Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or a
letter? The answer, you’ll be irritated to know, is clear. It
depends.

The success of your mailing depends on who you mail to (your
list), what you promise (your offer), when you mail (your
timing), and what you mail (your format and creative). Here are
a few questions to ask yourself to decide which format is likely
the best one to use for your next mailing.

Letter Does your sales message need to come from one person by
name? Does it need to be addressed to a person by name? Is
privacy or confidentiality a concern? Then a sales letter inside
an envelope is the way to go.

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As I sifted through the pile of mail, my assistant laid out for me the other day, one by one the pieces of junk mail got thrown into the trash. However, one piece really got my attention and not only did it not end up in the bin, it performed the exact function it arrived to do. What made this piece so interesting to me was that, while it was only a postcard-sized piece, it was made to look like an interoffice mail envelope with a list of handwritten names recounting where the envelop had been. The names were humorous, like Bullhorn Bill and Debbie the Drama Queen, and there was also a graphic that looked like a Post-it with the message ‘R.U. In?’ scribbled on it. The inside also had a funny cartoon on it, after spending a minute or two looking at this piece; it dawned on me that this had come from a gentleman I had met while out networking. This man owns a marketing communications firm. The mailer was so creative and so different from any others that I’d seen lately that I not only opened it I showed it to everyone in the office. Then I used the company’s services three weeks later when a restaurant client wanted to send out a grand opening mailer to surrounding residents. Direct mail is a lead generation tool that can be very effective in filling your sales funnel. How can you get your marketing this kind of visibility and make it this effective? Here are 5 tips for doing just that:

1. Be Different, but Be Familiar. What drew me to this marketing piece was its creative play on something familiar. Everyone who has ever worked in a big corporation has seen and used an interoffice envelope. So, even though I did not initially register who it was from, the familiar nature of the piece made a connection with me, which made me curious enough to take the next step and open it. Once inside, the uniqueness caught my attention and the offbeat humor in the message got me thinking about using this company’s services for my own clients.

2. Test Market Your Marketing. If you want to get an honest reaction to your marketing piece, you need to test it on associates and people who are not blindly loyal to you or on your payroll. Meeting new people and asking them for honest opinions is a great way to gather the constructive criticism you need to make your piece really stand out. Creativity is enhanced when you get multiple minds working together on a team effort. Getting second opinions should ultimately earn you a good cross-section of feedback. There are plenty of people out there who aren’t afraid to give an opinion or criticism if you ask them for it. Next time you’re networking and meet someone who you determine shares traits of your target market or who seems to have good opinions, ask them if you can test your marketing ideas on them. They are likely to be flattered and give you a resounding yes.

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