How to Extend the Life of Your Direct Mail Postcard or Brochure

There are many steps you can take to ensure your direct mail materials get noticed and read. Opting for quality graphics and professionally written copy, and including incentives that are irresistible to your target audience is a good place to start. But did you know that there are ways to extend the life of your direct mail postcard or brochure that can generate even more revenue for your business?
Direct mail has consistently demonstrated the potential to create a lasting effect on consumers, and part of this is its proven ability to trigger a positive emotional response. But physical mail offers something else that digital advertising doesn’t: staying power.

Mail-Out Materials that Stick Around

Many postal studies show that consumers have a strong tendency to keep, display, and share certain types of direct mail materials, including:

• coupons,

• restaurant menus, and

• sales flyers

Not only are about two-thirds of potential customers inclined to keep mail they feel offers immediate or future value, they’re also very apt to display that mail in highly visible locations inside their homes. This provides an outstanding opportunity for your brand to engage with prospects on multiple occasions – over an extended period of time – and all for the price of a single mail-out.

Research from the US Postal Service confirms that 81% of recipients read their mail daily and, because of its tangible nature, tend to “save mailed coupons for future use and share mailings with others.”

So, just how much extra life can you expect to squeeze out of your double-duty postcard or brochure?

Surveys have suggested that, depending on the format, many direct mail recipients keep print materials from a few days to a month, or longer. In fact, an in-depth study conducted by the Canada Post Corporation, established that this is indeed the case for:

• product and service coupons (67%),

• restaurant menus (77%),

• promotional mail (41%), and

• retail flyers (61%)

• Getting a Foot in the Door

Just as important as the keeping of direct mail postcards and brochures, is the fact that consumers love to share them. Even if a well-crafted offer doesn’t meet the immediate needs of the person who opens it, they’re far more likely to pass that coupon or sales discount along to someone they know, than they are an email or social media promotion.

Print mail is memorable, and can ultimately be a joy to receive. In today’s noisy digital world, consumers have begun to recognize direct mail as a more intimate bid for their attention – and their response to this personalized approach has been to:

• visit a physical place of business almost twice as often

• visit a company website more than two-thirds of the time

Companies that take the time to research their clients and prospects, and to design direct mail communications that are relevant and offer long-term value, are being rewarded with an invitation into the homes and lives of their customers. And there’s nothing more effective than a foot-in-the-door to nurture a lasting relationship.