We live in a time of digital clutter, and since many marketers have migrated to email and online advertising, mail is now a rarer delight to receive. Direct mail pays off, especially now. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) reports that letter-sized mailers generated average ROIs as high as 112% in 2021. Direct mail is highly effective:
Source: Small Biz Genius
When planning direct mail for your business, there are a number of important factors to consider before beginning.
While it comes in many formats, direct mail is a physical piece of mail or a package that's sent “directly” to prospective customers to generate sales. Direct mail is especially effective when paired with other advertising to create multiple touchpoints in a campaign and can even point customers online with a QR code or URL.
There are as many marketing mail formats as you can imagine. Here are some of the most popular formats to get your creative juices flowing. You can also see 14 Direct Mail Ideas Your Boss Will Love for inspiration:
Since addresses can be printed directly onto postcards, coupons, brochures, or more, you’ll skip the outer envelope cost and also save on postage. These are highly cost-effective and especially enticing since consumers can see the offer without opening them.
Here are some of the common sizes for self-mailers:
These formats provide more space than a postcard would, and you’ll have double the room to tell your story. Getting creative with the outer envelope can attract a prospect’s attention. Teasing an offer inside will also make it more effective.
Here are some of the common sizes for letters with envelopes:
Catalogs work. Over 77% of catalog recipients visit a retail store or website because they viewed the brand’s catalog. In fact, a full 84% of consumers say they genuinely enjoy receiving unexpected catalogs from stores they’ve visited. This longer format can advertise a range of products or services and tell a fuller brand story. They can also include personalized coupons or inserts with previous orders to entice easy ordering. Catalogs are especially good as inspiration books and likely to have a longer shelf-life than most vehicles. While postage costs are higher, catalogs generate sales because you can target them so well and they are such compelling pieces.
The most common sizes for catalogs are 8.5” x 11” and 6” x 9.” They’re also available in other sizes.
Looking to add more flair to your packaging? Take inspiration from BarkBox and introduce dimensional pieces of packaging to your marketing collateral. A dimensional approach to your packaging design will give that needed “WOW!” factor to resonate with your customer base.
To optimize your direct mail for conversions, follow these steps:
Related: How to Set Up Your Direct Mail Piece for Mailing
If you’re mailing materials, the costs will vary, but here’s a marketing mail ballpark with which you can work:
If you have a customer list, that’s zero dollars. If you rent or purchase a list, you can pay anywhere up to $0.30 per record, depending on the number of records, the cleanliness of the data, and the number of times you’ll use the list. Usually, you’ll pay around $1,500 dollars.
This cost can vary widely. You can design in-house (see How to Design for Direct Mail Pieces) if you have the capability. If you’re using an agency, it will cost between $75-$125 per hour for high quality designers and writers. An agency can bundle their services for savings and ensure a professional, effective piece. A 12-page brochure may be about 1-1.5 hours per page, or $900-$3,000.
Since there are so many variables for printing, it’s difficult to nail down exact costs. The type and quality of the paper, the paper size, page count, finishing, and binding all affect the final cost, but you can expect to pay around $.10-$2.00 per piece for print production. If you choose house stock or economy paper that can keep costs lower.
Here’s where a print partner can help you save the most money. Mailing a standard postcard printed at bulk can cost as low as $.10 or as much as $2.00 per piece. Based on the distribution, size, and weight of your piece these costs vary too. The typical cost of mailing 5,000 pieces is from $1,500 to $3,000, depending on the type of mailers you are sending out.
Open the USPS Business Price Calculator for exact rates.
The beauty of printed marketing collateral is that responses are pretty fast. Usually you’ll see a lift within one or two weeks, or even within days. If you don’t see a lift, it can be hard to pinpoint if it was the creative, the offer, or the list that didn’t work. To find out, you can reach out to the target audience for feedback. You can also consider a smaller pilot mailing first to test each.
Direct Mail mail really works. We’ve seen firsthand how it has built serious business growth, and we’re happy to help you build yours. Ironmark is here for all of your direct mail needs. We can help you succeed from strategy to design to fulfillment, or any combination thereof. Ready to get your ROI higher?