Capturing Attention with Direct Mail Size & Shape

People get a ton of direct mail each day. Why? Because direct sales letters are a really cost-effective way to reach clients and prospects. The thing is, envelopes that are either smaller or larger can often grab your prospect’s attention AND greatly improve response rates.

Size matters: For your next direct mail campaign, you might consider trying a #9 envelope, which is slightly smaller. Or you might try a #11 envelope, which is slightly larger. You can even try a jumbo-size, 10″ x 13″ size. Whatever size you use, just be sure to test every so often to see how other sizes might affect your response rates.

Shape matters, too: While different envelope sizes can impact response rates, NOTHING has a better open rate than a high-impact dimensional mail campaign. Dimensional mail, also known as lumpy mail, is a type of direct mail that is any shape other than flat. It could be an oblong box containing sales literature and product samples, a large, lumpy envelope that clearly has some premium item in it, or a small box with a big teaser message on it.

So does cost: Obviously, a dimensional mail campaign will cost more to create and send as compared to a standard letter or postcard. However, according to the DMA Response Rate Report, dimensional mail campaigns average response rates of 5.49%, the highest of any direct response medium.  So while your upfront investment is often higher, your return is much higher and should more than justify the cost of the campaign.

That being said, you’ll want to carefully choose “A-list” prospects that offer a good chance of generating a lot of revenue for you/your company. Additionally, your campaign will need to have the complete buy-in of the sales department. If these are not prospects they are after, they might not be willing to follow up with phone calls, which can be a key part of a dimensional mail campaign.

TRANSACTION COORDINATOR

Transaction Coordinator