In business-to-business direct mail lead generation, more prospects see your mailing envelope than will ever see what is inside. Thats because prospects spend only a few seconds examining your envelope before deciding whether to peruse it or pitch it.
Naturally, this tempts some copywriters to start selling on the envelope, stressing features and benefits, even describing the offer. Which is a mistake, most of the time.
As Herschell Gordon Lewis so well observed, The only purpose of the carrier envelope, other than keeping its contents from spilling out onto the street, is to get itself opened.
This means that, in most cases, you should not spell out your offer when mailing to a cold list (people who do not know you). Instead, you should tease them inside, using envelope teaser copy that is so intriguing and compelling that prospects simply have to open your envelope to satisfy their curiosity.
Here are some tips for creating envelopes that prospects open:
1. USE VARIETY. People tire of seeing the same envelope month after month. If they have pitched it once, they will pitch it again. So put your sales message inside a different envelope (larger size, different color, for example).
2.BE PERSONAL. Nothing says bulk mail more than an envelope addressed to The Office Manager instead of to a person by name. Whenever possible, address your B2B direct mail to a person with a first and last name, and job title.
3. AIM FOR ACCURACY. How do you feel when sales people or telemarketers mispronounce your name? Your prospects feel the same way when your letter arrives with their name or initials misspelled. This tip was brought to you by Alan with one L, Sharpe with an E.
4. TEST YOUR TONE. Financial services companies that generate leads using direct mail have found (through testing) that envelopes that look official are more likely to be opened. If you are selling insurance, mortgages, loans or credit repair services through the mail, experiment with some envelopes that look formal, authoritative and official.
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 marketing. Learn more about his creative direct mail writing services 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).
Direct Mail Sales Lead Generation Success Involves Three Numbers
You will succeed at business-to-business direct mail sales lead generation if you master three calculations, and your response rate is not one of them. Your response rate tells you only a small part of what you are doing correctly.I am assuming that ...
Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and generate leads. But its also an excellent way to keep your brand name in front of customers, and to nurture leads until they become customers.At my direct mail lead generation firm, our definition...
Stamps Boost Response Rates Over Metered Postage and Indicias in Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail fundraisers learned long ago that stamps
boost response rates. Maybe the same will work for
your sales letters. Why not test and find out?
In split-run tests, non-profit organizations have
discovered that an envelope bearing a row ...
Direct Mail Formats: How to Choose the Right One for Your Next Mailing
Which pulls the best response, a postcard, a self-mailer or a letter? The answer, youll be irritated to know, is clear. It depends.The success of your mailing depends on who you mail to (your list), what you promise (your offer), when you mail (your ...
Direct Mail Sales Letters Flow Better With Subheads
A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers on writing great sub-heads?" Yes, I do. Here they are.Use subheads to draw attention to your copy
Why do we use subheads anyway? Because you cant just cover the important points in your copy...
Use Pain Instead of Credentials in Direct Mail Marketing Lead Generation
How do you generate sales leads with direct mail
when you have no credentials?Im talking about the financial planner with much
education but no demonstrated expertise. The brand
new lettershop with no industry experience and zero
publicity. T...
Good Direct Mail Sales Letters Are Like Good Salespeople
Want to improve your sales letters? Compare them with newspaper classified ads for salespeople. What employers look for in a salesperson, you should look for in a sales letter.1. Self-starter
The best salespeople require the least amount of supervis...
Testimonials Boost Direct Mail Response Rates In Business-to-Business Sales Letters
Correct me if I am wrong, but there is nothing more powerful in a business-to-business sales letter than a credible testimonial from a person in your prospects peer group.Testimonials are valuable because they say what you cannot. If you say it, you...
Direct Mail Still Works For Lead Generation
You probably wonder why when you go home to your mailbox everyday and open it up theres dozens and dozens of postcards and other direct mail pieces sitting waiting for you everyday. If youre like me youre probably tired of having to weed all that ju...
How To Write A Powerful Sales Letter
To write a sales letter that does the job it is supposed to do and generate sales, there are several strategies you should use in every sales letter you write:* At the top of your sales letter, use a strong headline that states the most important ben...
