5 Ways To Stand Out With Direct Mail in 2022

by Summer Gould

022 has started off very busy. The toughest part right now for direct mail is the paper shortage. Everyone is scrambling to get paper and in direct mail, no paper means no mail. The best way to combat that is to plan ahead and get your paper secured early. Once you have your paper, start planning your direct mail to stand out in the mail box.

Here are five ways to get your direct mail campaign to stand out and get noticed:

1. Use color envelopes: Color is inviting and not used often enough. Your envelope will be opened because it is unique. There are many standard colors available that do not drastically increase your costs. They have been easier to get lately as well with the paper shortage since most envelopes are printed on white stock. Keep in mind some colors are not USPS approved, such as red. When was the last time you had a color envelope in your mail box?

1. Use stamps: There is a stamp for each postage class, use them. Nonprofits are best at this. When they send out an appeal letter there is a stamp on the envelope. Your piece looks less like the other pieces in the mail box with permits or meters. Keep in mind that the presorted stamps do not come with fun image options. The look of the stamp is not as important as the fact that you are using a stamp.

1. Use larger pieces: You can use up to a 6.125×11.5″ postcard and still pay the letter size postage rate. A folded self-mailer can be 6×10.5″. Take advantage of that. Larger pieces are noticed. It also gives you more room for design and larger text for your copy. Just because you have more room does not mean you should write a book. Keep your copy concise and on point.

1. Use taglines: Add fun taglines to your envelopes, get your recipients excited about what they are going to find in the envelope. Using diagonal text, bright colors, or fun fonts. The more creative the better. Consider using a funny phrase that is in-line with your branding. People love to laugh!

1. Use targeting: Target your message to the individual. If you are having a sale on fishing lures make sure you target people who use lures. I would not be a good target, as I like to bait fish. Send me a targeted piece on bait for sale. The better targeted the message the more likely they are to respond. Not everyone on your list is a fit for every offer, so make sure that you send relevant offers to the right people.

Remember to change only one thing at a time so that when you are analyzing your results you will be able to see if the change you made has increased your response. It would be best to have a control group of what you always have done and then split off a segment to try the new piece with. This will give you the most accurate results.

Remember to send a pdf of your new design to your mail service provider so that they can make sure your new design is still USPS compliant. You don’t want to print your great new design only to find out your postage is more than double because you did not meet USPS regulations. Are you ready to get started?

Got Metrics? Choose Your Best Option

Are you measuring the success of your marketing campaigns? No matter how beautiful the design or snappy the copy, what is most important is that it gets results. But what does success even look like? “Success” can be defined in many ways. Let’s look at five of the most common ways to determine whether your efforts are working.

1. Response rates: One of the top-line ways to measure success is response rate. How many people took some kind of action — made a phone call, clicked a link, or went to your website? If your marketing goal is brand awareness, the response rate is useful.

2. Conversion rate: Not every phone call, mail piece open, or click-through results in a sale. If you want to measure the effectiveness of your message, conversion rate (the percentage of people who took the desired action) is a more useful measure of success.

3. Dollars per sale: Once someone decides to buy, how much do they spend? This metric can make or break your return on investment. For example, if it costs you $10 to acquire each customer and your average order size is $10, it doesn’t matter if you get a 28% response rate. You still aren’t making money.

4. Customer retention: Profitability doesn’t come in a single sale for many companies. It comes in paid subscriptions, repeat sales, or other forms of recurring revenue. Athletic clubs and automotive clubs are good examples. Here, “success” is dependent on your ability to retain the customers you’ve gained.

5. ROI: All of the above metrics are important, but your overall profitability is determined by considering your total costs, including database management, design, print, and mailing. If your campaign costs you $50,000 and brings in $75,000, your ROI is 50%. If your campaign brought in $110,000 but cost you $100,000, you brought in more money, but the ROI was only 10%.

Which form of measurement is right for you? It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to boost brand awareness? Increase basket sizes? Ensure customer retention? Once you clearly define your goals, you can align those goals with the right measurement tools to get the insight you need.

