Not many businesses faced with falling demand would take the decision to raise their prices by 36%. So good luck, Royal Mail, with that one.
The rise is being fought, thank goodness. But if it happens – even if less dramatically – there’s one thing you can do to ameliorate the effect. Get your mailing pack to work harder by re-looking at your creative.
Creative remains the one element of a direct mail pack that doesn’t get the attention it should. Spend time on data, on research, of course. But spend even more time getting the creative right, because it can make a dramatic difference to your ROI.
Start with the envelope. If it’s just the usual C5 with a window and a very commercial-looking indicia, think about using a different size, using a closed face, using a laser stamp.
What’s inside? Weigh it. You’re paying for 100g, but most mailings don’t use anything like that. It’s like booking a 60 second TV slot and running a 30 second commercial in it. ‘The more you tell the more you sell’ still works. If you’ve got a great story then make sure you tell all of it…direct mail has longevity and people really do like to hang on to it and read it.
What’s the offer or the ask? Is it buried halfway down page one (assuming you’ve got more than one page, which you should have!)? Get it to the front so it’s the first thing your reader sees.
And last but by no means least, think about mail’s physicality. You can touch and feel it. That means you can dramatise your offer with vouchers, with certificates…even with tote bags!