Addressing Direct Mail by Hand or Through Printed Labels?

[Dexx]

What's everyone's thoughts and experiences with sending out (and perhaps receiving) mail that is addressed by hand vs labels?

On one side of things I would think that envelopes addressed to a business owner, but written by hand, would come across more personal and less "bulk mailed" ... perhaps improving open rate?

On the other hand, printed address labels could show a more professional image, not to mention the time saving when sending out many mailings...

Thoughts?

~Dexx

[jacquic]

How about getting your handwriting made into a font and printing using that? Test with and without labels.

~ Jacqui

Or, if your writing's poor (or you haven't got the $ right now), install someone else's; a search under 'handwriting font' will come back with loads of results for free fonts.

[Whatl]

I was going to do a bit of split testing with my next Direct Mailing. I've got the following:

1) Handwritten with "Confidential" stamped on it
2) Handwritten with no stamp

In light of this thread however, I'm going to add

3) Windowed envelopes

I'll let everyone know the results on this thread for those who are interested.

- Tom

[Tanner]

If it is a small enough mailing, I always do handwritten...or I should say I always make my girlfriend do the handwriting, cuz mine is...well I should have been a doctor.

If the mailing is to large then I go for a handwritten font printed directly on the label, usually in color.

Labels only as a last resort.

[Dexx]

I was going to do a bit of split testing with my next Direct Mailing. I've got the following:

1) Handwritten with "Confidential" stamped on it
2) Handwritten with no stamp

In light of this thread however, I'm going to add

3) Windowed envelopes

I'll let everyone know the results on this thread for those who are interested.

- Tom

We're always interested in results, share as you can do so!

Cheers,

~Dexx

[hdm]

In this age of computers, fonts and typography it’s easy to forget our roots. When it’s so simple to create, edit and print something on a computer, it’s no surprise that handwriting is becoming a lost art. Handwriting can be leveraged very effectively in marketing, and here’s why.

We are bombarded with hundreds of marketing messages each day in many different forms, the radio, TV, paper and magazines, and of course direct mail. To many of us this is just noise, and many advertising agencies merely try to shout harder to be heard over the competition, aggravating the problem.

Using handwriting in marketing materials may take a little more time and effort but is sure to pay off in conversions. There is something about a handwritten letter that almost compels you to read it. Try it the next time you find something handwritten. Try throwing it out without reading it first, I bet you can’t. There is something personal in handwriting, as if the author has written it especially for you. As if they have taken the time to put pen to paper and address you as an individual rather than a nameless prospect.

[jacquic]

Hello hdm and welcome to the forum

You make a very valid point there - and it's especially true now that we email/phone more and send letters less often. They're becoming even more precious.

A small 'however', though: there are a couple of people whose mailing lists I'm on and I always like to open them because the letters are so well written and the styles are good to keep up to date with - they are type written but I recognise the type face and format.

Another good one to do is when the envelope is open, have them see a hand written Post It stuck to the top of a 'cutting' saying, "Hi, thought you would like this" or "Hi, thought this would interest you - John" (use a common name so they might think they know you and read on).

~ Jacqui

[RoyE]

Has anyone tried 'lumpy' mail - including something intriguing or useful that makes a noticable lump in the envelope?

I mean something more than a cheap ballpen.

It almost guarantees the mail gets opened, and combined with addressing it 'strictly for [name]' or 'for business owner only', it stands a good chance of being opened and read by the right person.

~Roy

[Dexx]

I've seen and read about lumpymail, but I haven't had the time to really explore it or try it out, would love to hear stories involving it tho!

Cheers,

~Dexx

[jacquic]

I gather sending postcards in the States is cheaper than sending letters, so consider using 'lumpy postcards' - that's the scratch sort where you have a quizz or something on and you scrape off the silver bit to get the answer.

Usually they're used as competitions, but you could have a 'scratch off to see what you've won', and that is a freebie from your site.

I haven't tried them in the UK but might consider it now the postal rates have changed - a normal letter costs the same as a postcard, but a larger format one or a thick one now cost more.

Lumpy mail, done with creative thinking, can have a very good response, but try not to do the the pen one as that's usually done by charities who want you to use the pen to fill in their form to give them money - they get very good responses (not least because of their brilliant letters and envelope messages), but that's what people equate biros with.

Try to go for something that people can't tell what's in there.

Keychain with your tagline or logo
A booklet of information, or a mini notebook that's easy to slip into a pocket or handbag (purse); include your name and phone no on each page
Small stress ball ... and then say they won't need it when they sign up with you (of course, you will be more subtle than that)
Small toy
Packet of seeds for your florist or 'plant a wish' charity
Product Sample
Toy aeroplane (airplane) for your flight firm
USB stick that has a promo video on

...in fact, any promotional items: http://www.officeplusgifts.co.uk/?gc...FRg8lAod21rgZQ


Here are some ideas of going that one bit further http://lumpymail.com/Products/Top_10.htm

~ Jacqui

PS, yes we've had good results with lumpy DM, though our focus has been more on email lately, but it will be worth revisiting.

[Dexx]

Great post Jacqui, thanks for sharing those resources =)

Cheers,

~Dexx

[jacquic]

A pleasure!

Make sure you feed back to us all your findings from your mailings...

~ Jacqui

PS Folks, the day people get the letter seems to matter as much with DM as email, so split test. It's a while since we split test the results for when lumpy mail arrives, though - maybe it will seem so exciting, people will open them regardless - though whether they take action more on a Monday than a Friday is still worth investigating. Has anyone else done that?

[BAYO a.k.a. Mr. B]

What's everyone's thoughts and experiences with sending out (and perhaps receiving) mail that is addressed by hand vs labels?

