Proper, Traditional Brochure MailShots – Time To Go (a Bit) Retro?

Reports of the death of the brochure mailshot campaign have, to coin a well-worn phrase, been greatly exaggerated. 

In a sea of digital noise, you’ll have to stand out to reach your target market successfully. So now could be the perfect time to embrace print in one of its absolute best forms: an actual brochure, with an actual covering letter, ideally, in a proper envelope – sent through the post to land on someone’s desk or doormat. 

Email, social media, and online advertising are undoubtedly essential and are not going away any time soon. 

And yes, marketing with brochures is certainly not cheap. Costs can and do add up.

It’s not just about creating and designing the mailshot; you’ll also have to pay for printing, packing, copywriting, packaging, and sending it out. Time-consuming, perhaps. Expensive? Certainly more than an email campaign, yes.

Equally, it can take a long time to get right.

But.

It’s Marketing That Works

Stealing a march on your competitors with a traditional brochure mailshot could be one of your best-ever decisions this year. In our opinion, this is the perfect way to catch and hold onto the attention of the people you want to sell to. And we’re not just biased; we’re hugely experienced at this.

And here’s why:

Recent DMA research reveals an extremely positive 9% average response rate to direct mail campaigns. Further, between 43% and 92% of people who have received tangible marketing collateral have been galvanised into responding; downloading something, making an online purchase, engaging with a business’ website, etc.

These are staggering statistics, given that generally, the response rate to email shots hovers around 1%.

That’s not all, though. Here are just three significant benefits of doing things the traditional way.

Your Marketing Will Be Memorable

How many brochures do you receive in a day? Most likely, fewer than one. Now count up the sales and marketing emails that ping into your inbox. There’s no comparison, is there? This type of marketing, once ubiquitous, is now reasonably rare – not least in a b2b scenario. Do you want to be remembered? Of course you do. A real, touchable brochure in a format that your audience will appreciate could be the best way to catch and hold their attention.

Raise Expectations

If you would like to charge more for your products or services, a touch of “old-fashioned” will do no harm at all. 

Why? Because a good quality, beautifully designed direct mail brochure tells the recipient you place a high value on your marketing and are prepared to invest in it. Likewise, that you respect and appreciate them enough to reach out in this way.

Think: sophisticated, upmarket and exclusive. 

Strengthen Customer Relationships

Never waste an opportunity to double down on great client relationships. 

For example, you could contact your target market with a brochure to highlight a unique benefit, a new product line or to draw their attention to something they may not know about. This simple yet elegant approach could renew and reinvigorate their interest in your business.

What Makes The Perfect Brochure Mailshot?

With over 30 years’ experience in printing, there’s so much advice to offer you, yet not enough space here to offer it. However, here are some key pointers to help you get started: 

Target your market. Your ideal clients aren’t everywhere; the ones most likely to buy from you will be from a particular demographic or perhaps two. A list broking agency can segment your data, giving you a substantial head start. In a perfect world, you need named contacts and their job titles at the top of the letter.

Create an outstanding cover letter. Concise, precise, to-the-point and on one page of A4 – no more. If copy isn’t your forte, there are some excellent copywriters out there.

Your perfect brochure. Show – don’t tell. Less is more: you need fewer words, yet your text must be as meaningful as possible. Photographs and images are essential, and is your contact information on the front page so that new customers can act immediately?

Xpress Group can print your artwork, and we can create your brochure design. Our team understands how to lay everything out with just the right mix of white space, words, images, headers and calls to action. Also, ask us about paper weight and finishing options.

Our Final Words

You only get one chance to make a fabulous first impression. Know your objectives, know your customers, and design for your readers. And, make it a piece of marketing that’s worth keeping.