Digital marketing may be at the forefront for many small businesses today, but there’s still plenty of value in direct mail marketing. Direct mail is an effective and low-cost way to reach customers, foster brand loyalty, and boost customer retention and acquisition. It’s also versatile, as the direct mail ideas below show.
Keep reading for 22 direct mail marketing ideas you can use to grow your small business.
1. Send Coupons (or Coupon Codes) on Postcards
When it comes to promotional mailer ideas, one way to get people to take action is with coupon codes. Coupons are a tried-and-true marketing tactic—recent studies even found that 86% of consumers are more willing to try a new business if they have a coupon for it. And, aside from encouraging people to make purchases, coupon marketing also makes it easy to track your return on investment on the popularity of your promotion.
To learn how to leverage coupons effectively, read our guide on how to use coupon marketing to promote your business. It outlines how to develop a strategy, set goals, create a distribution plan, and optimize and track your campaign. Then, for more coupon direct mail ideas, check out our list of 28 coupon examples.
An example of a coupon code on a postcard (Source: Behance)
2. Offer a Limited-time Promotion
Direct mail can also be used for more than just letting your customers know about your business and what you do. To better encourage actions and conversions, offer your customers and leads a limited-time promotion in the mail.
Whether it’s a limited free shipping discount or a week-long 50% sale, limited-time promotions are some of the most effective direct mail marketing ideas because they create a sense of urgency that encourages customers to take action immediately. Leverage these during holiday seasons or in bottom-of-funnel campaigns to encourage your leads to convert into customers.
An example of a limited-time offer for Black Friday (Source: Who’s Mailing What)
3. Send a Welcome Card to New Prospects
One of the best ways to utilize direct mail marketing to build your brand presence is to send a welcome postcard to new people in your local community. While sending welcome emails is effective enough, direct mail is far more memorable thanks to its tangibility. Your physical postcard will have far fewer chances of getting buried among hundreds of other marketing emails in your customers’ inboxes.
Plus, people feel more valued when they receive “traditional” physical mail, thus helping foster brand loyalty in the long term—especially if your customer base is your local community. Your welcome mail can include a simple “welcome” message with your business’ contact details, a catalog of your products, or even a welcome discount offer. For more design inspiration, check out our list of 23 postcard designs.
Welcome mails introduce your business to new prospects in your community. (Source: Fisher)
4. Invite Repeat Customers to a Loyalty Program
Loyalty programs are a staple in marketing—they’re one of the most effective business mailer ideas for customer retention. For example, if you have a certain group of customers who have purchased from your brand regularly for months, you can reward them with a loyalty program to turn those months into years. It’s simple: customers like it when the brands they love, love them back.
And there are few better ways to invite your best customers to a special loyalty club than through direct mail. Loyalty program invitations are one of the best direct mail ideas because they give your invitation a sense of prestige that they wouldn’t otherwise get with an email or SMS invitation. Direct mails make your customers feel more valued, which in turn fosters loyalty.
You can amp up your loyalty program mail by personalizing your message or by sending a loyalty card, as in the example below.
Loyalty program invites can also include a loyalty card, like this example. (Source: Ritters)
5. Send Loyal Customers Birthday or Anniversary Discounts
Direct mail is a promising avenue for customer retention by making your customers feel valued. One of the best direct mail marketing examples to make your customers feel special is by offering discounts or promo codes as gifts on their birthdays and anniversaries.
Celebrating your customers’ special days along with them shows that you value your customers on a personal level. This keeps your business top of mind, fostering brand loyalty. While it’s possible to send birthday discounts through email, research has proven that direct mail has a far higher response rate than email.
An example of a postcard offering a birthday discount (Source: Mail Shark)
6. Include Links or QR codes in Direct Mails
One of the best benefits of direct mail marketing is that it can be used as a starting point to direct your customers toward a specific action, such as visiting your website. The best way to do this is by including QR codes or short, trackable URLs in your direct mail campaign that lead customers toward your website, store, or a specific landing page.
