You don't have to be a creative genius to design your mail piece like a pro. No designer knows your customers like you do, and it's easy to get your customers' attention when you know what they want. Take the biggest benefit your product or service offers your customer and embellish it with words and pictures. When your mail piece clearly shows the value of your product or service, you're bound to bring in more business.
Select a format
The format you choose sets up the way that your message unfolds and includes the size, shape, and layout of your Direct Mail piece. The format you choose really depends on the type of information you want to present and how much you have to spend. Here are some questions to consider:
- What is the goal of this mailing?
- What is the most important thing I want people to remember?
- What is my offer?
- How much space do I need for my message?
Once you have your situation clearly defined, choose the format that will best satisfy your goals. It should allow you to say and show everything that you need - nothing more, nothing less.
| Format | Reason to use |
| Postcards | Postcards give your message immediate attention |
| Use them as: | |
| • Announcements for new products or services | |
| • Sales Notifications | |
| • Special Offers | |
| • Coupons or tickets to store events | |
| • Thank-you notes for recent purchases | |
| Letters | With a letter, you can tell your story persuasively. You can also include other elements (like calendars and coupons) in and on the envelope. |
| Use them to: | |
| • Introduce your business | |
| • Provide news and updates | |
| • Fund-raising appeal | |
| • Present information about your company | |
| • Include coupons and reply envelopes | |
| Broshures/Booklets | These are a great way to share information with your clients visually. |
| Use them to: | |
| • Offer information about your business (in a newsletter form) | |
| • Introduce new products and services | |
| • Advertise special promotions | |
| Flyers/Self Mailers | This larger format gives you more space to eleborate on the details of your offer, sell key benefits, and visually feature your products and services. |
| Use them to: | |
| • Send as a sheet with coupons | |
| • Fold into a flyer | |
| • Display glossy images of your product |