3 Winning Strategies for Getting Your Mail Shot Letters Opened

Think about how you behave when you bring in the mail. The chances are you create three piles - an A-pile, with the things you're interested in, a B-pile maybe the bills and magazines you want to keep, but don't want immediately, and a C-pile, with things you'll throw out without opening. For a direct marketer, the trick is to get your letters out of the C-pile and into the A-pile.

Personalise

Personalised letters work far better than impersonal ones. Personalise your mailings by using a handwritten address and return address, a real stamp and the name of someone who lives in the house. Never address the letter to "home owner" or "Current Resident". Those impersonal touches will get your mailing thrown into the trash without a second glance. Also avoid using fonts designed to look like handwriting. They're easy to spot, so they won't help get your letters opened.

Create Variety

Variety is important. If someone opens your letter, sees it's a mass-mailing and decides they're not interested, they'll throw away any similar looking letters in the future. Vary the look of the envelope by sometimes using printed envelopes, sometimes using window envelopes and sometimes using plain envelopes. Your customers won't anticipate your mailings and will be more likely to open them. You'll also reach different people - some people may not open printed envelopes, but always open plain ones or those with windows because they look like bills.

Keep Testing

The most important thing you can do with your mailings is keep innovating and keep testing. Separate your response rate for each class of envelope, what was printed on the printed envelopes, and what was visible on the window envelopes. Carefully analyze and report on the results so you can see which customers respond to which style of mail shot packaging.

Keep trying new things even when you have a successful campaign. If the test yields worse results than your current campaign you can rule out the strategy and try something new. If you get a better response, you can evolve your current program into the new one. Finally, if the response rate is similar, you can use the second campaign to your advantage. Mail the first shot to everyone, then the second shot to those who don't respond. You'll have a strong response from the first group, followed by another strong response from your second mailing with the second group.

Mail shots aren't always going to be opened, and even those that are may not get a response. However, carefully testing strategies, personalising the mailings and varying the packaging are strong strategies for improving the number of letters opened, and therefore the response rate of your direct mailing program.

Well designed, printed envelopes can dramatically increase the open rate of your mail shot.