What do all great direct mail pieces have in common? They engage people’s curiosity from the moment the mail piece gets into their hands. Here are five tips for capturing readers’ attention as soon as they open the mailbox.
1. Know your corners. On a mail
piece, the upper right-hand corner is where our eyes go first. Use this
location to place teaser copy or compelling data such as “99% customer
satisfaction rate!” It’s a secret that all highly effective catalogers know —
and now you know it, too.
2. De-clutter. When the layout
is cluttered, it’s hard for people to focus on any one thing. Use white space
to draw the eye and make information easy to absorb. Instead of heavy blocks of
text, use bulleted or numbered lists.
3. Tap psychology. Have you ever
heard of techniques such as the Zeigarnik Effect, Von Restorff Effect, or Noble
Edge Effect? These techniques use brain science to capture attention and engage
your audience.
- The Zeigarnik
Effect is when information is left unfinished. Leave people
hanging, and they feel compelled to open...
- The Van
Restorff Effect is the use of content that is out of place to
capture attention. Old Spice used this to significant effect with its
“Smell Like a Man” campaign.
- The Noble
Edge Effect taps people’s desire to be associated with positive
social or environmental causes.
4. Let customers sell for you. People trust
other shoppers more than they do marketers, so use customer testimonials to let
other buyers promote your product. Use QR Codes or AR to bring those
endorsements to life by taking shoppers directly to mobile video.
5. Create a great CTA. How many direct
mail pieces have unfulfilled potential because someone forgot to include a call
to action (CTA)? Don’t assume that readers will automatically know what you
want them to do. Add urgency or additional value by giving a deadline, offering
an extra discount for early response, or providing other motivators to
encourage people to respond right away.
Want more ideas for great direct mail design
that gets results? Let’s talk.
Please give us a call at 440-946-0606 for more information.
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