Anyone can write, and many are pretty good at it too, but true copywriting is a skill, an art and is absolutely critical to any direct mail campaign. As many people can write well, it is easy to keep the content creation in-house between the team, focusing more on what is being said rather than how it is being said. But, the importance of copywriting in direct mail can’t be understated, and we have examined this in more detail below.

Emails vs direct mail campaigns

The first aspect to mention is the overwhelming number of positive statistics that surround direct mail from the numerous studies that have been conducted. Statistics such as 60% of readers being influenced to visit a website after reading direct mail, or the 98% of people that check their mail daily.

Alongside this, people also concentrate more on physical hard copies over electronic copies.

This means that your direct mail campaign is likely to get seen more than its email counterpart, and also that what you write in it has the potential to deliver more of an impact.

Therefore, the importance of both what you say and how you say it is crucial. It is important that the words you use in your direct mail deliver the right message.

The value of well-written words

Words have the power to have a huge impact on whoever is reading it. It’s why we love and respond so well to short quotes that have real meaning behind them. The words that you use will directly impact the response that a customer has to your direct mail campaign.

If you use exciting and powerful words that inspire action, people will get excited about what you are offering and will want to buy it. Equally, dull words and a dull message will leave the reader feeling bored.

Always value quality over quantity. Make all words have payback and intent, don’t add lots of words just for the sake of it, instead focus on the quality of every word written.

Direct mail copywriting involves an element of storytelling

Good copywriting will tell a story, sell the brand, get readers excited and will leave them with absolutely no reason to not at least research your product or service once they reach the end of the direct mail.

Your words will also be a direct reflection on your brand and how people feel about it, so it’s important to get this right early on.

Contact us – click here

What else is important in writing for direct mail campaigns?

There are many other factors to consider when writing direct mail campaigns; here are some aspects to consider:

• Personalised writing – If you have awareness of your specific customer or group and can handcraft specific content for them – then do! An example would be for a furniture store that know that a certain group of eCommerce customers have recently viewed pie furniture ranges, in this case why not extol the virtues of pine to this specific audience? Another would be to refer to local store information where the mailing intends to encourage the recipient to visit a store
• Write for mail – Remember that direct mail is a mailing techniqueso you have more space than you would have available on social media. Therefore, be clear and generally avoid shortening marketing messages like you would on Twitter or when using text messages to promote

Include a strong call to action

We wrote as long ago as November 2014 about the importance of a strong call to action, so it must be important! Make sure the objective of the mailshot is clear and unambiguous, don’t “pull your punches”, be specific, precise and expect improved campaign returns. If you need help in this respect a mailing house will be able to support you with the call to action message.

Contacting bakergoodchild – the direct mail and print experts

If you want to know more about direct mail campaigns, you can call the bakergoodchild mailing agency on 0800 612 1972 or reach us here. We can work in any individual phase or across the entire campaign lifecycle from conception to post project appraisal. We look forward to hearing from you in the near future!

Get in touch – click here