Why Quality Design is Important in Direct Mail Marketing

We’ve previously discussed the pros and cons of design vs. print marketing and are going to delve further into that topic, more specifically into the pros and cons of the utilization of direct mail designs, including the growing need for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). While there are many print marketing options available, we believe that hiring a pro to design direct mail can result in a significant return on investment.

Who Needs a Firm to Design Direct Mail?

Direct mail designs are a great tool for small to medium-sized businesses that need a cheap and effective option for targeting local customers. Professional direct mail designs are often postcard sized and can highlight anything from the opening of a new business to an important event or even offering special discounts. If you design direct mail professionally and target efficiently, it can be one of the best ways to drive traffic to your business. The best direct mail designs will highlight the new good or service, give vital information to the customer, and direct them on how to take the next step.

How Much do Direct Mail Designs Cost?

The cost of direct mail designs vary with the firm used to design direct mail prototypes and final products, the area in which the business wishes to target, along with printing and mailing costs.

• Firm to design direct mail – The cost of a professional to design the pieces can vary, so shop around. Be sure and see what is included in the cost, such as number of mockups, drafts, polishes, etc.
• Target area – Once direct mail designs have been chosen, the next step is to pick the zip code, city, or mile radius you want to deliver to and calculate the quantity needed.
• Cost to print – Once a quantity is decided on, it’s time to find someone to print your direct mail designs. TIP: Professional designers will often have the option to print the items in-house, which can be a huge cost saver.
• Postage cost – This is the simple cost of mailing your direct mail designs to your customers. Once a huge factor in considering print marketing, the U.S. Post Office has recently offered an EDDM service, with costs as little as $0.175 per piece.

Why We Recommend EDDM/ Direct Mail Designs

We at Catdi recommend EDDM as our premiere choice for direct mail designs. They are extremely cheap to design, print, and mail, and can have a much larger impact than digital ads or an ad placed in a local publication. Using this method, your piece will be seen by every home owner, business owner, and resident in the area and will be a tangible means of getting to know your business. Best of all, EDDM is more streamlined for smaller and medium businesses because no permits, mailing lists, or address imprinting equipment is required.