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Get Your Direct Mail Noticed Take
your marketing into the next dimension with dimensional mailers. |
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Q:
We're having a hard time getting our message through to decision-makers in
select companies. We send direct mail, but it doesn't seem to reach the right
people and our response rates are fairly low. What do you suggest?
A: If you want to make sure your next
mailing gets opened, put it in a box. All kinds of dimensional mailers--boxes,
tubes and just about anything that isn't flat--grab the attention of recipients
and are virtually always opened. Think about how much fun it was to open
presents at holiday time, and it's easy to understand why boxed mailings to
business-to-business prospects are so successful.
Dimensional mailers are
great at getting your message past screeners, such as receptionists and assistants,
and are rarely discarded as junk mail. When cleverly executed, they capture and
keep the attention of your prospect for longer than other "flat"
mail. They can help you stand out from your competition. And with some
marketers reporting response rates of 25 to 50 percent or even higher from
dimensional mail, it's hard to argue with success.
Probably the biggest
challenge is deciding what to put inside your box. You can use a promotional
product or create a package that makes noise, plays music, flashes
lights when opened, has moving parts or simply makes your point in a fun,
creative way. Software maker Aprimo Inc. sent a boxed
mailing to business prospects that included a wooden train with tracks
accompanied by literature headlined, "Wondering how to keep your
organization on the right track?" The trains carried stick-on labels with
the Aprimo name and were attractive enough to be
displayed on an executive's desk. This helped ensure recipients would be
receptive to a follow-up call from the company.
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The only drawback to
dimensional mail is its per unit cost, particularly if
you have the pieces custom fabricated. But if you have a small target group of
top prospects that represent significant sales potential, the high per unit
cost is largely irrelevant. The key is to reserve your dimensional mailings for
well-qualified lists. If you rent your list instead of developing it in-house,
you may need to make multiple calls to each business to make sure you've
pinpointed the correct recipients for your mailing. At Aprimo,
staffers make as many as 10 calls to a targeted business before a dimensional
mailer goes out.
Dimensional Mail Tips
To make your own
dimensional mail campaign a success:
- Keep the tone and content of your mailing consistent
with your company or brand image. And be sure to use your company colors
and slogan or positioning statement as well as your name and logo in the
package.
- Make your mailing part of a cohesive campaign. While
your promotional hook should be tied to a specific theme or offer, the
mailing should also relate to your larger marketing message.
- Clearly label your dimensional mailer. Heightened
security precautions, particularly in large companies, may cause a poorly
labeled or "mysterious-looking" package to be set aside or
discarded.
- Follow up by phone one to three business days after
your mailer has been received.
- Include a call to action that has recipients do
something, such as visit your Web site for an additional gift or extra
bonus.
You can hire an advertising
agency, independent freelance creative talent or create your own dimensional
mailers by working directly with a packaging company, such as All Packaging Company Inc.
in
Kim T.
Gordon is an author, marketing coach and media spokesperson—and one of the
country’s foremost experts on entrepreneurial success. Her newest book, Bringing Home The Business,
identifies the 30 "truths" that can make the difference between
success and failure in a homebased business. Kim
offers one-on-one coaching by telephone to motivated individuals, providing
practical marketing advice and budget-conscious strategies unique to your
business. To receive free how-to articles and advice, get information on
coaching and appearances, read a book excerpt, or contact Kim, visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com, a
huge site devoted exclusively to marketing your small business.
The opinions
expressed in this column are those of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All
answers are intended to be general in nature, without regard to specific
geographical areas or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after
consulting an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or accountant.
FROM ENTREPRENEUR.COM