8 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
8 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Headline on Envelope?

by Tekstar
7 replies
This is part copywriting and part Direct response marketing. I'll be sending a sales letter to business's and wanted to get opinions on how to get it opened in the majority of cases. Should I include a catchy Headline somewhere on the envelope itself to get the interest of the owner or should I put my website address on the return address area with a tagline under it that might get their attention, or any other suggestions.

Thanks,

-Bob
#envelope #headline
  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    There is no single answer. Some direct mail people will test
    a plain envelope with a handwritten address on it - the
    theory is that these look like personal correspondance and
    get opened.

    The general consensus is that if you put an advertisement
    about what is inside on the envelope you might as well
    go full-out. Don't give away the whole story though,
    if you do they won't open it.

    You should read "The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan Kennedy
    because he gets into this issue a bit. Herschell Gordon Lewis
    wrote a whole book about envelope copy too.

    You can blow a lot of money mailing stuff that winds up
    in dumpsters or stolen for stamps (happened to me) so
    do your research.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[412180].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ellyan
    You could test with a catchy headline.I think that a personalized mail will bring better results and boost response rate..Test and test again..

    All the best,
    Elitsa
    Signature
    http://cogzum.com/
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[412388].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AnarchyAds
    Banned
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[416487].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author jmidas
      I've done TONS of direct mail and have used Dan Kennedy's methods for several years.

      He does a number of different things including lots of text/headlines on the envelope - BUT he only does/suggests this for mailings to people you already know or are subscribers of some kind of yours.

      In my experience, the two best things you can do is handwrite the envelopes (I use Think Ink in california for this) and use either odd size envelopes or make the mail lumpy. The more personal, the better to get opened. When you do this, no matter how you slice it, you'll pay a buck a piece, but (at least in my experience) the ROI is worth it.

      Once they open it, it is up to your skills as a copywriter.

      As Loren suggested, get DK's Ultimate Sales Letter.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[416512].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author jmidas
        Also, another good peice of advice is from ellyan: test and test some more. Mailings are easy to split test, so you will find out pretty quickly which works better for your piece/market.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[416520].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Calvin
    If you are mailing to businesses, make your letter look like a business letter.

    Which, to my way of thinking, means to stay away from text or fancy designs on the envelope. And if you are mailing to "serious" businesses, an odd size envelope or "lumpy" envelope will be going straight to the trash.

    If you feel that you must do something on the outside of your envelope, go with what AnarchyAds said.

    If you are approaching businesses, a simple, plain, envelope which whispers "business" rather than shouts "I'm selling something", is the direction I would go.

    Obviously, do split tests, but depending upon the "type" of businesses you are contacting, testing some elements would just be a waste of time.

    Calvin
    Signature

    Success is an endless series of falling down and getting back up again. Sometimes, you fall a little less. Sometimes, you fall a little more. Keep getting back up. Keep moving forward.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[416820].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Collette
      Run a split test on a small segment of your list. Do one set of envelopes with a teaser, and one without. Make sure that your sales letter includes a response tracking mechanism so you know which responses come from which envelope.

      When you have the results, adjust your envelope accordingly, and roll out the whole mailing.

      BTW: "lumpy" mailings outperform anything else in open rates. B2B OR B2C. Lumpys don't have to be expensive, but they must tie-in with the theme of the sales copy to be effective.

      Actual handwriting is also good for getting your mail opened. But it can't be computer-generated "handwritten" font. Prospects have wised up to that, and the open rates for that technique have fallen. There are companies that will hand-address envelopes for you, but this will add to your cost, so your ROI had better justify the additional expense.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[417017].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author theshkay89
        i have used the "Classified" red ink stamp on my mailing for great effect for b2b sales...
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[417217].message }}

Trending Topics