Best Practices for Great Data

When it comes to marketing, one channel doesn’t reign supreme. All channels work together, and the foundation beneath them is data. Data helps you create relevance, whether you are sending print or email, and is what ties the two channels together. Gather as much data about your audience as possible, regardless of channel, and this data will help make your message richer and more effective.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind:

1. Regularly cleanse and update your contact list. Did you know that nearly 25% of mailing addresses go out of date every year? Use the many tools available to keep your list current. Email requires that you do this more frequently than print since email addresses go out of date much faster.

2. Continually invest in new data to learn more about each recipient. It’s not just addresses that change. People do, too. They may be newly married or newly single; they change life stages, such as having children or entering retirement. Your list needs to keep up with them.

3. Segment your messaging to target your message to different customer groups better. Yes, personalization is an essential element of many marketing campaigns, but you can also create relevance by segmenting your message. Break your audience into buckets, such as “new moms,” “dog owners,” or “college graduates.”

4. Layer on as much personalization as possible. Whether it’s offering products based on a customer’s last purchase or setting a suggested donation level based on their giving history, personalize your message as much as you can. (Hint: This personalization doesn’t always have to be evident to the recipient.)

5. Integrate marketing channels like print, email, and mobile, so they work together. Use the strengths of each channel to boost the other. Sending a mail piece announcing a big sale? Blast an email teaser a few days before, telling them to keep an eye on their mailbox. Or send it a few days after the mailing window to remind them if they missed it.

Need more ideas? Just ask.

 Direct Mail Printing Outlook for 2022: Still Remains as a Shining Star

By Toni McQuilken

As we close in on two full years of the pandemic, lockdowns, Zoom meetings, and lives lived through screens, experts are finding that digital fatigue has firmly set in. Everyone is looking to make connections that don’t involve the light of a computer, phone, or tablet. Direct mail — a brand’s old and trusted friend — is one of the answers.

“Businesses are realizing with digital fatigue that direct mail can play a critical role of getting attention,” notes Jeff Heyman, VP of product development and e-commerce for FedEx Office. “Direct mail is an integral part of the most successful marketing strategies that combine digital and physical communication.” He continues, “Customers are longing for connection after being home for so long and direct mail gives that to them. It allows businesses to communicate that they are open for business, and how they have adapted their business throughout the pandemic.”

Illustrated with Numbers

But what does that mean in real world numbers? How will that carry over into 2022 and beyond? First and foremost, it’s important to note that this “new normal” of hybrid and remote work that has led to digital fatigue in the first place is here to stay. According to Pew Research, 71% of workers are currently work-from-home, and 54% of them want to continue after the world finally leaves the pandemic behind. That is compared to 20% of people who worked from home prior to COVID-19, which is a huge shift in the workplace.

“This makes quality direct mail pieces stand out,” Heyman continues. “Even in the digital age, print ads engage viewers for more time, and a week later readers show greater emotional response and memory for print ads. This is especially true for tactics such as direct mail and personalized print pieces. A recent study showed that 39% of customers tried a business for the first time because of direct mail, and 60% of direct mail recipients were influenced to visit a promoted website.”

For direct mail printers, that means there is a need to help brands find new ways to connect with their consumers in a way that stands out from the crowd. And while the numbers dipped early in 2020 when everyone was still trying to find their footing, direct mail has seen a surge as marketers quickly realized its power in a more scattered and isolated world.

Chanhassen, Minnesota-based IWCO Direct remains one of the most capital-intensive direct mail printers in the country.

“Like other service providers, we saw clients pull back direct mail volume early in the pandemic as they rebuilt marketing campaigns to address the many changes the pandemic brought,” John Ashe, CEO of IWCO Direct, says. “As marketers discovered that direct mail is a great channel to reach consumers who were working at home and suffering from screen fatigue, we’ve seen volumes
rebound to close to pre-pandemic levels during the past 15 months.”

That surge in volumes is something RRD has experienced as well, Maureen Powers, president, RRD Direct Marketing Group, reports. “At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a decline in direct mail volume, consistent with the industry, in the second and third quarters of 2020. However, throughout 2021, we have seen volume trends significantly ramp up and we expect this to remain consistent into 2022,” she says.

