Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers In Business-to-business Lead Generation

Posted by Alan Sharpe on: 2005-07-29 20:54:50

The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reaching your prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult because they employ mailroom staff and executive secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail, depending on how you look at it. So unless your direct mail lead generation letter or postcard or self-mailer stands out from the rest, it won’t reach the desk of your potential client.

That’s why dimensional mailers are one of the most effective ways to reach elusive prospects with your sales message. A dimensional mailer is simply one that has more than two dimensions. Unlike a letter, postcard or self-mailer, it has three dimensions. Dimensional mailers are usually boxes, but they can also be sturdy envelopes that have something three-dimensional inside. These kinds of packages are also known as “lumpy mail.”

Dimensional mail is effective because it stands out. It gets attention because it doesn’t look like everything else that the executive is receiving that day. Dimensional mail is also effective because it always gets opened. I am confident in predicting that no one who receives a box 36 inches long, 9 inches wide and 5 inches deep, bearing the prospect’s name and job title on the top and an intriguing headline, is going to pitch the box in the trash unopened. Innate human curiosity is too powerful for that.

TIPS FOR PRODUCING DIMENSIONAL MAILERS

Use a standard size of box if possible to save on printing costs (talk to a printer)

Put something in the box that is valuable, or fun, or both

Make sure what’s in the box ties in with what you are selling

Make your sales message inside the box easy to find and easy to understand

Remember that the goal of a dimensional mailer is not to close a sale but to generate a lead, so keep your message focussed on achieving that goal and nothing else

ADVANTAGES OF DIMENSIONAL MAIL

Gets noticed amidst all the other mail your prospect receives

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 mail formats

Might be mistaken at the target company fora bomb or a prank

Expensive to produce if you need a custom-made box

Box can get damaged along with your brand reputation if delivered by mail

May be perceived as a bribe for a sales appointment if the item in the box is particularly valuable

EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL DIMENSIONAL MAILER

Continental Resources generated a 30% response rate by mailing a remote-control dinosaur to technology executives (without the remote control). Prospects got the remote control and batteries when they booked an appointment with a Continental sales rep. To see the mailer, click here.

© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

About the Author

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter who helps businesses
attract new clients using direct mail marketing. Learn more about his services and sign up for free weekly tips like this at www.sharpecopy.com.

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Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers In Business-to-business Lead Generation

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