Storytelling in Direct Mail: Making an Impact Beyond Words

Researchers who study the mind have found that when we hear a story, our language processing areas light up, along with any other areas that would be busy if we were actually experiencing the events. 

Reading stories about running away from danger wakes up the movement cortex. Reading stories about going through the forest wakes up the visual cortex. This is the way nerves link up. [You live stories instead of just hearing them.]

Story-based direct mail postcards are more interesting than a sales pitch. Customer attention is being fought for by a lot of other things, so ads that tell stories stand out. 

Let’s find out how to craft one!

Who Are You Writing For?

To write an interesting direct mail story, you need to know who you’re writing for. 

Find out about your readers before you write. 

• Do you have values, hobbies, or pain points? 
• Why do they do what they do?

Make up realistic fictional buyer characters that help you get to know your customers better. Name, picture, short background, goals, and quotes for each. 

When you write your story, remember these characters and make sure you meet their wants. If two people share feelings or events, you can move them.

You can make your brand seem like the hero by hiring online direct mail services that will help your brand succeed by presenting what drives an emotional connection with the audience.

Set The Scene And Get People Interested

Enter your reader’s world. Make your story come alive with details. Visualize, hear, smell, taste, and touch. To get people interested, describe the setting.

Adjectives and adverbs give words more color and structure. 

• Create an atmosphere with pictures and ideas. 
• Use repeat and alliteration in a smart way. 

Showing an example:

The evergreen trees’ pine smell fills the cold air. On the winding road through the trees, a light snowfall crunches underfoot.

For movement, use verbs. Make the reader care about your characters. Inform, don’t show. Like for example: As early morning sunlight streams through the trees, the peaceful glen shines a golden color. After drinking from a running creek, one deer heads into the bushes.

Use all five of your senses. What does the person reading your story hear, see, touch, smell, and taste? 

Lots of bright physical details will bring your story to life.

Make Up A Good Story

A good story is needed for direct mail to work. Set up a beginning, a middle, and an end. Make it easy for people to understand the problem and then show them how to solve it.

It should be short and simple to follow the story. People might get irritated if there are long lines at the pay. When people used your app, it was faster for them. They can leave now and do what they want.

Fit your story to your business. How does your business or item help people with big issues? It makes sense to people, and they want to use your brand to fix problems after reading it.

Make People Interested In Your Story Till The End!

People are interested and learn from stories in direct mail marketing. People who read want characters who are well-rounded and easy to connect with. To describe people, don’t use facts. Instead, use vivid language, important actions, and conversation.

Instead of “John was a caring father,” write

John gave his daughter a kiss on the head and made her wear her shawl. It was peaceful in the room in the dark, and he said, “Sweet dreams.“

John is nice, even though he doesn’t say it. Make 3D things. Give them real flaws, goals, and dreams. 

People who read feel like they know the people and the story.

Surprise Turns in the Story

If you’re sending direct mail, use shocking plot turns to get people’s attention. Unexpected reveals or ends can make people more interested and build suspense. This makes people want to read more to find out what happens.

You could talk about a figure who is trying to reach a goal and then add a surprise obstacle. Or begin a story one way and then change it. Unexpected turns in the plot make the story more interesting.

Make Use of Your Feelings

Direct mail can sometimes say things that words can’t. Invoking feelings in customers may help brands keep them coming back.

There are different ways to use direct mail to make people feel things:

• Nostalgia – To bring back memories, use words, pictures, and other reminders. Think of happy times from your childhood, family traditions, or company interactions. People will remember you with love.

• Excitement – Build excitement before a product goes on sale or is released. People keep turning the pages because of cliffhangers and interesting words. Getting them excited will get their attention.

• Curiosity – Set up interesting questions or scenarios to keep the reader interested. They may do what they do because they are curious.

• Love – Pay attention to your family, friends, pets, and hobbies. To connect, show that you know them as a person.

• Belonging – To make them feel included, use words and pictures that are welcoming. Meeting the need to join makes people more loyal.

• Fear – While it’s rare, some brands use people’s fears or insecurities to sell goods or services. Be careful not to trick people.

Direct mail becomes a memorable experience when it makes people feel something. If done right, it builds relationships between the business and the customer.

Conclusion 

Use direct mail to try and compare different versions of a story. You can make direct mail more effective by A/B trying plots, stories, characters, and calls to action.

You can also try out different versions of a story before putting it into production by printing small test runs. Change the main character, the story, the ending, the emotional hooks, and the call to action. 

Send each version to sample groups with the same demographics as the others, and keep track of the open, reaction, and conversion rates.