What is Direct Mail Printing and How To Use It To Grow Your Business?
Setting up a direct mail process for your business without any experience with direct mail can be tricky. With literally every interaction shifting to the digital medium, marketing or communicating via direct mail may seem like a thing of the past.
But, if you are here reading this article, you already know that is not always the case. Direct mail is making a comeback as the most loved marketing channel. Hence, the time is ripe to set up a direct mail printing and delivery service for your business.
We know that the early bird gets the worm when it comes to marketing. But before you can get the ball rolling on your direct mail marketing, you have to understand what it is and how to execute it right. And this article will help you do precisely that.
What is Direct Mail Printing?
If we had to define direct mail printing, we would say that it is the process of printing direct mail marketing materials. It involves printing digital-based images and files directly to different mailers, including postcards, letters, brochures, catalogues, etc.
In other words, you could say that direct mail printing is a part of direct mail marketing where you print the marketing material. As you can imagine, using separate services for printing and mailing marketing materials can often complicate your direct marketing campaign.
Hence, most companies prefer to use a single service provider that can print and deliver their direct mail. It is already hard to print marketing materials because of bulk mailing requirements. Personalising your direct mail and bulk printing requires a direct mail expert like PostGrid.
Direct Mail Printing and Print Quality
When it comes direct mail printing, print quality is crucial. It is not like you can look up the cheapest printing service and just go with it. Print quality is closely tied to how your customer views your brand. Using flimsy papers for direct mail campaigns could create a wrong impression on customers.
Think about it this way, when was the last time you saw a flimsy direct mail material from a premium brand? The answer is probably never, and there is a reason for it. Compromising on the print quality of direct mail reflects poorly upon your brand.
Of course, you cannot do much if you are on a very tight budget. However, you could try minimising your expense for direct mail printing services by other means. But don’t worry. We will list ways you can minimise your costs below.
- Use black and white prints for your direct mail campaign
- Use smaller marketing mail materials like postcards to minimise your expenses
- Bulk Printing and Mailing can reduce costs significantly
- Use automation wherever possible to minimise error and wastage of resources
Does That Mean Direct Mail Printing Need To Be Expensive?
At least some of you might be thinking that we have made a too big deal out of print quality. You may even know people who got great results for their direct mail campaigns without using premium direct mail printing services.
We are not saying that you need the most expensive or premium quality printing for your direct mail. However, the print quality of your direct mail must be appropriate. As the product or service you want to sell gets more premium, the print material should also become more premium.
Factors To Consider In Direct Mail Printing
The print quality of your direct mail is not the only thing you need to consider when implementing a direct mail campaign. Every aspect of a marketing mailer, such as its size and finishing process, can impact how the customer perceives your mailer.
Hence, direct mail printing requires you to find the ideal direct mail format for your business. The direct mail format you use can vary based on your unique requirements. For example, real estate direct mail usually uses postcards as it is cost-effective and can also house the property’s picture.
However, postcards are not always the best choice for direct mail marketing. And sometimes, you may even have to change the size and form factor of the postcard or any other marketing material you choose.
The main factors you need to consider for choosing the ideal direct mail printing format for your marketing campaign are listed below.
#1 Print Size and Format
The primary concern in direct mail printing is the print size. Let’s assume that your biggest concern is the print budget, and your campaign does not require multiple images or long-format content. In such a case, you can choose a standard-size postcard.
Suppose you are looking for a little more space in your direct mail. In that case, you can consider using a leaflet. But, with a flyer, you often lose the personal touch you get in postcards. And an enveloped letter would be better if you want to appear more professional or if the mail requires more privacy.
By the end of the day, it comes down to your direct mail printing needs, and no one else can make that decision for you.
#2 Print Finish
Print finishing is a whole industry, and there are numerous print finish processes available in the market. You don’t usually need extensive print finish options when it comes to direct mail materials. However, if you are looking for some out-of-the-box ideas, you may need advanced print finishes.