That said, direct mail hasn’t picked up across all sectors. According to Melanie De Caprio, VP of marketing at SG360°, “Last year we were lucky that our client base is diversified across industries, so when a customer in the travel industry stopped mailing, we had others staying strong, like insurance. And, because of our diversity of printing platforms and robust finishing options, and our ability to be flexible with last-minute changes, we actually brought in more new clients in 2020 than any other year in company history. And 2021 has been lucky for all the same reasons — it’s certainly been a challenging year, but it’s also been a strong year by normal standards.”

Demand for Supplies

Like all other segments of the greater printing industry — and the world at large — shipping challenges and labor shortages have had their share of impacts on the direct mail space, something that isn’t going to ease up any time soon. Most experts conservatively predict that both of those challenges could start seeing some improvement in the latter half of next year, but it’s a delicate balance that could easily be tipped the other direction.

That said, the direct mail shops that are finding success are the ones confronting the issues head-on, rather than sitting back and hoping for improvements. “Demand is high, and capacity across the industry is low due to labor and supply chain challenges. We’re not immune to that,” SG360°’s De Caprio adds. “Our CEO, John Wallace, says we’ve had a career’s worth of challenges in the past two years. But we’ll continue to problem solve, and our employees have stepped up, going outside of their comfort zones to serve as best we can, [and manage] what’s in our control.”

SG360°'s study also examined what digital tools support direct mail campaigns.

 

Click to enlarge.

 

Click to enlarge.

One way SG360° has adapted is to try and steer customers into getting orders in far earlier than they would have before, allowing the company to better ensure the right supplies are on hand when the job is ready. “If any control is to be had, it’s by knowing in advance,” she says. “We’re lucky they listened, so we got a change from 2020, where customers were making decisions at the very last minute. We explained that we have to go in the opposite direction and plan way ahead.”

For IWCO Direct, Ashe points out that paper supply is a challenge his company is trying to stay ahead of as well. “IWCO Direct has paid close attention to the ongoing supply and inflationary challenges across the paper market, as well as resource availability impacting transportation,” he notes. “IWCO Direct has relied on our close, collaborative relationships throughout the paper industry to maintain availability, flexibility, and affordability for our clients. We are also actively engaged with our logistics partners to ensure we are making the most efficient and effective use of available trucking to achieve timely delivery of our clients’ mail to destination postal facilities.”

The Need for Labor

On the labor side of the equation, across the board, direct mail printers, like printers serving other markets, are having to take steps to make working for a print shop an attractive option. Heyman notes that FedEx office relies on the fact that it has a robust network, with more than 2,100 stores and 18 dedicated print shops, so it is able to balance the load in ways most direct mail printers just can’t match. But that said, he notes, “labor and the job market are challenging everyone, so we are staying vigilant and proactive. We are hiring; FedEx Office is a great place to work with competitive pay and great benefits.”

According to Ashe, IWCO Direct has taken a more active approach. “We have taken several steps to make ourselves more competitive as an employer, including strengthening our culture and approach to work/life balance, adjusting compensation, implementing referral and sign-on bonuses, and making changes to our production platform to make our manufacturing processes more efficient.”

De Caprio notes that job fairs have been one option SG360° has tried with some success, along with changing up its incentive package to make the company a great option for job seekers. “We’ve been really lucky with that,” she says, “but challenges aren’t over, especially with the fourth quarter being the busiest of the year, and capacity is really strained across the entire industry.”

Beyond the Obvious

While labor and supply chain issues are dominating the direct mail trends right now — and will for the first half of 2022, at least — they aren’t the only trends direct marketing printers should be paying attention to. A few others to consider:

1. Data Is King. While more marketers are returning to direct mail, they aren’t just looking to blanket the market with a static piece. They are more often looking to target pieces to select segments of their potential customer base, which means they need to know who these people are, and where to find them. Data is key, and those direct mail operations that provide a way to collect, analyze, and use that data to refine campaigns will be better situated to capture more of the market.

