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Posts tagged: direct mail

Dimensional Mailers: Misunderstood, Underutilized, and Yet Another Way to Set Yourself Apart

October 13, 2008, by Tom Chandler 3 comments

Regular readers know I’m a fan of lumpy mailers. They’re powerful self-promotion tools – the kind of tactic that invariably finds your pitch on the desk of decision makers.

Of course, they’re not just a short-run tool used for self promotion. They’re also a damned effective direct mail tool.

And yes, as email and other ecommunications take the place of physical mail, I can make a cogent argument that the perceived value of dimensional mail is climbing, not diminishing.

Direct Mail magazine published a roundtable discussion of “dimensional mail” in a recent Technique article, and yes, I get all tingly when I see intelligent thought directed at one of marketing’s most-overlooked techniques.

Simply put, it’s worth a couple minutes of your time. To whet your appetite, here are a few excerpts:

What you’ve created is that moment where it’s just your target and your offer. And if your present is something they can play with for a moment, that’s good. If it’s something they show to their neighbor, even bet­ter. If it’s something they keep and use often, that’s great. And when they respond, you hit the jackpot.

“So the next time your creative depart­ment comes to you with the choice of another No. 10 letter for $1.25 per piece, or a box — that present — that rattles full of opportunity and costs $5 more, don’t dismiss it — not if your goal is to get your message into your custom­ers’ hands.”

-John Brogan, Executive creative director, Catalyst Direct Inc.


“Dimensional print offers an even more potent marketing alternative than just any piece of direct mail. Viewed from virtually any angle, dimensional mail is a best-of-breed hybrid.”

-Mary Bittel, Manager of marketing& communications, American Slide Chart

Intrigued? Read the whole article here.

At the very least, dimensional (or lumpy) mailers are another tool in your copywriter’s toolbox – a truly effective one that few new copywriters understand.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

dimensional mailer, lumpy mailer, direct mail, direct mail news

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I Decry Deceptive Mailing Practices in BrandWeek: Are Copywriters Really Responsible For Ethics?

April 16, 2008, by Tom Chandler 5 comments

Brandweek ran a story on deceptive marketing practices, and because of my outspoken advocacy of ethical marketing, I was extensively quoted.

Read more →

Pitch Magic: The Lumpy Mailer

October 23, 2006, by Tom Chandler 7 comments

I’m a big advocate of pursuing companies you want to work with instead of blindly marketing and accepting whatever comes back. But turning a short, carefully vetted list of prospects into a roster of clients has never been easy.

Enter the Lumpy Mailer

It’s the digital age, I’m online, so my first contact would come via the digital pipeline, right?

Wrong.

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Imagine crafting a sales e-mail. Well written, carefully crafted and hugely persuasive, it’s a paen to lyrical copywriting – yet it’s likely to be wholly ignored, surrounded as it is by a tidal wave of other communications.

For all the prospect knows, it’s one of ten thousand mailed that morning.

It’s not unique. It doesn’t make them feel special. And the client has to act on it immediately, or you’re sunk.

Now imagine holding a padded envelope with a lump in the middle. Or a Priority Mail box that rattles ever so slightly. And then pulling out a fun toy attached to a strong sales message.

Bingo.

Put Them on Notice

By mailing a three-dimensional object – through a channel that’s fast becoming “obsolete” in so many marketers’ eyes – you’ve tapped into the very human desire for something unique.

Many years ago, I sent an ad agency a battered bowling pin, asking if they were truly bowled over by the work they were currently getting.

As part of another agency pitch, I once shipped a large toy robot arm with a pitch card in its grippers. It told them the edgy creative they’d always wanted was now within their grasp.

Last week’s prospect received wind-up chattering teeth attached to a card, which asked the prospect if they wanted the online world talking about their products.

Why go to all the trouble? Simple. I hand-picked this very, very small group of prospects, and I want them to feel “hand picked.” And I want to get my message across with clarity and humor.

And finally, I want them to take my phone call.

Don’t Forget to Ask

Once you’ve created a lumpy mailer, don’t assume you’ve dazzled them into submission. Readers still need to know what you want, and the mailer isn’t a complete sales pitch. It’s simply a foot in the door.

My goal? A phone call, though I sometimes create a landing page so the client has an option. (If you have even mediocre Web skills, landing pages are fast, affordable, and continue the dialog that began with the mailer.)

Still, don’t expect the lumpy mailer to do the whole job for you; it’s an amuse bouche — a single taste of your communication skills. It’s not designed to do the whole sales job for you, but gets you in the door so you can make your pitch.

It’s not a silver bullet (if the prospect doesn’t need you, they don’t need you), but it is a powerful way to grab a little mindshare and make a prospect smile — especially given that cool objects tend to live on the recipient’s desktop for a while.

Lumpy mailers aren’t cutting edge. They are, however, damned effective, and belong in every copywriter’s arsenal – for you and your clients.

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For 27 years I've worked as a copywriter. Despite that, I retain a youthful appearance and remain mostly sane.

I'm a copywriter, but the Underground isn't focused solely on copywriting; it's a reflection of one writer's interest in other writers (and writer's tools, text editors, creativity - and everything else that bubbles up).

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