16 replies
I am switching over from using:

handwritten #10 Envelopes to Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope 12.5x9.5 (U.S. Postal Service)

From what I have heard these achieve a high response and I would hope so since I will be paying $5.60 a piece instead of $.49 a piece for the #10 envelopes.

The service? Web re-design offer sent to manufacturing businesses with a guarantee of converting more of their current traffic to the site with our new design or a money back guarantee.

Of course I will be having a cold caller call to follow up to try and schedule appointments.

We will probably do a test round of about 20 priority envelopes to see what comes of it. These letters are very customized and comes with a small free critique of their website. The top of the sales letter has a picture of their site with three suggestions to convert more of their visitors and eventually tells them if they want more, call us etc etc.


I am very interested in hearing everyone's experience with priority mail (I have looked at some older threads about it but want to hear what everyone was to say recently. Tips, tricks, suggestions, go for it.
#mail #power #priority
  • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
    I recently started using fake 9 x 12 Rush Priority Envelopes for my home seller guides I send to expired listings. It's the 2nd step in a 3 step campaign.

    It's a lot cheaper than Priority Mail Envelopes.
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    • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
      Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

      I recently started using fake 9 x 12 Rush Priority Envelopes for my home seller guides I send to expired listings. It's the 2nd step in a 3 step campaign.

      It's a lot cheaper than Priority Mail Envelopes.
      Cool idea, thanks.
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      • Profile picture of the author Steve Solem
        While I think a Priority Mail package will certainly help you get noticed, have you tried anything in between that and the plain old #10, like a regular 9x12 so you can mail your sales letter flat?

        Postage costs for mailing a couple of pages flat run about a $1 from what I've seen, and it'd be worth testing against the Priority packages to see if there's a big enough increase in response to justify the extra cost.

        I'm all for going big and getting noticed, but you need to test and see how to do that for the lowest possible cost.

        Good luck and look forward to hearing about your results!

        Steve
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        • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
          Originally Posted by Steve Solem View Post

          While I think a Priority Mail package will certainly help you get noticed, have you tried anything in between that and the plain old #10, like a regular 9x12 so you can mail your sales letter flat?

          Postage costs for mailing a couple of pages flat run about a $1 from what I've seen, and it'd be worth testing against the Priority packages to see if there's a big enough increase in response to justify the extra cost.

          I'm all for going big and getting noticed, but you need to test and see how to do that for the lowest possible cost.

          Good luck and look forward to hearing about your results!

          Steve
          Thanks for your response Steve! I hadn't thought about that. yes we haven't tested much in between these two. I will most definitely keep your idea in my mind and I'll let you know how this test run goes.
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    • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
      I've used the fake 9x12s too, red white blue similar to priority envelopes. They work well.

      No matter what you use, hand write the addresses and that'll greatly improve open rates.
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  • Profile picture of the author maxrezn
    Are you in the Cashflow Consulting course? The approach sounds pretty similar.

    And for $5.00, you could send a much cooler package. A bank bag should be about $4.00 posted and would get you a better response.
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    • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
      Originally Posted by maxrezn View Post

      Are you in the Cashflow Consulting course? The approach sounds pretty similar.

      And for $5.00, you could send a much cooler package. A bank bag should be about $4.00 posted and would get you a better response.
      I am not in that course. What is the approach? Some kinda of service + priority mail?

      Yeah the bank bag was what I was debating as well from;

      Bank Bag Direct Mailer | Direct Mail

      total cost to order the bags + shipping for 100 pieces= $385

      which I would hope would do well with a response + phone follow ups.
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  • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
    I use the bank bags as well, along with mini trash cans and the message in a bottle.

    I'm a HUGE fan of direct mail and being creative with my mailings.
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  • Profile picture of the author LastWarrior
    Like much of what we do in IM, it takes testing, sweat equity and a certain amount of ROI testing. Looks like testing was something you had not thought of much and I understand that because you want to get things done now! But trying to do a sampling of only 20 mailings is totally unrealistic for anything resembling accurate results. Back when I was doing direct marketing and using mail as a means of getting my campaign going, I tried various methods. With me the 5x8.5 "fake" priority envelopes were so close to the 9x12, it was worth it for me to do the 8x8.5 instead. That was then and my offer. Someone else's could be different, but you won't know until you do a test and often several. I don't consider an accurate test of results to begin until at least a mailing of a minimum of 200 mailings go out and that's a minimum.

    Ever flip a coin and call it right 3 times in a row? Sure, we've all done it, but try 10 times in a row and it rarely happens. The higher number you test, the more accurate your results are and 20 mailings is not going to cut it.