“Mailers continue to leverage data to make more efficient use of their postage spend by sending relevant, enticing messaging to more receptive audiences,” Ashe says. “We frequently work with clients to build response models that allow them to focus their marketing efforts on those prospects who are most likely to respond. While this may result in somewhat smaller mailing volumes, the pieces that are mailed will drive stronger campaign performance and more robust return on marketing investment (ROMI).”

2. Omnichannel Campaigns. Just because brands are realizing how much direct mail still brings to the table doesn’t mean they are abandoning their other channels, which means direct mail needs to be thought of not as a stand-alone piece, but as a single piece in a much larger effort.

“In a research report that we hired a third-party survey firm to conduct for us, with 1,000 consumers and 400 B2C marketers, marketers rated pieces — omnichannel in support of direct mail — a four or five out of five in terms of effectiveness, and we expect that to continue,” De Caprio points out. “There is certainly interest from clients and prospects on which channels can be used to support direct mail.”

“We are likely to see more personalization from businesses that help brands stand out,” Heyman notes. “Studies show that consumers utilize three or more marketing channels through their journey, and direct mail is one of the most effective mediums.

3. Look to Automation. As margins continue to erode, one way direct mail printers can offset the squeeze is by investing in tools to improve productivity. Automation, in particular, is going to be a key point that separates the most successful and profitable direct mail printers from the rest, especially in the coming years.

“Clients are looking to us from an innovation perspective to manage the hike in demand in the face of labor and resource challenges, as well as offsetting the increasing costs of their campaigns,” RRD’s Powers notes. “Automation has always been important, and were aggressively rolling out automation initiatives across our platform. We’re starting to see this type of technology top our clients’ priority lists.”

4. Don’t Forget Good Design. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of statistics and numbers, target markets, and omnichannel campaigns, but direct mail printers can’t forget that, at the end of the day, the design matters. The most well-researched, data-supported, targeted piece won’t get opened if it’s not enticing to the end consumer.

There are three elements that Heyman considers important for direct mail growth to continue in the next 12 months and beyond. First, he says, “Print quality: Vibrant, eye-catching colors, textures, and finishes that allow the piece to stand out in the mailbox will continue to be an important aspect for success. Next, quality design is crucial. You can have the nicest paper in the world with the prettiest ink, but if the design is not there it will be ignored. Finally, the ability to target an audience with custom messages that resonate with them is critical. A message tailored to the recipient is more likely to get a response.”

Gazing Into the Crystal Ball

With all of that in mind, what does the future look like for direct mail? While it’s hard to predict anything with any degree of certainty as the pandemic and social and political hot buttons continue to be unpredictable, there are a few things direct mail printers should be thinking about.

“As the U.S. economy stabilizes, direct mail will continue to rebound from the shocks inflicted by the pandemic,” Ashe predicts. “Marketers know direct mail works, and they also know that direct mail and its companion channels reinforce each other, making response to all channels stronger. Over the next few years, we will see direct mail become more relevant and more targeted as marketers leverage data to make their mail more compelling.”

Ashe believes that, over the next 12 to 18 months, direct mail service providers will continue to contend with supply chain challenges and transportation shortages. “Both of these issues can be minimized through strong networks and deeply-rooted partnerships. In addition, marketers will be challenged by rising postage rates, combined with reductions in USPS service standards. This will force them to adjust mail volumes and more carefully track and monitor delivery of their direct mail campaigns, not just up to the point of entry with the U.S. Postal Service, but all the way through in-home delivery.”

Heyman points out that part of the solution will be even further personalization, and even more refined use of data to ensure the pieces that do go out are getting the right message to the right people. “We can expect new technological advancements in this industry. Businesses can use AI to explore their segment’s preferences and enhance the message shared across platforms. This ties into the customization we spoke about earlier — customized and targeted messages using variable data and AI will continue to grow as major differentiators in direct mail.”

