Direct mail is changing. This channel remains highly effective, but most people don't have the attention spans they used to. Mail that is fast and easy to scan is winning the day. According to Who's Mailing What! (WMW!), a database of nearly 300,000 direct mail pieces, the average word count used in marketing copy for envelopes, postcards, and self-mailers has dropped by 24%, 30%, and 29%, respectively, over the past 20 years.
Some markets have sharper word drops than others. When it comes to direct mail envelopes, for example, the most significant declines have been in consumer services, education, and healthcare. In postcards, they have been in media and publishing, nonprofit, recreation, and travel.
How do you make the most of your space if you keep your text to fewer words? Here are three ideas:
- Focus on building trust. Shoppers buy from companies they trust. Get your credentials out there front and center.
- Make it about them. WMW! gives two examples of mailers from Google. Fifteen years ago, a typical headline was “Find new customers for less by using online search advertising.” More recently, that became, “Is your Internet plan fast enough?” See the difference?
- Make it scannable. Ensure your message comes through loud and clear, even if readers only have time to scan the piece. That means using lots of white space, bullet points, and graphics that make the content fast and easy to absorb.
Don't you need lots of words to convince someone to buy? Not necessarily. Unless you're selling pizza or hamburgers, “closing” is not generally the role of direct mail. Mailings are typically designed to get people to take the next step, such as going to your website or making a phone call. This means you don't have to make your case all at once. Just get their attention. Hook the reader with the most compelling points and build on that information next time.
Need help? Let us help you design a great direct mail piece that gets their attention.
