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Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in
Business-to-Business
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By Alan Sharpe
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The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reachingyour prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives isparticularly difficult because they employ mailroom staff andexecutive secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail,depending on how you look at it. So unless your direct mail leadgeneration letter or postcard or self-mailer stands out from therest, it won¡¯t reach the desk of your potential client.
That¡¯s why dimensional mailers are one of the most effectiveways to reach elusive prospects with your sales message. Adimensional mailer is simply one that has more than twodimensions. Unlike a letter, postcard or self-mailer, it hasthree dimensions. Dimensional mailers are usually boxes, butthey can also be sturdy envelopes that have somethingthree-dimensional inside. These kinds of packages are also knownas ¡°lumpy mail.¡±
Dimensional mail is effective because it stands out. It getsattention because it doesn¡¯t look like everything else that theexecutive is receiving that day. Dimensional mail is alsoeffective because it always gets opened. I am confident inpredicting that no one who receives a box 36 inches long, 9inches wide and 5 inches deep, bearing the prospect¡¯s name andjob title on the top and an intriguing headline, is going topitch the box in the trash unopened. Innate human curiosity istoo powerful for that.
TIPS FOR PRODUCING DIMENSIONAL MAILERS
- Use a standard size of box if possible to save onprinting costs (talk to a printer)
- Put something in the box that is valuable, or fun, orboth
- Make sure what¡¯s in the box ties in with what you areselling
- Make your sales message inside the box easy to find and easyto understand
- Remember that the goal of a dimensional mailer is not toclose a sale but to generate a lead, so keep your messagefocussed on achieving that goal and nothing else
ADVANTAGES OF DIMENSIONAL MAIL
- Gets noticed amidst all the other mail your prospectreceives
- Almost guaranteed to get opened
- Likely to get opened first
- Great at stimulating buzz at a company
- Likely to make it past the executive gatekeeper
DISADVANTAGES OF DIMENSIONAL MAIL
- More costly to design, print and mail than other direct mailformats
- Might be mistaken at the target company fora bomb or aprank
- Expensive to produce if you need a custom-made box
- Box can get damaged along with your brand reputation ifdelivered by mail
- May be perceived as a bribe for a sales appointment if theitem in the box is particularly valuable
EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL DIMENSIONAL MAILER
Continental Resources generated a 30% response rate bymailing a remote-control dinosaur to technology executives(without the remote control). Prospects got the remote controland batteries when they booked an appointment with a Continentalsales rep. To see the mailer, click here.
? 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online andin print provided the links remain live and the content remainsunaltered (including the "About the author" message).
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