Third in the series:
Color and Images in Direct Mail Marketing
The colors and images in your direct mail piece matter. What is the first thing that catches your eye in the near-identical stack of white envelopes filling your mailbox? Often it’s the piece that uses color in a creative way to stand out and capture your attention.
Here are some tips for how color and images can improve the success of your direct mail campaign:
Use Colors That Complement Your Brand
You’ll want to select colors that match or complement your branding colors when designing your direct mail piece. Each piece needs to represent your brand, so use colors that include the colors you use in your logo, in your letterhead, and on your website.
Using this technique helps your recipient recognize your brand more easily and helps make the connection between your mailer and your brand’s presence on other channels.
Color conveys various emotions
Generating certain emotions with color can help you achieve your marketing success by influencing the emotions your audience associates with your brand and products. Carefully consider what type of emotions your color choices will evoke — it has a direct impact on how your offer and brand is perceived by your audience.
Different colors often evoke specific emotions. Use that by choosing the color, and associated emotion, that aligns with your marketing message and brand strategy. Here are a few examples of how different colors can influence your audience:
- Blues: Peace and Calm. Associated with trustworthy products.
- Green: Growth, Health, Generosity.
- Red and pink: Love, Femininity. Attention-grabbing colors
- Gold and purple: Luxury, Royalty, Wisdom. Indicators of wealth.
- Orange and yellow: Fun, Happiness, Creative. Warm, cheerful colors.
- Brown: Comfort, Security.
- Gray: Neutrality, non-judgmental
- White: Innocence, Goodness. Honest, Truthful
- Black: Elegance, Mystery. Can be sophisticated.
Images Count, too!
Keeping the color scheme of your mail piece in mind, there are basically two choices: stock images, such as from Shutterstock or Getty Images, or, your own photographs. The images you select should depend on the offer or message you’re trying to convey.
For example, if you’re a automobile company, you can use a lifestyle stock image of a man or woman enjoying life: driving along the coast, loading kids in the van, traveling to an exciting location. If you’re a gadget company trying to sell a new product, you’ll want to set up a photoshoot to showcase someone using the new product.
Also consider:
- Using high-resolution photos at 1200 dpi or more
- Avoid busy backgrounds. If you do, try to refrain from putting text directly over them.
Using a colorful image can often capture a reader’s attention. The specific color scheme within the image can also influence how the recipient perceives you and your brand. Remember, your image and its colors should complement your brand, and align with your overall marketing strategy. Where to find color and images for free check out https://unsplash.com/s/photos/color
The possibilities for using color and images in your direct mail design are endless. Color will make a difference in the results of your direct mail campaign, results you can see in improved response rates. If you need a direct mail printing partner with decades of experience on how to best use color and images to support your brand’s marketing efforts, contact us at Federal Direct today to learn how we can help you make the right color and image choices for your next direct mail campaign.