Direct Mail Postcard Design

Direct Mail Postcard Design

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Direct Mail Postcard Usage

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Is Direct Mail Advertising Dead?

Some might think that direct mail is dead, but I would beg to differ. I still get a bag of flyers on my driveway each week. And although some of it goes straight into my paper recycling box, my husband and I still sift through our local paper and each of us zero in on certain flyers typically Saturday morning at breakfast.

Think about it. I have a “No Soliciting” sign on my door, but I willingly pick up all this marketing material from my driveway each Wednesday or Thursday and bring it right through the door into my house. I let it sit around the kitchen until both of us have gone through it. And it doesn’t make its way to the recycle bin till Sunday night or sometimes Monday morning when things are tidied up for the week.

We normally browse through it during our leisure time, relaxed with a nice hot coffee or breakfast. Not on our computer or phone with dozens of things vying for our attention.

Already I’ve mentioned two benefits from a marketing perspective: 1) Access to people’s homes or businesses with their total consent; and 2) An attentive, usually positive and relaxed audience.

But there are even more benefits!

3) Not a huge number of companies are using it.

I only get a handful of flyers and postcards each week. But I get tons of emails flooding my inbox each DAY! I only skim maybe one or two email newsletters per week because there are just too many, on top of too many things to do. I have them filtered into a folder called “Read Later” but it should be called “Read Never”, because that’s the reality of it.

4) There’s something about holding a tangible item in your hand.

It can be colourful and creative. It can have a glossy finish or a handmade feel. In our digital world, a tactile item can carry more meaning and can leave a more lasting impression.

I had the pleasure of designing the above double-sided postcard for Straight Line, a construction company that offers asbestos inspection and removal services. The target audience was local home owners, so direct mail was the chosen vehicle to deliver the message. Bright complimentary colours and a comic book style was used to attract attention. With this postcard delivered to hundreds of homes, Straight Line was able to put their air quality services in front of many more homeowners than they could have through social media or other digital marketing methods.

Let’s get creative! What can you do with a direct mail campaign?