I believe the key elements for a good direct mail piece to be universal to any market. I have had the opportunity to receive amazing mail campaigns from the agency world as well as the good fortune to work with clients from around the world who do outstanding work. I know what has worked for me in the past and what is currently working for my clients. Here are the four basic KEY elements for any successful direct mail piece.
This should go without saying, but I am going to say it again: If you are going to spend money on a large mail campaign, which is always a significant investment, you must send the BEST of the BEST. I remember one of my favorite direct mail pieces I received over a decade ago from Henry Horenstein. The images are stunning! I have kept this promotion for years. I also really love the impactful beauty and strength of the latest mailer from Coolife Studio - the still life photography team of Carole Beaupré and Pauline Rochas:
My mentor always taught me this. While interactive might mean “internet" to you in this case it means that you are involved in and part of the actual direct mail campaign. Aaron Fallon took his campaign and made sure there was more to the piece. It functions as a holder for his promos, a business card and offers some insight into his personality – while showing an additional image:
Be sure your target market understands what you are selling. What is your visual style? Here, Patrick Molnar clearly states his strength in lifestyle photography. Be sure to communicate it clearly, effectively, and consistently. Pat put together the entire booklet supporting his work, style, and his end product:
Knowing how many pieces you can print starts with knowing what you can afford. Once you have a working number of how many people you can afford to send to, use that number to build a targeted list of people. I use this formula when building my clients' lists:
Use these four elements and your investment in your company will be a wise one.
Please take a moment and look at some conversations regarding Jay Maisel defending his copyright ................here are two comments that I believe are worth your time:
When the call comes in for you to put together a bid for a project, how do you handle it? Do you ask the right questions to create an estimate that’s going to give you the best advantage for winning the project? It’s okay to ask questions and in fact, I encourage it wholeheartedly. Ask questions like: Who is your competition? What’s the budget or range? Will the lowest bid win the job or will it be a combination of bid and creative choice? Does the creative have a first choice to win the project? You may feel uncomfortable being so forward, but if you want to put together a suitable bid, making sure that you have asked enough questions to appropriately prepare your estimate is KEY to winning the bid.
Where to Start
When you first start putting an estimate together, I recommend starting with the hard expenses. These are the items that you must have to do the job, like: crew members, digital files, equipment rentals, location or studio needs. After you’ve got these costs together, you can then start thinking about the other items that support these requirements, including props, surfaces and wardrobe, talent, and stylists.
All about Competitive Bidding
Competitive bidding doesn’t mean undercharging so much that you don’t get the budget you need to competently complete the project. Your estimate needs to demonstrate that you clearly understand the creative vision and goals and show that you can smartly problem-solve the project. As well, you need to be able to speak to the line items in your estimate to show how they solve your client’s problem. I suggest making it clear that you really want to discuss your ideas with the art buyer, producer and/or creative once you’ve submitted your estimate.
You’re Worth Your Fees
Fees are line items where you need to carefully consider a number of factors. Be sure to consider: the type of usage that your client is asking for, who the client is, the complexity of the project, the amount of time the project will take from prep work to completion and last, the relationship you have, or want to develop with the client. ALL of these pieces need to play a role in your determination of the fees for projects you estimate.
A Final Note
A good thing to find out is what role the client sees you having on the project. This will help you understand how much leadership you’ll need to provide. Also, think about how, creatively fulfilling the project is - is it something you would just die to shoot? Just because today’s market is terribly competitive doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t value your work, usage, creative perspective or time. DO NOT sell yourself short, but balance all of these pieces and factor them in to create an informed, fact-based decision.
