The numbers have proven it time and time again: creative direct mail is one of the most effective marketing techniques we have…if you can do it right, that is. But all too often, companies skimp out on their printed materials and end up with sunk costs.

However, if you do properly invest in quality, direct mailers can raise the ceiling on your marketing ROI to unprecedented heights. That’s why here at Red Paper Plane we are so focused on creating top-of-the-line quality products.

No matter which design you go with, high-quality look and feel is what you’ll receive. And in terms of ROI, these five options consistently provide the most bang for your buck:

1. 3” Pop-Up Cube with Zip Strip Envelope — Called “the happiest, most wonderful thing ever” by one of our clients, this custom mailer pops open to a 3-inch cube when you pull its zip strip.

The perks: A fun, unexpected pop-up box surprise! Its 3D construction allows plenty of room for branded content: logo, messaging, graphics - you name it. And despite all the intricacies, it only costs $4.50 apiece on orders of 250

2.Magic Changing Picture — It’s no wonder why this direct mail piece is a top-seller: it’s deeply engaging with a neat, relatively minimalist look. You simply pull the card’s side tab and watch the front picture magically transform from "A" to "B".

The perks: Expressing the possibilities of your product through visual contrast.Think “before vs. after", “old vs. new", or "with vs. without” - these are the kinds of memorable, two-fold stories you can tell with the pull of a tab. ($3.35 per unit on orders of 250)

3. Flapper® (Large) — It’s one of our all-time classics. What looks like a regular brochure actually folds and flips sequentially into four distinct, multifaceted panels.

The perks: A more clever and compelling take on the linear storytelling that a book might have, only here, there’s no end: the panels just keep folding into one another. Along the way, there’s space galore for all sorts of text and images. ($2.42 per unit on orders of 250)

4. Large Exploding Page — This interactive mailer may be disguised as a typical four-page pamphlet, but just wait until you open it. Then - kaboom! - it expands to a page double its original size.

The perks: Apart from that instant “Wow!” factor? A large canvas for you to paint your comprehensive company picture. Throw in diagrams, instructions, graphs, photos - whatever tells your story best. ($5.29 per unit on orders of 250)

5. Center Pop — It delivers as a flat marketing mailer, but the spring-loaded design quickly turns it into a multi-dimensional attention-grabber. Once removed from its envelope, a center panel jumps up and comfortably stays upright on its own.

The perks: 3D engagement, yes, but most important is its self-standing shape. Imagine receiving a Center Pop containing something useful - say, a small calendar, or an invite reminder - and then leaving it up as a desktop fixture. That right there is what we call free advertising! ($4.22 per unit on orders of 250)

These five are just a few of our stand-out designs, each of which can be uniquely tailored to your brand goals thanks to our flexible in-house production.

It’s that kind of personalized touch that brings our partners high response rates and, in turn, extraordinary ROIs. So let us know if you’re ready to reap the benefits of direct mail by adding a more human, physical dimension to your marketing strategy.