Getting Better Responses from Direct Mail

Scott Costello — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:51:48 +0000

With it being time to send out my probate mailers again I was brain storming to try and come up with alternate types of direct mail pieces. I really started to think about this when Greg Harris over at 1st Round Knockout R.E.I. Blog created a post about split testing letters, postcards and a third kind of mailer (he didn’t say on his blog, but I know what it is).

Then today Nick Johnson wrote a post about using those $100 Business cards to help increase your response rate. His idea is a pretty good one and I plan on testing it out next month. I’m not going to repeat what he said, so if you are interested go click on the link above.

Dimensional Mailers

For the last hour or so I’ve been searching around the net and finding some interesting information and ideas. I came across the idea of Dimensional Mail Pieces. I’ve never heard it referred to that way but the idea is the same as Lumpy Mail. By giving your mail piece that third dimension, that lumpiness, it will make the receiver more interested to see what is inside. We are all curious aren’t we?

Some examples of these would be…

Crumpling up the letter to make it look like it was thrown out
Putting logo pencils, pens or what ever in the envelope to make it more interesting

Another way you could interpret Dimensional Mail is to think abstractly. What I mean is instead of a physical dimension like lumpy, you make it mental. Here is a great example of what I am getting at…

Stamp “DO NOT OPEN” on the outer envelope. Inside is another envelope: “Do not open … unless you want to sell your house.” Inside that is another envelope: “Do not open unless you want money quickly”. Inside that is a still smaller envelope: “Do not open unless you have the vision to seize an opportunity you may never have again!” Expensive, but irresistible… and could be profitable.

Mark Up the Envelope

In my research, some people suggest putting additional markings on the outside of the envelope to draw the openers attention. Before even reading about this, last night, I had decided to print “In regards to the House at 123 Main St in YourTown” and highlight it in yellow on the fronts of the envelope. My thinking was that if an executor saw that, they may be more inclined to open the envelope and see what is inside it. Some other ideas that I have seen are…

Looking up each house on Google Earth, zooming in all the way and taking a screen shot of the place. Then printing that on each envelope. This would take a LOT of work, but would get my attention.
Place words such as “important”, “confidential”, “offer on your house” on the outside of the mailer.

Off the Wall Ideas

Lastly I came across this website called WhitneyWoods.com that had some very cool mail pieces. Here are a couple of my favorites from that site…

Automatic Pop-up cards Like the Jumping Jack
Cover Dissolver

Also something else I was toying around with doing was getting my handwritting turned into a font. You can do that pretty easily and for only about $10 at YourFonts.com or Fontifier.com.

If anyone has anymore crazy ideas feel free to share them or has used one of the above items I’d love to hear how they worked.

Postcards – Lis Penden

Scott Costello — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:47:19 +0000

Some one last week asked if I would share the postcards I use for my mailers to Lis Pendens. I’m always changing them but here are two examples that I use. They haven’t been working to well but that could be for many other reasons then not being good. Feel free to steal them or use parts of them.

Sent Postcards, Craigslist Ad and Giants

Struggling to Get Started » Marketing Material

Getting Better Responses from Direct Mail

Postcards – Lis Penden