Website builder Wix offers a free QR code tool that lets you create free QR code images. Simply follow the instructions to add the page you want the QR code to lead to, and then download the code to use on your direct mail and other marketing materials.
Brochures with QR codes are one of the best direct mail marketing ideas to lead your recipients to digital places, like your social media profile or a landing page. (Source: QR Code Generator)
7. Give New Customers Something to Keep
If you’re sending mail to customers—especially new customers—you want to give them something they’ll keep. An easy way to do this is to give away items that are fun and practical. Not only are handy trinkets like fridge magnets, calendars, or sticky notes cool direct mail ideas, they’re more likely to be kept rather than thrown away. Other handy marketing mailer ideas to send your customers are notebooks, pens, mousepads, or card holders.
Items like fridge magnets are more likely to be kept than thrown away. (Source: VistaPrint)
8. Try an EDDM Campaign
Setting up an Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaign is easy and affordable. EDDM campaigns allow you to target every household in a certain city or ZIP code with postcards and other mailers (hence its name), letting you cast a wide local net. Because EDDM campaigns run in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service, there’s no need to purchase a mailing list, and it costs about half as much as standard postage.
You might see pieces of EDDM in your own mailbox after making a significant purchase or moving to a new city. If your address change is on public record, or you buy a house or car, that information may be available to marketers. So, if you bought a house, you might see mailers from home goods retailers, or if you bought a car, you might get postcards from insurance companies.
An example of an EDDM postcard (Source: PostcardMania)
9. Send Catalogs & Free Samples
Catalogs and free samples are well-established direct mail marketing campaign strategies—and with good reason. Catalogs are great if you offer physical products and have proven to be effective even in the digital age. In fact, a study found them to increase return on investment (ROI) by up to 870% when combined with email marketing. Free samples, on the other hand, effectively introduce customers to your product and are less likely to be thrown away, which could help convert more leads into customers.
An example of a direct mail campaign offering a free product sample (Source: Who’s Mailing What)
10. Send Brochures With In-depth Information
If you want to stand out and impart more comprehensive information about your business, send a brochure direct mail campaign instead of the typical postcard. Brochures are one of the most effective marketing materials for small businesses, and give more room for longer information, like menu listings or product guides.
While brochures give you more room, be sure to keep your design clean and simple so you don’t overwhelm readers with information overload. For more design inspiration, look through our list of the best brochure examples.
Your brochure can have an “About” section, your contact information, and a discount offer, like this example. (Source: Canva)
11. Give Away Branded Items
Sending customers branded items in the mail keeps your business top of mind and makes your brand more memorable. There are nearly no limits to the branded items you can send, and you can get creative with your ideas. For example, toy stores could send branded paper airplanes, bookstores could provide bookmarks, or bakeries might send custom cookies stamped with their logo.
Gifts like these instantly leave recipients with a glowing impression of your business and keep you top of mind.
Cookies with your company logo like this example keep your brand top of mind. (Source: Cookies & Crumbs Melbourne)
12. Personalize Your Direct Mail Campaign
If there’s one way for your direct mail to leave a memorable impression, it’s to address recipients by name. As with email campaigns that include recipients’ first names to increase opens and clicks, the same applies to direct mail campaigns. Addressing your customers by name makes your messages feel more personal, and therefore more memorable and impactful. And when you get personal, you get a higher return on investment (ROI) by up to 400%.
Personalizing your mail with your recipient’s name can make a significantly greater impact. (Source: Suttle-Straus)
Personalization can also include a customer’s buying interests. For example, if someone recently purchased a luxury car, they might be a good candidate for a high-end jeweler or a local museum membership.
13. Send a Simple Postcard With Your Contact Information
Another of the easiest direct mail ideas is to send a simple postcard with a clean design, contact information, and a clear call to action (CTA). If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, list your address (with a small map to show your location) and phone number or email address. If you have a website, include a short URL made specifically for your direct mail campaign so you can track your response rate.
People receive lots of mail daily—to make yours stand out, try using oversized mailers. A standard postcard is usually 4” x 6” and oversized postcards usually run 6” x 11”. The difference in size could make someone notice.