    Now from my simple math, your priorty idea costs 10 1/2 times as much as the #10 for mailing costs. From there you'd have to test to see if the results you achieve are worth the ROI for priority.

    Then there's many more factors you haven't considered... like your target has to see your ad/mailings a given amount of times besides just once to finally make a contact or buying decision. Are you prepared to send out a minimum of 5 mailings with priority expense to the same potential target without even testing the mailing message first?

    Good questions but your campaign really needs to address many deeper issues before doing a mailing.

    Best of luck,

    LastWarrior
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    • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
      Originally Posted by LastWarrior View Post

      Like much of what we do in IM, it takes testing, sweat equity and a certain amount of ROI testing. Looks like testing was something you had not thought of much and I understand that because you want to get things done now! But trying to do a sampling of only 20 mailings is totally unrealistic for anything resembling accurate results. Back when I was doing direct marketing and using mail as a means of getting my campaign going, I tried various methods. With me the 5x8.5 "fake" priority envelopes were so close to the 9x12, it was worth it for me to do the 8x8.5 instead. That was then and my offer. Someone else's could be different, but you won't know until you do a test and often several. I don't consider an accurate test of results to begin until at least a mailing of a minimum of 200 mailings go out and that's a minimum.

      Ever flip a coin and call it right 3 times in a row? Sure, we've all done it, but try 10 times in a row and it rarely happens. The higher number you test, the more accurate your results are and 20 mailings is not going to cut it.

      Now from my simple math, your priorty idea costs 10 1/2 times as much as the #10 for mailing costs. From there you'd have to test to see if the results you achieve are worth the ROI for priority.

      Then there's many more factors you haven't considered... like your target has to see your ad/mailings a given amount of times besides just once to finally make a contact or buying decision. Are you prepared to send out a minimum of 5 mailings with priority expense to the same potential target without even testing the mailing message first?

      Good questions but your campaign really needs to address many deeper issues before doing a mailing.

      Best of luck,

      LastWarrior
      Thanks for your response! Yes we will increase those mailings for more accuracy and as for a multi-step mailing we are in the process of creating a campaign for that as well. thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    HI there,

    If your target prospects are laser focused then it's worth spending extra to get their attention. If your prospect list is a guess at who might be a good customer then you're wasting your time.

    We sometimes FedEx information but only to highly influential prospects in a very targeted niche. We know they know our client, but we want to stand out above the rest of the mail they get.

    You will only receive a high response, or any response for that matter, if your message matches your market. The media is the least important part of the mix.

    All the best,

    Sasha
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    • Profile picture of the author RRG
      Originally Posted by SashaLee View Post

      HI there,

      If your target prospects are laser focused then it's worth spending extra to get their attention. If your prospect list is a guess at who might be a good customer then you're wasting your time.

      We sometimes FedEx information but only to highly influential prospects in a very targeted niche. We know they know our client, but we want to stand out above the rest of the mail they get.

      You will only receive a high response, or any response for that matter, if your message matches your market. The media is the least important part of the mix.

      All the best,

      Sasha
      I wouldn't say the media is the least important, necessarily.

      Though it's true most people start with the media before addressing the other two sides of the triangle.

      Another way to think of it is as a three-legged stool. If one leg gets sawed off, you know what happens next.
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    • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
      Originally Posted by SashaLee View Post

      You will only receive a high response, or any response for that matter, if your message matches your market. The media is the least important part of the mix.
      All sides of the triangle need to be equal.

      Dan Kennedy's Marketing Tiangle: You have to get the RIGHT MESSAGE to the RIGHT MARKET using the RIGHT MEDIA.
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      • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
        Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

        All sides of the triangle need to be equal.

        Dan Kennedy's Marketing Tiangle: You have to get the RIGHT MESSAGE to the RIGHT MARKET using the RIGHT MEDIA.
        Hi there,

        Agreed - in a perfect world. My point was the media is the least important of the three.

        All the best,

        Sasha.
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        • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
          Originally Posted by SashaLee View Post

          Hi there,

          Agreed - in a perfect world. My point was the media is the least important of the three.

          All the best,

          Sasha.
          If your message never gets read or heard (through media) then you don't even have a chance to get a new customer.

          You're only leaving money on the table if Message/Market/Media don't align.
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          David Hunter | Duke of Marketing
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          www.BibleAndFriendsYouTube.com

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          • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
            Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

            If your message never gets read or heard (through media) then you don't even have a chance to get a new customer.

            You're only leaving money on the table if Message/Market/Media don't align.
            thanks guys I like the table example, it will definitely stick with me.
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