On one side of things I would think that envelopes addressed to a business owner, but written by hand, would come across more personal and less "bulk mailed" ... perhaps improving open rate?

On the other hand, printed address labels could show a more professional image, not to mention the time saving when sending out many mailings...

Thoughts?

~Dexx

In my business all outgoing mail is written by hand (not necessarily mine!). Here are some of the reasons why...

1. I want to get the message through that we're local, little and human
2. Since January 2008 when I first got started it's what I've used the most and with the most success
3. We don't send out so many that we have a need to
4. I really don't believe handwritten disqualifies me from being taken seriously or being perceived as anything but professional
5. My mentor (OK, he's based in Bedfordshire in the UK) who I've known since 1995 and who is wildly successful, still to this day writes his envelope addresses by hand

Maybe when I have hundreds of clients (actually that's never going to happen because all I am working towards is a few high-ticket, long-term clients with another hundred paying between $250-$500 a month for packaged programs) that might change

Bayo

P.S. My daughter loves writing and has quite an artistic hand, so I 'leverage' her abilities sometimes and she enjoys it so it's a win-win I guess!

[AP]

I learned from the Master, Gary Halbert.

*Handwritten

*Real stamp (Commerative stamp with an additional/multiple .02 stamp is best)

*No return address (if you must use, then don't list your name)

~AP

[TimCastleman]

I use labels if I am going to be sending a few hundred or thousand at a time. If you are only going to do a few at a time then you should hand write them.

Tim

[Tam]

In the past, I've always hand addressed my direct mail pieces. A few times I used the clear mailing labels, but my
hand addressed mails pulled better.

Tam

[ijohnson]

As for the best day of the week to mail letters, time your mailings to get to the recipient on a Tuesday. Monday's are usually hectic days for people, a lot of meetings take place on Monday, and a lot of people take a 4-day weekend or come in late on Mondays.

If you have included a statement in your letter that you will follow-up in two days with a phone call, your follow-up day will be Thursday. You don't want your follow-up phone call day to be Friday because a lot of folks take Fridays off (4-day weekend).

You do not want your follow-up day to fall on the weekend because you will lose momentum if you can't reach them until 6 - 7 days later. Your prospect may have forgotten about you by then.

As for lumpy mail, I think it works in certain markets. Personally, I don't think it's a good tactic for a higher-end client because usually what's in the "lumpy" mail is nothing they will care to use -- they will just toss it over in the trash can, along with your letter. However, if you include a CD or something of a higher-perceived value, that may grab their attention.

~ Iris

[ijohnson]

In my opinion, using FedEX would be the best way to ensure that your letter will be opened by the intended recipient. A FedEX letter delivered to a prospect by 10:00am will usually land on that person's desk on in their hand. You will get a much higher open-rate with a FedEx delivery.

Of course, cost is an issue if you are trying to get your first clients and don't have a lot of money to play with -- FedEx'ing to 30+ can be costly. However, if you have 10 - 20 high-end prospects you're trying to reach, investing $100 - $180 up-front should render you a pretty good response rate and a nice return on your initial investment.

"If it absolutely, positively, must get there the next day, use FEDEX!"

~ Iris

[BAYO a.k.a. Mr. B]

I use labels if I am going to be sending a few hundred or thousand at a time. If you are only going to do a few at a time then you should hand write them.

Tim

Hey Tim, nice to see you here.

That's a hefty amount.

I haven't even sent anywhere near a few hundred thousand. I wonder if I'll ever get there before my business goal is reached!

Bayo

[TreforWalters]

I've heard Dan Kennedy refer to the "trash-can" mailer in the past, where he seems to be talking about a scrunched up piece of paper, which gets read purely because its crumpled!

A quick question for Mr B: Do you handwrite the whole letter, or just the envelope?

I have an ongoing "discussion" with my partner over this. We want to send out some low volume, highly targeted, direct mail as a follow up to a permission phone call.

In the mail I don't want to sell anything, don't want to include a return address and don't want to send any materials. I want to make it all about them and give them some questions to think about, so that when I follow up, I have some actual business hooks to talk about.

But... The argument is whether to go handwritten or just printed with handwritten addresses and PS... My vote is for the former, but I've never done this before.

I just know that the only thing I am 100% guaranteed to read is handwritten stuff, where everything else has to go through my layers of critical filters. My guess is that other people might experience something similar.

I am aware I might be projecting that perception though!

[samson smith]

What's everyone's thoughts and experiences with sending out (and perhaps receiving) mail that is addressed by hand vs labels?

On one side of things I would think that envelopes addressed to a business owner, but written by hand, would come across more personal and less "bulk mailed" ... perhaps improving open rate?

On the other hand, printed address labels could show a more professional image, not to mention the time saving when sending out many mailings...

Thoughts?

~Dexx

If you want to improve your direct mail service return on investment by using real handwriting, you can hand write any part of your mailing. If you are looking for the biggest bang then be sure that to hand address the outside envelope. This is most important because receiver see the address first, a hand addressed envelope will greatly increase the chance that your customers will open and read your message. It is very effective.

[jason079]

why not try email marketing, I think this a convenient way to address all your customers. You can make a standard email and personally address every letter the customers by indicating their in the letter.

[victoria stiles]

E-mail marketing is the fast and effective method of marketing. But there are few people who are unable to get these mails due to some reasons. On the other side the every door direct mail is one of those methods of marketing which can reach anywhere to the people of every age.

[samson smith]

why not try email marketing, I think this a convenient way to address all your customers. You can make a standard email and personally address every letter the customers by indicating their in the letter.

Hai jason, I know email marketing is good online service but there are many people's that have no internet. In that case direct mail is successful. Direct mail only required address of receiver.

[victoria stiles]

E-mail marketing is the most important part of any internet marketing strategy.