Usually, the printing services also include basic print finishing, such as providing a matt or gloss coating. The prevailing trend is that most companies go for a matt finish. However, this is again subjective to taste and requirement.
However, the coating is just one of the fundamental prin finishes you can use for your direct mail materials. Some of the other print finishes you can use are listed below.
- Cutting
- Folding
- Binding
- Laminating
- Stapling
- Glueing
Then there are also more advanced finishing processes you can implement with direct mail printing, such as:
- Machine Sealing
- Varnishing
- Spot UV
- Die-cutting
- Perforating
- Polywrapping
- Booklet Making
- Embossing/Debossing
- Letterpress
- Foil Stamping
You can also check out our Guide to Print Finishing, which explains these print finishing processes.
#3 Print Folds
Technically, print folding is also a print finishing process. But, here, we chose to list this separately because two reasons. One is that print folding is an integral part of many direct mail printing operations. And the second reason is that having folds provides additional space for your marketing message.
Having more folds for your direct mail implies that you get more space to present your marketing message. You can add more pictures, statistics, and infographics to your marketing mailers. That’s not all. You can use more complicated folding methods like French Fold for art-like direct mail.
The advantage of using beautiful foldings with direct mail printing is that you can provide the target audience with a memorable experience. As a result, the prospects are more appreciated and remembered by your brand and the mailer.
#4 Print Enclosure
As a business organisation, you can’t and should not stick to just one type of direct mail. For instance, direct mail postcard printing is cost-effective and offers many other advantages. However, direct mailers like postcards and brochures do not provide much privacy for your marketing mailer.
Suppose you want to send more than one direct mail material like a letter and a postcard. In that case, it is best to enclose the direct mail in an envelope. Similarly, an envelope enables you to add small gifts such as refrigerator magnets, keychains, etc., to your mailer.
Having said all that, enclosed direct mail has its downsides too. The biggest drawback of held direct mail is that the customer may throw it away without even opening it. However, you can use direct mail printing on the envelopes to give the user an idea or clue of what’s inside the envelope.
For healthcare organisations or financial institutions, sending essential documents using an envelope is necessary. By adding their branding to the envelope, they can easily let the customer know that the mail is critical and not just another junk mail.
Personalised Direct Mail Printing
Personalising your marketing material is not an option anymore. Personalisation is now necessary regardless of whether you use a direct or digital marketing strategy. It can significantly improve your response rate and generate quality leads.
The more personalised your direct mail printing, the more are your chances of getting a response from the audience. Essential personalisation of direct mail involves addressing the customer by their name, and it is relatively easy to implement.
More complex direct mail personalisation requires you to analyse various data. For example, you can explore the buying habits of your existing customers to pitch them highly personalised offers. With extensive personalisation, the chances are that you can get a successful conversion out of your direct mail.
PostGrid For Personalised Direct Mail Printing
Personalisation may seem like a lot of work at first glance. But, with the right set of tools, personalised direct mail printing is not that hard to achieve. PostGrid offers a wide range of automated direct mail services, including advanced direct mail personalisation.
You can connect PostGrid’s direct mail tool to your CRM for printing personalised direct mail for your existing customers. You can also personalise the images you use for your marketing mail material. Furthermore, PostGrid’s automated direct mail software ensures there is zero error in sending your marketing mailer.
Conclusion
Companies belonging to all industry verticals turn to direct mail for their marketing needs. Hence, investing in an excellent direct mail printing solution is now more critical than ever. It is always best to use a well-rounded tool like PostGrid that offers a holistic direct mail solution.
PostGrid’s advanced direct mail solution is not just limited to printing quality marketing materials for your business. It lets you personalise your marketing mailers, print them, and deliver them accurately to your customers via Royal Mail.
The automated direct mail software even standardises your direct mail addresses. As a result, you can ensure that your mailers are sorted and delivered by Royal Mail with zero delays. And that’s not all. You can use PostGrid’s address verification tool to validate your address database and ensure deliverability.
In short, you get a complete direct mail printing and mailing solution that can optimise your direct mail campaigns in every way you can imagine.
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