In an ever-expanding digital landscape, print media remains a vital medium for many advertisers worldwide. This is because printed advertising is tangible and memorable, fitting perfectly into the marketing mix and driving customers online, in-store, and on the phone.
Although print media is traditionally known to be a channel that works well for larger advertisers, it can sometimes be overlooked by smaller or even medium-sized businesses or marketing teams. Posthub offers hands-on print media advice and is part of the UK’s largest provider of print media logistics, Whistl. We have put together this concise yet practical guide to print marketing to provide support and guidance for businesses of all sizes looking to maximise the effectiveness of their print channel.
This guide will cover content best practice, creative design tips, effective targeting, reporting and media integration, for the three most popular advertising print channels:
- Doordrop Media (leaflet advertising)
- Partially Addressed Mail
- Direct Mail
What is Direct Mail?
Direct Mail is addressed advertising mail targeted to an individual. This means it can be engaging with its delivery through the door, directly communicating with the addressee. Once a Direct Mail Piece is opened, it must be relevant to resonate with the targeted individual; otherwise, it can be discarded. Ineffective targeting or creative design is key to the next stage in continuing the advertising dialogue.
Direct Mail Design Top Tips
Here are some top tips to ensure your design is eye-catching and memorable:
- Colour is important. People react emotionally to different colours. For example, cold colours such as blue can promote an adverse reaction, whereas warm colours like red have the opposite effect.
- Size matters: A great place to start is choosing what content you need; this will give you a good indication of the size of the item or letter you need to send. For example, if you have a charitable case study and examples of how your donation will make a difference to the cause, this is unlikely to fit on an A5 postcard.
- Personalisation is key: If you are sending out a Direct Mail campaign, it is more than likely that you will have a recipient’s name, so use it! People tend to respond more when they are addressed within the content of the communication.
- Get to the point: Keep your Direct Mail item engaging with informal language, eye-catching images, and an easy-to-follow call to action.
- Paper quality and finish: Choosing the finish of your paper can help define your brand's credentials and may be more important than you think. Flimsy 90 gsm paper, for example, does not scream out luxury.
- Proof, test, and test again: Make sure to proofread everything and have others review it before sending it to the printers. When you review your design, you may think that one choice works better than another. Why not create an AB split test fairly across your delivery schedule? This can help you understand how to make your next campaign work even harder.
Want more tips on how to create a strong Direct Mail Creative?
Direct Mail Targeting
As we have progressed into a new GDPR world, the art of targeting has changed for almost all media channels. Direct Mail is no exception. In the past, it was easy to purchase data lists of addresses that may interest your brand. Today, clean and opt-in data is key to your brand reputation and will aid your responses, as your contacts have already permitted you to receive mail.
To create the most effective Direct Mail campaign, two key areas must be understood when examining direct mail and data.
- Data cleansing
Has your data been accumulating over time, but without being adequately cleaned? If this is the case, you can be sure you will waste budget sending out mailings to old and out-of-date address details. Utilising a data cleansing service is a quick and easy way to ensure your data is up to date, compliant and campaign-ready. Did you know Posthub, part of the Whistl group, offers free data health checks?
- Personalisation
Even if your campaign data lists are now smaller post GDPR, this doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the change by using effective personalisation techniques. According to the DMA response report, a Direct Mail item with personalisation was 80% more likely to be opened. Simple personalisation, such as the customer’s name or address throughout the copy, can considerably increase your campaign's response rates.
Media Integration for Direct Mail
Digital media integration is widely recognised as a valuable tool for most businesses; it also works exceptionally well in conjunction with print marketing channels. Response rates for Direct Mail have been seen to increase by 40% when run alongside a Doordrop campaign, for example.
Direct Mail can also be delivered on the exact day of your choice. This means it can be perfectly scheduled to support your other marketing channels when running a multi-media campaign.
Measuring Direct Mail Success
Learning from your media spend is arguably the most essential part of any campaign. It tells us what works and what doesn’t. Data can be pretty black and white for most digital channels and can be just as clear for printed media. Direct Mail can benefit from utilising trackable elements that help you understand how well your print marketing campaign has worked. Here are a few tips you could try on your next Direct Mail campaign to improve your performance data:
- If you send potential customers online, use a landing page specifically designed for the Direct Mail piece to track the traffic it has driven.
- You can also use QR codes to drive web traffic and make it easier for your readers to get to your website.
- If you need calls, use a trackable or separate number for the printed piece.
- If you are looking for store visits, including a removable coupon for them to redeem in-store.
- Use bespoke voucher codes to measure the effectiveness of your Direct Mail piece in conjunction with the marketing mix.
What is Doordrop Media?
Doordrop Media or Leaflet Advertising is an unaddressed item delivered through the letterbox. This can be a simple leaflet, an enveloped letter, a 30-page magazine or even a product sample. The main difference between Direct Mail and Partially Addressed Mail is that Doordrop Media is not addressed. This provides some additional benefits related to data, which we will discuss shortly. It also means Doordrop Media requires more creative engagement to capture the reader's attention as soon as it lands on the doormat.
Doordrop Media Design Top Tips
Here are some top tips that can apply to all Doordrop formats:
Throw some shapes: As Doordrop experts, we have seen a lot of weird and a lot of excellent, and our experience has shown that using circles rather than squares can actually help boost your leaflets' response rates.
Colour is still important: As with Direct Mail and Partially Addressed Mail, colour is key to promoting the proper response. Our experience shows warmer colours work better than colder colours on leaflet advertising.
