Get them to open your mail!

If you’re going to start a mailing campaign, you want a good response rate.  It won’t  be worth it to you with postal rates increasing to send out letters without any of them being opened.  Here are some tips to help your mail stand out among the rest of the junk and get your customers opening it quickly!

1. Use a unique envelope.  Most business letters come in the same legal-sized, white envelopes.  How boring!  Make yours stand out.  Choose a bright color, a different size (how’s square?), or even an airmail option.  We’ve seen many creative options including sending a letter in a tube.  Go to Action Envelope to see all of the different options available.  You can even design your own!

2. Handwrite the address.  It may take a lot longer, but this way looks so much more personal.  Try a different ink color instead of black.  Don’t make it too formal, though.  You want your prospects to be able to read it.  Don’t have the time?  Visit us online for a quote and we’ll do the hand addressing for you!  If you really don’t have the time, choose a font that is made to look like handwriting instead of the traditional Arial or Times New Roman.

3. Either handwrite the return address or use mailing labels.  Don’t you have a ton of free stickers with your address on them lying around?  Use those instead of a bulk stamp.  It also makes the envelope look more personal.

4. Do away with bulk rates and use postage stamps.  The larger the stamp and the more you use, the better.  So if you still have plenty of 42 cent stamps lying around, use those with a 2 cent stamp.  It may seem silly, but it looks a lot less “professional” and has a higher chance of being opened.  This will cost you more in the long run, but can make a big difference.

5.  Add something to the letter to make it appear stuffed or lumpy.  This can be a coupon that is folded so it creates the appearance of a bulky letter.  People will want to open it to know what that is. 

Once you’ve gotten them to open it up, make sure that your marketing piece stands out.  Give them a call to action.  Give them something worth calling you about. Make the message timely and urgent.  “If you call within the next 48 hours…”, for example.  Also, make sure your mail is going to the right target audience.  We blogged about this last week.  Otherwise, you’ll be wasting the money you just spent on those colorful envelopes! 

We’d be more than happy to help you with your marketing campaign.  We’re just an email away at susan.kraut@sbcglobal.com.

How postal hike can affect marketing

We thought it was important to discuss the new hikes that the United States Postal Service announced last week.  Aside from the price of stamps going from 42 cents to 44 cents beginning on May 11, postcards will jump from 27 to 28 cents per piece and large envelopes will now be 88 cents each.  The good news for those that use direct mail campaigns who want to try to save money is that the Forever Stamps, which cost 42 cents now, can be purchased in bulk through May 11 and used once the changes go into effect.  So if you’re planning a big spring or summer mailing campaign, you might want to think about purchasing extra stamps now.  To save even more money, visit Forever-Stamps.com to keep an eye on Ebay auctions for stamps even below current postal rates. 

The reason the USPS is raising rates again is because they were at a $2.8 billion deficit and a mail volume decrease of 9 billion.  They’re losing money daily because of the things that can now be done online, such as e-mail instead of handwritten letters, paying bills, and even advertising.  A lot of companies now have digital copies of their magazines and newsletters, as well. 

In addition to raising rates, the USPS has taken some other initiatives to try to save money by making carrier routes more effective, freezing salaries, and reducing staff.

So what can those who use direct mail campaigns do to save money?  Several things:

1. Purchase Forever Stamps now at the lower price before May 11

2. Consider implementing an online newsletter sent via e-mail to your client base.  Contact us at http://www.completeresourceschicago.com for a quote on how we can help!

3. Get your Web site up and running!  Visit us for help.

4. Look into sending out mailings via bulk mail.  If you send more than 200 pieces to one zip code, you are most likely eligible for a discount.  Visit your local post office for more information.

For more information about the rate increase, you can read about it here.

And, again, visit us onlinefor all of your online marketing needs.