Choosing Direct Mail Printing Images

Direct mail printing is a highly effective — and economical — way to contact qualified prospects. Consumers respond well to mailers that use photographs, especially those that depict your products and people using them. The right images will improve the effectiveness of your direct mail campaign. Choose the wrong images, however, and you could be wasting your money on direct mail printing. Worse, you could find yourself in expensive legal trouble.

Why Images Are Important for Direct Mail Printing

Images engage prospects in ways that copy never could. The brain processes visual elements 600,000 times faster than text. In fact, 90 percent of information that comes into your brain is visual. At a time when our attention spans are constantly challenged, your only hope for getting prospects to read your direct mailer is with highly a compelling image. In the marketing world, one good image can convey your message better than an entire page of text ever could. An image will help you target customers with the product or service you’re selling, and it also tells your prospects who you are as a company.

Choosing the Right Images for Direct Mail Printing

The first rule of image selection is to choose high-resolution photographs. Low-resolution photos may look fine on your computer monitor, but once printed, they look blurry. Right or wrong, a low-res image reflects poorly on your business. Marketing research indicates that prospects respond subconsciously to images of people engaged in activities. But based on your products or services, that type of image may not always be appropriate. If you have a graphic designer who designs your direct mail campaigns, they can provide guidance on which images are most appropriate. If not, you can find some good resources online that outline best practices for image selection. Above all, look for images that will appeal to and engage your targets.

Where to Find Digital Images for Direct Mail Campaigns

You can take your own photos; however, for printed mailers, it’s usually not a good idea — unless you’re a professional photographer. The best resources for professional-quality images are stock photography sites. Some are expensive, like Shutterstock, but may offer some free stock photos options, like Dreamstime does. One site that designers like is Fotolia, as their pricing structure is more approachable for small businesses and groups that don’t have a large marketing budget set aside for purchasing images. Where not to find your images: Google. Google may have millions of images, but they aren’t free for you to use. You can filter Google Images by searching on those that are labeled for reuse. However, even so, you still must typically credit the source — something you don’t have to worry about when you purchase an image. Use someone’s image without permission or payment, however, and you may find yourself in a legal quagmire.

Legal Issues for Direct Mail Printing Images

Whenever you see a photo, wherever you see it, rest assured that someone owns the legal rights to it. And unless you have permission from the owner, you could get into hot water if you include it in a campaign. To know for sure whether you can legally use an image, check out this handy infographic from Lifehacker. Sun Print Solutions serves clients in Utah and throughout the United States, providing offset and digital printing solutions. Contact us today to learn more about how our direct mail printing services can help you grow your business and improve the bottom line.