Creative Direct Mail

Remember the old days when newspaper vendors stood around in corners shouting "Extra, Extra, Read all about it!" and so on. Marketing has come a long way since then. Now there are ways for sellers to reach specific consumers who are interested and even looking for their products by using creative ways to reach them and keep them interested in the product.

What are some of the ways in which Creative Marketing is achieved?

There is an entire industry in the United States that cater to the Direct Mail marketing sector. They specialize in producing attractive and colourful paper, paints, printing methods, envelopes and other materials that the would-be customer is eager to open and even keep as a memento.

Some of the ideas that are being used in various countries and will certainly work in Australia are:

1. Personalized material. Regardless of the medium used to send the information to the targeted audience, using their name outside and inside the mailer will be very useful. Along with the information in the mailer, coupons based on their name or town, bookmarks with their name and sometimes even websites individualized with their name are highly effective.

2. Postcards – Amazingly colourful postcards in glossy finish with a handwriting style print is absolutely attractive to the consumer. Although postcards have limited space, they can get the attention of the consumer and also double as a bookmark or teacup cover. There is an added advantage that the postcard would be looked at again and again and not thrown in the waste bin with the other materials.

3. CDs and DVDs are attractive and easy to produce. They not only live forever, they may be used in arts and crafts, as teacup covers or teacup bases, and are indestructible. An attractive cover or label will last forever in the home.

4. Address labels are sometimes sent to the targeted audience to establish a rapport with them. Most people save money on Address labels and this will certainly encourage them to open the envelope and look at the offer.

5. Sometimes people send return envelopes with stamps already on them. This is to enable people to use the stamps or feel guilty and send the offer in anyway.

6. Some charity offers come with coins attached to the envelope. This practice was started to get the future customer to open the envelope and send it back with more money in it.

7. Paperback books, flyers and magazine offers are sent along with Direct Mail packages to induce people to open and use the information inside.

8. Small boxes are sent which look like gift wrapped presents so that the recipient will open them and look inside. These "dimensional mailers" are used during festival or holiday seasons to encourage the curiosity.

There are also envelope mailers that include a collection of local and other offerings in various industries all gathered together in a bundle to evoke the recipient’s curiosity.

The methods of creative Direct Mail also include sending the envelopes in see-through packages and including little notepads or business cards with magnetic stickers on them so that the customer will put it up on the refrigerator for future use. Some of these mailers may also be hand delivered into the mail box with coloured gem like stones attached to them.

The best way to get the attention of consumers is to put a little sample of the product into the mailer and also include a coupon for it. This method also informs the marketer, through the use of the coupons, if the customer liked the new product or not.

In the United States, the percentage of Direct Mail packages jumped from 29% in 1980 to 45% in 2003. The success of this type of marketing depends on the accuracy of the address list which may be increased with predictive analytics software. With the new lessons learned from the rest of the world, Australia is poised to capture the Direct Mail Marketing industry and to reach every household with creatively advertised mail inserts.