Copywriting is key: Your words are one of the most crucial aspects of your design that will keep a reader engaged. Keeping them exciting, bold, easy to read, and engaging are just a few ways to boost your campaign response rates.
CTA: Shortened from a marketer’s favourite phrase, “Call to action”, means telling your readers what you want them to do. Without one, it is like saying, 'Please read me, forget me, and bin me', and no brand spending money on advertising wants this as the result of their efforts. Make your call to action clear and easy to follow. If you want a user to go online, provide them with a QR code, a simple web address, or a personalised web address (tailored to the recipient). If you want to drive more phone calls, ensure your number is easy to find on all sides of the creative. The number itself should be big and bold, and you should ask them to call.
Doordrop Media Targeting
Unlike Direct Mail targeting, Doordrop does not utilise any personal contact information. Instead, it uses a postcode sector. A sector removes the last two digits or characters from a postcode. For example, postcode SL7 1HY becomes postal sector: SL7 1. Postal sectors contain an average of 2,500 households, which means with the proper target techniques, you can select those who have a higher density of your target audience.
Across the Whistl group, we are experts in data and audience targeting for all printed media channels, with over 50 years of experience in targeting the right sectors for the right businesses. Contact
Integration and Doordrop Media
Like all other digital and printed channels, door drops work even better when included in an integrated marketing campaign. Here are a few ways it can work with different media channels:
Local radio: As a door drop can be localised, it works perfectly when dropped while your radio ads run in the exact location.
Digital media: Whether it's your Google display ads or pay-per-click advertising, all your online media can be set up to mirror the locality of your door-to-door campaign. When your ad is seen online and again on the doormat, it is twice as hard-hitting.
Email: We can overlay your existing customer and prospect addresses with your Doordrop schedule. This means your email is further supported with printed media.
Outdoor (Out-of-Home): Outdoor marketing can significantly increase brand recall. Printing something on the doormat when people get home makes it even better.
Direct Mail: As mentioned in the Direct Mail section, these two print advertising channels can be a perfect match and planned together to maximise audience reach, dramatically increasing response rates.
Measuring Doordrop Media Success
Measuring a Doordrop campaign is not too dissimilar to Direct Mail, as you can utilise the same printed tracking techniques. Here is a reminder of the ways to track success with printed marketing, like Doordrop Media:
- Use bespoke landing pages for your different printed media channels
- Utilise QR codes to drive customers online
- Bespoke or trackable phone numbers are a great way to measure calls
- Including maps to your stores with removable coupons is a great way to drive and track footfall
- Use separate email addresses for the printed media to track contacts
- Utilise personalised voucher codes to see what media drives your orders
What is Partially Addressed Mail?
Partially Addressed Mail effectively sits between Doordrop media and Direct Mail. Like Direct Mail, it is usually within an envelope and is addressed; however, unlike door-to-door, it is not addressed to an individual. It is still addressed to the household. This allows you to be more targeted than a Doordrop Media campaign; however, your artwork still needs to be strong to get the maximum response rate.
Partially Addressed Mail Design Top Tips
Here are some tips for designing a partially addressed mail to ensure maximum impact on the doormat.
Use envelopes: Enveloped items can be seen as more trusting and create excitement. People want to know what's inside, so you are more likely to gain impressions and readers.
Content is key: It's easy for the reader to open your letter and quickly disregard its contents. That is why you want to grab the attention promptly with key call-outs and a clear call-to-action. Don’t overload your item with words. Just keep it informal, concise, and engaging.
You can still add a personal touch: Even though Partially Addressed Mail does not use personal data, you can still give the design an individual feel. Using a person’s postcode or street name, for example, can provide the reader with something to relate to beyond their details.
Colour is important: As with Doordrop Media and Partially Addressed Mail, colour is key to promoting the correct response. Our experience shows warmer colours work better than colder ones on most printed advertising.
Call to action: Just like Doordrop Media and Direct Mail, it is essential to tell your readers what you want them to do. It is even more critical to make sure it is easy for them to do. Using clear steps can help drive response rates.
Partially Addressed Mail Targeting
Partially Addressed Mail is targeted similarly to Doordrop Media because you do not need personal data. The main difference is that it utilises the full postcode, rather than just the postcode sector. This reduces the average number of households from 2,500 to just 15, meaning the media is much more targeted based on the density of households.
It also allows you to personalise your printed item more effectively based on the postcode itself or address it to your target audience, for example: `To the Garden Lover’ or `To the Dog Owner’.
Media Integration for Partially Addressed Mail
Integrating Partially Addressed Mail is very much the same as integrating Doordrop media. You can also choose the week in which it is distributed, meaning it can run alongside your other marketing channels.
It also works well with Direct Mail, and we can help you overlay your customer data, just as we do with Doordrop Media. Speak to one of our data and print media targeting experts today.
Measuring Partially Addressed Mail Success
Like the other printed media channels mentioned in this article, Partially Addressed Mail can be targeted similarly. Here are a few key ways in which you can track the media’s responses:
- Create bespoke landing pages for the Partially Addressed Mail piece.
- Test QR codes to drive customers online and to make it easier to find you
- Bespoke or trackable phone numbers are a great way to measure calls from the printed item itself
- Including maps, addresses, or directions to your stores with removable coupons is all great ways to drive and track footfall
- Utilise personalised voucher codes to see what media drives your orders
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