An example of a postcard design announcing a restaurant opening (Source: Canva)
14. Promote Solutions, Not Products
One of the best tips for any direct mail marketing campaign is to tap into what customers want and how they’ll benefit from using your business. When writing marketing copy, rather than focus on what your business has (e.g., your products or services), highlight what customers gain from doing a specific action.
For example, an air conditioner repair service can fix your A/C, but simply writing that on a postcard campaign isn’t likely to excite any interest. Instead, revise your copy to focus on being available for customers 24/7 (“Get your A/C working—yes, even at 3 a.m.”). This simple change in your mail copy can lead to higher returns.
Notice how this healthcare flier’s content focuses on the benefits readers can get, instead of simply listing its services. (Source: NextDayFlyers)
15. Make Your Mail Interactive
Sorting through mail at the end of the day can often be a chore. If you’re looking for direct mailer examples that are more exciting and invite more engagement, send mail with fun and interactive content, such as simple labyrinth games or scratch-off sections that reveal a discount. Other examples are 3D pop-up cards—or even short games or quizzes that customers can answer.
These kinds of direct mail ideas are simple to make and usually add no extra cost, but they can significantly improve the customer experience and make your brand more memorable.
An example of interactive mail featuring a simple labyrinth game (Source: Mailing)
16. Include Objects Inside Envelopes to Pique Curiosity
One of direct mail’s unique features over email is its tactility—when someone is sifting through mail, how it physically feels also plays a part in whether or not they’ll open it. If you add a small object inside an otherwise flat envelope, it can pique your customer’s interest. Some successful direct mail marketing campaigns have included a penny, a gift card, a fake credit card, a pen, or a USB drive, to name a few.
An example of a direct mail campaign including paper 3D glasses (Source: Asher Agency)
17. Add Multiple Coupons—One for Now, One for Later
A great way to find out which discount is more popular with your audience is by offering multiple coupons on a single piece of direct mail—it’s like A/B testing for discounts. A $10 off promo code could work well for new customers, while a 20%-off code could be perfect for a customer who wants to stock up on something. Ideally, they’ll use one discount now and the other later, encouraging repeat purchases.
Multiple coupons can encourage repeat customers. (Source: Perfect Imprints Creative Marketing)
18. Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Like in any marketing campaign, the best direct mail ideas produce campaigns with a clear call- to action. Use clear, persuasive copy and hone in on the action you want the recipient to take.
Make sure your CTA stands out by making fonts bold, or boxing in your CTA and placing it at the center of your postcard or mailer. It’s also essential to keep it simple—give your customers one place to learn more about your business or redeem a discount.
This brochure has a clear and impossible-to-miss CTA to like the company’s Facebook page. (Source: QR Code Chimp)
19. Design Your Mail Like Personal Correspondence
In addition to personalizing the content of your direct mail, designing how it looks to each recipient also counts. To maximize the chances of your mail being opened and read, design and customize your mail materials as if they were personal correspondence.
Some ways to do this are by sending a greeting card in a colorful envelope and leaving off “current resident” from the front of your envelope. You can also use a custom business letterhead to strengthen your branding with each customer.
This clever campaign from Kit Kat simulates the feel of traditional mailers, handwritten address and all. (Source: Washington Direct Mail)
20. Use Bold (But Meaningful) Designs to Stand Out
There are many ways to make your mailer stand out, from strong copy to die-cut materials. An easy way is to design your direct mail creatively with bold (but meaningful) designs. Ninety percent of information transmitted to our brains is visual, so don’t be afraid to use creativity to your advantage. If you don’t have an in-house designer, you can hire a freelancer from Fiverr to create a postcard, brochure, or catalog that looks professional and modern.
Also note that while it’s tempting to include all the reasons why your business is awesome, the best examples of direct mail are clear, direct, and easy to understand. Focus on the most relevant details you want your audience to know and have one clear and easy-to-follow call to action. They can find out more at your store or website.
