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A comprehensive guide to choosing the right type of direct mail in Australia
So, you’ve got a great idea for a piece of direct mail. You know what you want to say and how you want to say it. You’re all set with brand colours, an eye-catching design, and your target market.
Now, the only decision left is what kind of mail you want to use. This is where it can sometimes get complicated! Do you go for a brochure? A pamphlet? A flyer? Or a leaflet? What’s the difference? Is there even a difference?
We’re exploring the various forms of direct mail in today’s article to un-complicate the process!
The difference between forms of direct mail
Who knew a simple bit of mail marketing could get so complicated? As if messaging, brand colours, and design weren’t enough, now we’ve got a bunch of different mail styles to choose from.
The good news is that once you know, you know! It’s partly about content, partly about physical design, but either way, you’ll never mistakenly refer to a flyer as a brochure again.
Here’s how to tell which is which, so you can make the best decisions for your own direct mail campaigns.
Flyers
Flyers are the most common kind of mail you’ll come across. They’re a single piece of paper, usually rectangular or square, sometimes printing is on one side and sometimes on both. No folds, nothing fancy.
They’re usually pretty cheap and quick to print. However, we’re bombarded with flyers every day, handed out on the streets, stuck in your windscreen wipers, or dropped in your post box.
The key to being successful with a flyer is to make it eye-catching, high-quality, and professional-looking!
Choose a flyer when you’re promoting a single thing or event and don’t need to put a lot of info on the page.
Flyers are great for distributing amongst the general public. Make them eye-catching if you want them to be read before landing in the bin!
Leaflets
Leaflets are quite similar to flyers. They tend to be a single page, sometimes printed on just one side and sometimes printed on both sides.
You can use the terms quite interchangeably, but if you’re a stickler for correct terminology, there are a few minor differences between the two.
Leaflets tend to be a bit more high-class than flyers. Whereas flyers are often handed out on the street, outside stores, or placed randomly into mailboxes, leaflets are often aimed at a bit of a higher-class audience.
Typically, they have better paper and print quality than flyers. Flyers aren’t designed to be kept for a long time, but leaflets can be placed on a fridge and kept for future reference.
Because they’re better quality than flyers, leaflets are usually a bit more expensive to produce. Still cost-effective in the long run, though!
Choose leaflets to market to for more business-oriented audiences. Typically, they have a higher print quality than flyers, and more serious, business-like design.
Brochures & Pamphlets
The terms brochure and pamphlet are used interchangeably to describe the same kind of design. These bits of mail are folded, usually (but not always) into three sections.
Brochures are great for use when you have a fair bit of info that needs to be presented in a logical, flowing way. Having various panels to lay your info out on allows you to create more of a story-type flow to your content.
They’re also quite a lot more professional-looking than a simple flyer! You can get creative with folds, branding, and content sharing as you have a fair bit more space to play with.
A well-done brochure is like an extension of a business card. It contains everything the reader needs to know about your product, service, or event, and it also has easy-to-find contact details and addresses if necessary.
Choose a brochure or pamphlet if you need more space for information. You can get a bit creative with layout, and it’s great for setting out your info in a story-telling way.
Brochures are very versatile. You can choose how many folds you want, which makes it super easy to lay out your info.
Booklets
Booklets are the most comprehensive of the forms of direct mail we’ve mentioned. They’re often confused with brochures, but they’re a bit more robust and have the capacity for quite a bit more information to be displayed.
Instead of just being folded like a brochure, booklets are bound and held together with either staples, stitching, spiral binding, or glue. Booklets are also usually printed on high-quality material and may have a bit of gloss or sheen to them.
Another noticeable difference between booklets and brochures is that booklets consist of multiple pages. The minimum page count for a small booklet is 8 (2 folded and bound paper sheets), but you can get booklets of up to 72 pages, depending on your needs!
Choose booklet printing and distribution for info-heavy print advertising, like small catalogues. They can also be a great choice for things like manuals, event schedules, and magazines.
Which one should I use?
Different forms of direct mail work better for different purposes. While you can opt for a cheap flyer in every campaign, it would be more effective to put thoughtful consideration into each mail marketing campaign.
Consider how professional you want your piece of mail to be, the amount of space needed to convey your message, and the associated costs. Remember, direct mail remains one of the most cost-effective marketing methods available.
Now that you know the differences between the more popular forms of direct mail, you can make more informed decisions for your campaigns. Branding and content are crucial, but a quality piece of mail (unaddressed bulk or direct) that catches the eye, entices reading, and lasts a while is essential to ensure your message is given the attention it deserves.
Familiarise yourself with the various types of mail so you can make the best choices for each direct mail campaign. Different forms of direct mail will work better for different events and promotions, enhancing the effectiveness and reach of your marketing efforts.
