Strengthening your direct mail pieces with better paper, unique finishing, or different coatings is always a good idea, but there are other, less utilized ways to enhance your mail pieces.
We call it the ‘others’ category. While they aren’t used as much as traditional enhancements like we mentioned above, they can yield similar – and oftentimes, better – results. These special enhancements can change elements like the texture, dimensions, and of course, appearance of your direct mailers, that result in pieces that are more eye-catching and tempting to open.
So what can you do to boost your direct mailers that aren’t the same old paper, finishing, and coating tricks?
Die Cuts
Get creative with your direct mailers and craft something fun and original. Die cutting gives you a blank canvas to design pieces that simply feel different, whether you want to be subtle or distinct. You can really play around with different paper stocks, too; for example, you can include DIY standup-postcards in your direct mailers that offer a tactile, fun experience for the recipient to put together.
Or you can shape your direct mailers into something related to your product – if you sell underwear, make the correspondence shaped into some form of underpants (besides Speedos, there’s not much room for copy or design there).
Maps
If you want to drive people to a store location or event, consider personalized maps created just for that occasion. Prospects and customers will know exactly how to get to the location, and since it’s personalized, the easier you make it for them, the more likely they’ll show up.
Augmented Reality
On the forefront of technology, AR is one of the more powerful direct mail enhancements available today. By simply putting their smartphones to paper, your mail pieces can come to life right in your mail recipients’ homes.
You’re literally changing reality for your recipients, so run wild with your ideas – the only limitations here are your creativity and your budget. What do you want them to experience?
Video
Incorporating a short video message with your mail pieces is a more fun, engaging way to deliver your messages. For best results, keep video lengths under three minutes, and be sure to balance the line of informative-yet-entertaining.
Social Media
One way to increase open and response rates for your direct mail campaigns is by running social media ads in conjunction with your mailers. Use your mailing list so you know who to target on Facebook, Instagram, or your recipients’ favoured platforms. Keep in mind that you’ll want the offer and design to connect to the social media ads, so users know they’re all part of one grand campaign.
Google Ads
Like social media ads without the visual stimulation, Google Ads are another way to improve response rates. Again, you’ll want to target the people on your list by appending IP address information to it.
Improve your direct mail campaigns’ open and response rates with enhancements that’ll take your direct mailers to the next level. For a better ROI, get in touch with the digital printing experts at a Print Three location near you – we have over 45 locations, coast-to-coast!