A direct mail postcard has 3-5 seconds to get a prospects attention, period! So, front panel messaging and design is critical. 

Best practices:

1.  A concise front panel headline designed so the recipient immediately knows what you’re selling and what’s in it for them. The purpose of your first line is to get people to read further. It should be succinct. It should be highly targeted to your customer segment. And it should stand out and demand attention.  On the average, eight out of ten people will read the headline of a well-designed direct mail piece and then decide whether to read further. 

2.  A compelling offer(s) on the front panel. Direct marketing pieces should include an offer that is sufficiently compelling to drive customers to take the desired action (visit a retail store, call a number, visit a website, etc.). The offer should appear front and center and encourage people to act NOW. When in doubt, offer more. The offer can be considered an experiment because response rate is unknown in advance. You can tune up future campaigns based on the results.

3.  Focus on benefits. One of the biggest errors people make in advertising is stating features, rather than benefits. Never assume recipients know what benefit can be derived from your product or service.

4.  Call to action. Tell prospects exactly what you want them to do. 

5.  Contact pathway. Whatever you ask prospects to do, give them the means to do it — right away.

6. Company name and logo. Although this needs to be on the front and back of the mailer, it shouldn’t overshadow the offer. Customers care most about what you can do for them — not who you are or how great you say you are.

7.  A word on graphics. One of the biggest errors people make in direct mail advertising is focusing on graphics rather than the objective. Direct mail is not a graphics or art contest, its objective is to support acquiring new retail customers or qualified leads for service and construction. 

8.  A word on the back panel. The back panel is there to support the offer and call to action on the front panel. People generally turn the card over because they want to know more. Making an unrelated offer is distracting and dilutes the front panel call to action.

Creating an effective direct mail product is critical to success!

To receive a free pdf file of this paper or to inquire about our services, contact Steve Carlyle: stevecarlyle@frontier.com