MARKETING Everyone likes a discount.
Print is Dead. Long Live Print.
“ Personalization” questionable on a mass mailing.
By Glenn Hansen
Direct mail has a few things working against it. It’ s relatively slow, comparatively expensive, and difficult( but not impossible) to track. It has one big positive: It’ s effective. Even Neil Patel, SEO expert and owner of NP Digital agency, says direct-mail is effective for its: relatively high response rate( from 2 to 5 %); ability to target local addresses; longevity( much better than email or social media); and branding power – especially helpful in conjunction with digital ads.
With printed pieces, whether mailed like a postcard or hand-delivered like a door hanger or flyer, a company can target specific areas by neighborhood or zip code and can filter by income in some areas. You can even filter out specific addresses – like eliminating current customers from your delivery.
Let’ s look at four unique examples.
Our own data shows the power of local green-lawn competition.
Simple design covers the basics of services offered and contact info. Glossy coating a nice touch and improves durability of the card.
1. TruGreen mailed me a promotional letter recently. The company probably mailed 1000s of these. Mine had all the production quality you’ d expect from a $ 2 billion company. My favorite part was the line,“ Glenn, 153 of your neighbors already have TruGreen lawns.” This hits a data point that we’ ve proven in our own research – homeowners compete with their neighbors’ lawns.
Overall: This well-produced piece checks all the traditional advertising boxes – strong branding, aggressive promotion, personalized message,“ today” urgency, call to action, customer testimonial, bullet points and little emoji-like graphics. Still, I won’ t call because this service is a DIY job for me, but Tru-Green couldn’ t possibly know that.
2. My local irrigation service sent me a postcard. The complete opposite of the TruGreen piece, this one featured poor print quality in a 2-color mailer with no promo discount. This low-cost postcard was probably created in low quantities and delivered to select neighborhoods. The mailing was not controlled to filter out current clients. I know, because I am one.
Overall: Despite the low-quality production and too-simple messaging, this card works as a reminder of a company I’ ve used before. It backs up the sticker they stuck on my irrigation control box, but it’ s in my face and on my kitchen counter when I need it. Plus, it was inex-
Validation with“ licensed, bonded, insured.” Contact info again seems like a waste of the backside space.
www. OPE-Plus. com April 2025 OPE + 27