Finally, De Caprio says, expect new technologies to continue to gain ground — and for brands to want to tie them in directly with their direct mail campaigns. “We asked B2C marketers which channels they will still be using in three years, and direct mail came in a very close second, nearly tying with email, which took the top spot,” she reports. “We also asked about specific types of new technology and new channels they’re pairing with direct mail (see charts on page 22), and found that 41% are already pairing direct mail with streaming audio and video ads — there is a lot of interest in that — and another 28% had it on their wish list. The top wish list item was smart speakers, with voice-activated calls to action; 29% wished they were using that to support direct mail campaigns.”

“With accelerated marketing expenses, it’s important for us to help clients balance efficiencies and ROI, while positioning direct mail as part of the multichannel customer engagement,” Powers says. “Direct mail acts as a personalized storefront, and has become a vehicle to drive customers to the brand website. With flexible formats and highly targeted personalization, direct mail has become not only a tool for customer acquisition, but it also serves as an important touchpoint throughout the customer journey as we’ve been seeing with retargeting and trigger programs, which we expect to continue as a growing trend through 2022.”

The overall picture is that direct mail is changing — but it still has a very vibrant and relevant future ahead of it for printers that are nimble and flexible enough to adapt. Data and technology are changing the game, but digital fatigue means that consumers are looking for a more tactile connection — and direct mail is one of the best ways a brand can give them exactly what they want, when they want it.

Supply chain issues, labor shortages, and shifting landscapes make it difficult to know what the future will hold. But, as Ashe points out, “Direct mail may be used differently in the future, but it will continue to be an important part of increasingly integrated multichannel marketing campaigns.”

Pantone Announces 2022 Color of the Year

Pantone recently announced its 2022 Color of the Year: Very Peri. The color was described in a press release as “encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time possessing a violet-red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.”

Laurie Pressman, VP of the Pantone Color Institute, said:

The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer. Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.

https://www.brandunited.com/article/pantone-announces-2022-color-of-the-year/#utm_source=brand-united-newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=2021-12-21

 

 AM Solutions Profile 

-October Issue of InBusiness

Our Promise to You Measurable Results Innovative Solutions Quick Turnaround Strong Communication Strategic Thinking Exceptional Service 

For over 25 years, clients and agencies have come to rely on AM Solutions to connect their mission to their customers consistently, professionally, and on time. We specialize in customized solutions tailored for you and your business or non-profit organization. We have provided trusted and leading marketing services throughout the years because we invest in our people, culture, and processes. 

Additionally, we continue to invest in new technology to create the best possible client experience. “We’ve had a tremendous response to our mailing. Donations and donors are up significantly! The quality and accuracy of mailings are huge contributors. 

Thanks again!” — Jackie 

Capabilities: • Targeted direct marketing • Data driven direct mail • Digital and commercial printing • Display signage • Large format printing • Promotional merchandise • Creative design • Online store platforms • Fulfillment. 

If you would like to see how we can create more engagement for your organization through direct mail, let’s talk. 

We will provide a free audit of your current print marketing collateral and direct mail campaigns. Connect with us, call Dean Gille at (608) 884.3452 or email deangille@amsolutionswi.com. 

Direct Mail Stands Out

Younger consumers are always a topic of interest because they represent the next generation of preferences and are an up-and-coming source of spending power. Each generation has its own unique preferences in terms of how they like to shop, how they spend money and how they want to be marketed to.  

So let's take a closer look at:

• The frequency of contact that younger consumers expect
• How direct mail can inspire younger generations to engage with brand owners
• The critical components of effectively marketing to younger generations

The Right Number of Touchpoints

For many years, some seasoned marketers have followed the rule that five to seven prospect touchpoints are required to convert a lead into a sale. With the constant barrage of marketing messages coming at us these days, some might think that today’s consumers prefer fewer touchpoints or contacts. As it turns out, though, recent research from Keypoint Intelligence reveals that most consumers would like to be contacted by brands on a regular basis (i.e., daily, weekly or monthly). Preferences varied by age, too. Regardless of whether or not they had a relationship with a brand, younger consumers wanted to be reached out to more frequently than their older counterparts. Who knew?

