Here's a statistic that should silence the direct mail haters: 79% of households report reading or at least scanning direct mail pieces (what do you say to THAT, email blasts, with your 32%, max, open rate?). The engagement rates for dimensional (also known as lumpy) mailers, or those pieces that are at least .75" thick, skyrockets, with lumpy letters outperforming standard, flat mailers by up to 300%. And it's easy to understand why: lumpy mailers are unexpected - they can be oddly shaped, boxes, tubes, and other receptacles that make the piece really stand out from the all the other gimmicks out there.
Go crazy with the creativity
A lumpy mailer can simply be a box or packet that contains a promotional product or tchotchke. People want, love and keep promotional items, and in one consumer survey, 80% of respondents said their impression of a company was favorably changed by receiving a premium, and 83% reported being more likely to do business with a company that gave them swag. So even if that's all you do, you're still likely to get great results.
Direct marketing powerhouse BKV has identified five different types of mailers that product maximum results:
- Interactive: Consider a piece that asks the recipient to interact: to push, pull, unfold or spin something.
- Functional: By providing a useful mailer or gift, the odds are better that the recipient will hold onto it-and every time they use or look at it, they'll be reminded of your business.
- Pop-up: Who doesn't love a good pop-up?
- Package: Who doesn't love getting a package in the mail? Once you've piqued their interest, the contents will need to keep them engaged.
- Special folds: People love opening, playing with, and then displaying mailers that have intricate die-cuts and folds.
But don't go crazy with your list
As you might have guessed, lumpy mail is more expensive to produce and more expensive to mail. Experienced printers who understand the pros and cons of different formats and how to minimize mailing costs can help offset the price, but you should properly segment your list and figure out who your customers really are to avoid waist and ensure maximum ROI.
Another way to make lumpy mail more cost-effective is to create them with evergreen content: don't date yourself or offer anything with an expiration date, or and avoid tying them to a specific time period. That way, you can buy at scale to receive a discount, mail a few now, and then have plenty of supply for additional mailings.
