Stretching the Envelope

Do you know your services have value to a company, but can't get past an assistant? Is your direct mail going straight to the recycling bin?  Time to get creative with attention grabbers and free stuff!

It's called object marketing and it's all about capturing attention.  Consumers are more likely to open a direct mail piece that looks interesting, especially with the promise of a free gift. This type of direct mail creates curiosity (which gets your package opened and read) and creativity (which reflects positively on the sender).

We break it down by "lumpy mail" and "dimensional mail":

Lumpy mail is a standard business envelope with lumps. Popular freebies include pens, seed packets, calendars, magnets, or paper pads - really any inexpensive promotional item that can be mailed in traditional envelopes. Avoid any items that could be crushed or that have sharp edges or points that could tear the packaging.  A good direct mail envelope should include a return address, teaser, offer and curiosity. Make it interesting enough to stay in the "keep" pile.

       

Puzzle Postcard $.64 ea.      Pen Postcard $1.21 ea.             Key Card $.56 ea.

Dimensional mail involves the WOW factor of special packaging (padded envelopes, tubes, boxes, bags, etc.).  You can send a sample of your product, or something that makes noise or plays music. While dimensional mail draws the greatest attention, it costs more to execute. You'll have to pick a reasonable number of your best prospects and carefully qualify them prior to mailing.

        

Mailing Tube $1.48 ea.        Sound Mailing Tube $9.79 ea.    Pic Changer Card $3.89 ea.

General tips on direct mail letters:

• Make your point in the first couple of lines and keep it to one page.
• Sell the value to the reader.
• Be demanding -- make it absolutely clear what you want your prospect to do with a strong and obvious call to action:  visit a website, call for an appointment, email a sales associate, etc. Make sure there is a deadline.
• Consider using real testimonials in the letter.
• Offer a guarantee.
• Be a person, not a corporation - use "I" and "You"; sign in blue ink
• Include a P.S. with a quick summary of the offer.
• Above all, be unique - make receiving a piece of mail so compelling that it screams "I dare you not to open it."
• Follow Up: Within a few days after the mailing, follow up with a phone call. This concept is a very effective way to rekindle a relationship or get your foot in the door for a new customer. (Bonus - it's success rate is highly measurable!)

Cool Ideas

• Send one part of a two-part promotional product by direct mail and require redemption of the second part.
• Use a promotional product as an incentive to respond to your direct mail piece (maybe only offer is to the first x amount of responders.)
• Send a gift a few weeks before a customer renewal date or next service date.  
• Use promotional products as part of your direct mail campaign as a pre-tradeshow incentive. Send our postcards before a trade show and tell the recipient to bring the card to your booth to receive a cool prize.
• A unique invitation can create buzz prior to an event. People will start talking about you, your company and your event.  Use the power of word-of-mouth to attract attendees.

                              

Traffic Builder $.59 ea.                        Tag and Win $.67 ea.              Movie Box $2.60 ea.

Including a promotional product with your direct mail piece increases the response rate by 50% on average.  Not only does this reduce the cost per response, it just makes sense from a marketing stand point. Using promotional products in your direct mail campaigns will definitely lead to higher success rates .. . call us for the most effective ways to pair direct mail with promotional product!