Designing High-ROI Direct Mail: 5 Ways to Increase Conversions

Basic though it may seem, one surefire way to help increase ROI and conversions with direct mail is to consider the step you want the recipient to take, and then make sure the call-to-action (CTA) is clear, concise, and relevant to the content and copy in your mailer. You want to avoid burying your CTA in blocks of copy, and your CTA should use active language — for example, if your desired action is for the recipient to RSVP for an upcoming event, use a CTA like Reserve your spot now or RSVP soon. 

You also want your CTA to create a sense of urgency, and if you can personalize it using VDP,  the recipient is more likely to respond or take the intended action. CTAs should also be short and to-the-point, and you want to insert your CTA in a place where it’s easily accessible and legible — avoid putting your CTA in the crease of a fold or sandwiched between chunks of text. 

This is particularly important if you are incorporating QR codes as your CTA needs to clearly instruct the user on what will happen when they scan the code, and why scanning it will provide additional value. 

Personalization in print marketing works — in fact, when it comes specifically to direct mail, personalization can help increase response rates by as much as 30%. Variable data printing (VDP) via digital press technology gives designers the power to create highly targeted, personalized direct mailers that can create deeper, more meaningful connections with their recipients — the kinds of connections that can also help increase customer retention and loyalty. 

The trick with personalizing your direct mail piece is to think a bit outside the box in terms of the standard fields like first name or last name. With the right customer data, designers can take personalization one step further and use insights on job titles or industry, customer lifecycle stage, purchase history, regionality, or membership to professional organizations. 

Thinking about personalization on a more granular level can help create a sense of authenticity and familiarity with the recipient, which is important in prompting users to engage, respond, and convert on your direct mail campaigns.  

When we think of adding value to direct mail, we often think about how to make the content more dynamic, engaging, and informative, or how we can use technology like variable data printing (VDP) to create highly targeted content that speaks in a more meaningful way to the user. And while these are certain important considerations, making a direct mailer userful on a more practical level can go a long way toward increasing conversions. 

For example, a recent USPS study found that 69% of participants respond well to direct mail coupons for restaurants, and 65% are very favorable toward coupons for retail businesses. 

Making your direct mailer useful in a way that helps drive conversions — be it in a brick-and-mortar or online context — can be as simple as incorporating perforated discount cards or coupons that can be easily removed and redeemed. Or, in the case of event marketing in direct mail, perforated panels can be designed as reminders or save-the-dates to help drive attendance.