An example of a well-designed promotional postcard with a clear call to action (Source: Dribbble)
21. Amp Up Direct Mail Campaigns With Die-cut Brochures
Brochures always make for great direct mail promotion ideas. They’re lightweight and require no envelopes, so they can sometimes be more affordable than other marketing materials. A simple way to make your brochure stand out is by using die-cutting. This gives your brochure a custom, unique look and texture, immediately making it more noticeable.
PsPrint offers custom die-cutting, so you can work with the direct mail service and printer to get exactly the shape you want for your marketing campaign. There is a $45 flat fee if you need extra design help, and you’ll need to get a custom quote for your die-cut project.
Check out our top recommended brochure designs that you can use to showcase your brand.
An example of a die-cut brochure (Source: Brancott Wines)
22. Create a Handwritten Stamp for Postcards
When it comes to creative direct mail ideas, a handwritten note is one of the best and most personal ways to connect with customers—but it’s also time-consuming if you have a large mailing list.
A solution is to get a custom stamp with your copy in a custom handwritten font that you can press on the back of postcards. In the age of digital ads on practically every screen, having an old-fashioned, ink-stamped message gives any message a more personal and premium feel.
An example of a custom stamp with a message (Source: Paper Pastries)
Basic Elements of Direct Mail Campaigns
One thing all the best direct mail marketing ideas share is a clearly defined goal. Before anything else—including content and design—you’ll first need to decide on what you want to accomplish with your direct mail campaign, whether it’s increasing foot traffic or boosting subscriptions or sales. Then, you’ll need a mailing list, your mail content and design, and ways to track your campaign’s success.
Here are the basic elements of direct mail campaigns you’ll need to take note of, whichever type of campaign you run:
- Your campaign goal (e.g., increase sales, generate leads, drive referrals, and so on)
- A targeted mailing list (unless doing an EDDM campaign)
- The type of direct mail to send (e.g., postcard, coupon, etc.)
- Your direct mail designer (an online platform like VistaPrint or Canva, a graphic designer from Fiverr, etc.)
- A direct mail service
- A method to track your campaign (e.g., QR code scans, promo code uses, website visits, etc.)
For more in-depth guidance on setting up your direct mail marketing ideas and campaigns, read our ultimate guide on what direct mail is and how it works.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some of the best direct mail campaign examples are welcome mails to new customers, direct mail coupon campaigns, special occasion mails, mails with gifts or free samples, or EDDM (every door direct mail) campaigns. The best direct mail campaign for your business will depend on your specific goals. For instance, special occasion mails are effective for fostering loyalty among existing customers, while EDDM campaigns can generate new leads and customers.
What should be included in your direct mail depends on the direct mail campaign you’re sending and its main objectives. For example, if you’re sending an EDDM campaign for brand awareness, you’ll need to include your business’ name, address, and contact info. Meanwhile, if you’re sending a coupon campaign, you’ll need to send the coupon (or QR code leading to your digital coupon), a call to action (CTA), and the conditions of your coupon and where it’s applicable.
Other content to include in your direct mail campaigns are a catalog of your products or services, a personal note, a discount offer, a free trial or sample, or an interactive activity like a simple labyrinth game or scratch-off ticket.
The best way to make your direct mail campaigns stand out is by targeting your customers accurately so your campaigns are sent where they’ll make the most impact. For example, send birthday discount campaigns to long-time customers to encourage brand loyalty. Another way to make your mails stand out is by personalizing them, or adding your customers’ names in your messages. You can also stand out by using effective copy and eye-catching visuals.
Bottom Line
Direct mail marketing remains an effective way to reach your customers and grow your business’ local presence, and the direct mail ideas above are a good place to start. The strategies above can gain you new customers and foster deeper connections with your existing ones. Whichever you choose, always start with the goal you want to achieve in mind to guide you in the right direction.
For the best service to bring your direct mail marketing ideas to life, our top recommendation is VistaPrint. It has thousands of direct mail templates, design elements, and a beginner-friendly editing tool, along with printing services at affordable costs to help you make the best direct mail campaigns.
