So you have a killer direct mail control package. Well done. It's getting some results... it's been working for years... it's a control, after all.

But here's the thing. You can always improve your control. 

Whether little by little through split testing or head-to-head with a brand new creative execution, you should always put your control to the test. And if a new control unseats your original... it's time to do it again.

Read on to learn how to build a package that can bust your control.

Insurance: it’s one of the most complex industries out there.

With all the intricate information about plans, premiums, benefits, and beyond… well, it can be hard to wrap your head around.

This is even harder to do when your goal is:
• Get people to open your package… then read it
• Communicate with them in the simplest language possible
• Inspire the reader to take action

It’s a difficult challenge, but worth the effort. 70% of customers prefer to receive information about healthcare and insurance through the mail. When it comes to the insurance industry, direct mail continues to outperform every other channel, including digital.

But what makes an insurance direct mail package successful?

Henry David Thoreau said we need to "simplify" over 150 years ago...

And it's still just as true today.

Especially in the world of direct mail design.

Because direct mail design, much like digital design, has been changing over the years.

There is a long-standing debate in direct mail —

Long detailed copy? Or short, quick-hitting copy?

What’s the best? Most effective? Most responsive?

Effective August 29, 2021, many USPS services will see their first significant cost hike since 2019. The cost of a first-class stamp will increase 5.45% (from 55¢ to 58¢), while the cost of a domestic postcard will increase over 11% (from 36¢ to 40¢).  

Today’s online shoppers face an ever-growing number of choices and mountains of information as they traverse the long and winding path toward a purchase.

Well recent research from Google has revealed that there are some specific strategies to help marketers make sense of what’s often referred to as the “messy middle” of that purchase journey. And it may help your brand land in the right place with the right messaging to the right shopper at the right time.

You are ZOOM-ed out. You’re Webinar-ed out. You’re emailed out.

And — if you are — you KNOW your customers and prospects are. So, what’s the best way to reach the digitally exhausted, the weary-eyed masses in the post-pandemic world?

Trust. It’s hard to build… but easy to lose.  

Especially when it comes to brands.   

Brand trust is key to boosting customer engagement. People are more likely to recommend a trusted brand to family members and friends, pay more for a trusted brand’s product or service, and even share personal data with a brand they trust. Take a look at this chart to see exactly how it breaks down...

In the final episode of season two of J&See: Views on Marketing, Meg Goodman chats with Michaelynn Rose, the director of marketing for Bernina. They talk about marketing on both the client and agency side of the table, how Bernina used education to reignite interest in sewing masks (and more) during the pandemic, and how direct mail is still an effective method of marketing with innovations like hyperpersonalization and digital printing.

Hear their conversation in full below. 

In the latest episode of J&See: Views on Marketing, J&C's Meg Goodman chats with Jason Baumann. He's a serial entrepreneur, non-profit alum and the president/founder of the digital marketing company Boxless Media. Together, they talk about retooling marketing plans amid the pandemic, leading with compassion, and how failure doesn't define you... it's the way you get back up again that does.

Click below to listen to the interview now. And of course, make sure to subscribe to J&See: Views on Marketing to hear a compelling interview like this once a month.