Figure 1: Desired Frequency of Contact by Brands

Print service providers (PSPs) have an opportunity to talk to their prospects and customers about the value of a print marketing campaign as opposed to a single mailing event. Marketing communications can be made even more impactful by addressing the specific preferences of various age groups as well as the frequency with which they wish to be contacted.

Inspiring the Younger Generations to Engage with Direct Mail 

Understanding what’s important to each generation—specifically the younger generations—is a requirement for today’s marketers. Today’s print technologies offer multiple options to support the initiatives of each age group and improve response rates.  

Younger consumers (i.e., millennials and members of Generation Z) actively support businesses that work to make the world a better place. Rather than using the same images for all age groups, it is especially important for direct mail to reflect your company’s core values and beliefs. All consumers—and younger ones in particular—want the companies that they do business with to see the world through their eyes, rather than what it might have looked like for their parents or grandparents. 

Younger generations won’t simply take your claims at face value. You must earn their trust, and this means delivering transparent messaging that is void of hype and grand promises. Some important promotional keywords that communicate trustworthiness include savings, security and value. Testimonials are also considered gold in today’s marketing world; younger consumers place a great deal of credence in their peers’ opinions.

Interactive elements can also be quite impactful. Rather that incorporating QR codes that direct the recipient to email addresses, phone numbers or websites, create meaningful links that lead to a true online experience. Interactive print can create immersive sensory experiences that excite the consumer and prompt them to take action. Although novelty is huge with younger generations, their attention spans are short. What this means is that the interactive component must be seamless or they will quickly lose interest.

Younger consumers are also drawn to a tactile experience. Think of all the packages that are delivered to their door on a daily basis, then consider how you might be able to make their direct mail more dimensional to replicate the excitement they feel when unboxing an online purchase. Dimensional mailers are a dramatic departure from flat postcards or envelopes, so they really stand out in recipients’ mailboxes.

According to the USPS, the average American household receives only 454 pieces of marketing mail each year. In today's era of digital overload, a tangible piece of paper that lands directly in the hands of the right consumer can really stand out.

Respondents to a research report by Keypoint Intelligence were asked what actions they took when following up to direct mail. For consumers under age 35, the top actions included visiting the sender’s retail store, sharing content with others, learning more about the sender by conducting online research, and making a purchase from the sender. It is important to align your call-to-action with these natural consumer tendencies. For example, make it easy to locate the store (physical or online), or offer a “refer a friend” incentive. Younger consumers place a high value on word of mouth, and it is their natural tendency to share their own opinions.

This Isn’t the Time to Be Subtle!

Whether we notice it or not, age segmentation has been used for years as a marketing tool to gain our attention. When used correctly, it can provide a much higher return on investment than grouping all consumers into a single audience. Today’s consumers have come to expect marketers to engage with them on a much more personal level, and savvy marketers must respond in kind.

Figure 2: Younger Consumers Spend More Time with Personalized Messages

Whether they are mailed or sent electronically, highly personalized communications go beyond generic categorizations like name, address and even age group. Younger consumers generally have much to learn, and in some cases they have little idea about where to start when it comes to educating themselves. A brand’s purpose and vision can be communicated via a series of educational direct mail pieces, and this type of messaging will resonate because younger consumers identify with brands that stand for something beyond their offerings.

The Bottom Line 

All marketers understand that one communication channel is not enough, and that blending multiple channels will generally yield the greatest rewards. Younger consumers expect and even want the brands they do business with to reach out to them via multiple touchpoints, and this calls for new and innovative methods of staying connected.

By combining digital inkjet technology, direct mail and digital components, businesses can connect with the younger members of their audiences, add more value to the customer journey, create more leads and ultimately drive more sales.

The opportunity with print exists across all generations, but it is more important than ever to address the specific needs of your intended audience. The preferences of Gen Z and millennial consumers provide a great example of how personalized, purpose-driven marketing can work.

Today’s PSPs have an opportunity to help brand owners tell a better story, connect with their prospects and customers on a deeper level, and stand out through the use of effective direct mail.