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Additional Newspaper Printing & Direct Mail Information

Direct mail permits the marketer to design marketing pieces in many different formats. Indeed, there is an entire subsector of the industry that produces specialized papers, printing, envelopes, and other materials for direct-mail marketing. Some of the common formats include:

Bookalogs: A promotion designed to look like a paperback book. Mailed in an envelope with an order form and cover letter.
Catalogs: Multi-page, bound promotions, usually featuring a selection of products for sale.
Blind mailing: A mailer designed to look like personal mail.
Self-mailers: Pieces usually created from a single sheet that has been printed and folded. For instance, a common practice is to print a page-length advertisement or promotion on one side of a sheet of paper. This is then folded in half or in thirds, with the promotional message to the inside. The two outside surfaces are then used for the address of the recipient and some "teaser" message designed to persuade the customer to open the piece.
Clear bag packages: Large (often 9×12 or bigger) full-color packages sealed in a clear, plastic outer wrap. The contents show through the clear bag, giving the potential for maximum initial impact.
Postcards: Simple, two-sided pieces, with a promotional message on one side and the customer's address on the other.
Envelope mailers: Mailings in which the marketing material is placed inside an envelope. This permits the marketer to include more than one insert. When more than one advertiser is included, this is often called "marriage mail". Valpak is one of the largest examples of a marriage mail service.
Snap Mailers: Mailers that fold and seal with pressure. The sides detach and the mailer is opened to reveal the message.
Dimensional Mailers: Mailers that have some dimension to them, like a small box.
Intelligent Documents: Programmable mail pieces built dynamically from database information, and printed digitally for faster production.

Advantages for marketers include the following:

Targeting – Historically, the most important aspect of direct mail was its ability to precisely target previous customers. For many industries, including publishing and non-profit organizations, direct mail is the chief means of acquiring new customers, subscribers, or donors. The marketer rents or exchanges lists which most closely match the psychographic and demographic profiles of current best customers. These may be further qualified by past purchase of a similar product, financial data (e.g., income or past purchase amount), how recently the name was added to the mailing list, and how frequently the person purchases — factors referred to as RFM for “recency, frequency, monetary” qualification. Many organizations now exist to support marketers in their targeting efforts of their direct mail campaigns.
Personalization - Direct mail can address the customers personally and be tailored to their needs based on previous transactions and gathered data. The evolution of variable data printing technology enables personalization of imagery as well as message and personal data (such as name or address). For example, all male recipients of an offer may receive a personalized package with a man’s picture on the cover, while all female recipients receive a picture of a woman.
Optimization - Because of its direct accountability, direct mail can be tested to find the best list; the best offer; the best creative treatment (writing or design); the best timing (and many other factors). Then the winning tests can be rolled out to a wider audience for optimal results.
Analysis – The bulk mailing is large enough to allow statistical analyses. For example the results can be analysed to see in detail the performance of individual offers in say a squinch report which shows sales per square inch. With suitable media or source codes, the performance of lists can be captured. These enable better selection of offers and lists for future mailings. Another analysis performed on direct mail campaigns is Return On Investment (ROI) or an incremental Return on Investment, looking at the behaviour of those who received the campaign vs those who did not. Without a positive ROI, a marketer should make changes to the program in order to improve results in the next round.
Accumulation - Responses (and non-responses) can be added to the database, allowing future mailings to be better targeted.

Advocates make the following arguments:

• Efficient use of advertising dollars
• Highly selective, targeted and personalized
• Flexible
• High quality reproduction
• Response easily measured
• Return on investment (ROI) relatively predictable based on past performance
• Can be designed with information or entertainment value to recipient, improving customer loyalty
• 87% of consumers are either “very” or “quite” satisfied with the products they buy through direct mail
• 56% of consumers said that value for money was the main benefit of buying through Direct Mail, whilst 63% said convenience.