Marketing Information

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


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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alan Sharpe is a business-to-business direct mail copywriter and lead generation specialist who helps business owners and marketing managers generate leads, close sales and retain customers using business-to-business direct mail lead generation. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services (including dimensional mailers) and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.sharpecopy.com.

© 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).


MORE RESOURCES:

Fortune

Chrysler marketing chief denies Super Bowl ad was political
Detroit Free Press
Olivier François, Chrysler's marketing chief, denies that its Super Bowl ad aimed to endorse President Barack Obama. By Brent Snavely Chrysler Chief Marketing Officer Olivier François insisted that the "Halftime in America" Super Bowl ad was not ...
Chrysler's Super Bowl Ad: Debated, Like It or NotHuffington Post (blog)

all 142 news articles »


7 Marketing Lessons From RIM's Failures
Mashable
And, mostly, really bad marketing. On this, RIM is in good company in the consumer electronics industry, where so many manufacturers market poorly. But few have made so many marketing mistakes so quickly. Here are seven marketing lessons from RIM's ...

and more »


TSN

Milwaukee Mile back on IndyCar schedule, Andretti-led group to promote June 16 ...
Washington Post
A marketing company led by former Indy driver and current team owner Michael Andretti announced Friday it will promote a race weekend at the one-mile oval June 15-16. The race will be held Saturday afternoon, and the two-day event is expected to ...
IndyCar returns to Milwaukee for June 16 raceSan Francisco Chronicle
Andretti group bringing Indy cars back to Milwaukee MileMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

all 128 news articles »


BILMBA Marketing & Associates Launches 1SwingThought.com to Aid Golfers in ...
Sacramento Bee
By BILMBA Marketing & Associates LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- BILMBA Marketing & Associates has launched a new website http://www.1SwingThought.com with a simple yet revolutionary product for golf equipment designed to help the 20+ ...

and more »


SEO Services Alert: Internet Marketing Blueprint Unveiled at 2012 AAJ Winter ...
Sacramento Bee
10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- When you design your house you need an architect; when you design your lawyer Internet marketing campaign, you need an SEO architect who understands the online legal marketing industry. Cepac lawyer marketing consultants ...

and more »


Nan Richardson Named Director of Marketing & Business Development for JG ...
MarketWatch (press release)
based commercial/retail contracting firm JG Construction as director of marketing and business development. In her new position, Ms. Richardson will be responsible for all marketing activities both internal and external, including client relations, ...

and more »


5 Ways to Market Your Brand on LinkedIn
Mashable
Linda Coles is the author of the book Learn Marketing with Social Media in 7 Days (Wiley) and is a social media speaker and consultant at Blue Banana. LinkedIn provides plenty of marketing opportunities, but lets take a look at some of the lesser-known ...

and more »


BancorpSouth Insurance Hires Texas Region Marketing Manager
Sacramento Bee
10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc. hired Larry D. Batie II as marketing manager for the Texas region. He previously served as account executive and assistant vice president at Marsh & McLennan Companies.

and more »


Deadline.com

NBC Layoffs Hit Marketing and Publicity Departments
Hollywood Reporter
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 marketing employees were let go Friday, with publicity layoffs expected next week. The pink slips are being doled out across NBC's marketing and publicity ranks. The news of structural changes comes as entertainment ...
NBC cuts 10 jobs in marketing unit: 26-year veteran ousted; more layoffs expectedChicago Tribune
EVP Jim Vescera Departs In NBC Marketing Department DownsizingDeadline.com
NBC entertainment chief spending big bucks as pink slips loom for marketing ...New York Post
mediabistro.com -O'Dwyer's PR News
all 7 news articles »


Republic Bancorp founder Bernard Trager dies at 83
BusinessWeek
Trager died Friday afternoon in Louisville after suffering from an extended illness, said Michael Sadofsky, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of marketing. "The entire Republic Bank family is saddened by the loss of our founder, ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006