Printers have the power to create custom shapes that convey your message in a simple, visual way for maximum impact. Sometimes called customized market mail (CMM), die-cut pieces offer much better response rates than the typical direct mail marketing rectangle. For instance, use a die-cut baseball shape for a minor league team promotion or a banana split for an ice cream chain.
• Go tubin?. When it comes to small business marketing ideas, the mystery of a cardboard tube mailer is almost impossible to resist, even for the most jaded consumer or B2B buyer. Up the curiosity factor by putting a loose item inside; the jiggle almost guarantees the prospect opens it.
• Love the lumps. Take that traditional flat direct mail envelope and make it tempting by mailing a small promotional item in it. Think branded keychain or sticky pad. The non-flat shape is an attention-getter unlikely to get the immediate toss.
• Send some green. That plantable kind, that is. Plantable promotions are one of the cool unique direct mail ideas. These eco-friendly boxes are an ideal way to send a direct mail package. The package is embedded with flower or herb seeds, meaning the prospect must open it to plant the package.
• Go 3-D. Movie-goers know that 3-D is making a big-time comeback. Now that trend has moved to direct mail. Pop-up direct mail cards make maximum impact. They come in custom shapes and sizes, so you can craft a genuinely unique direct mail campaign. A European tour company, for example, might use a card that pops up into an Eiffel Tower. These three-dimensional cards are more expensive than other direct mail pieces, so they?re best used with a highly-targeted audience.

Take the ho-hum out of small business direct mail campaigns. Start using unique direct mail, like die-cut pieces, to grab the target audience?s attention in a way that increases brand awareness and boosts response rates.

Tags: collateral, direct mail campaign, direct marketing, graphic design, Offline marketing, one-to-one marketing, print marketing, small business, small business marketing ideas, unique direct mail

Source: http://www.bzzhive.com/2012/07/un-boring-direct-mail-campaigns-strategies-for-staying-out-of-the-trashcan/

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