| The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer | | | | are selling |
| is reaching your prospect with your message. | | | | - Make your sales message inside the box easy to |
| Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult | | | | find and easy to understand |
| because they employ mailroom staff and executive | | | | - Remember that the goal of a dimensional mailer is |
| secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail, | | | | not to close a sale but to generate a lead, so keep |
| depending on how you look at it. So unless your direct | | | | your message focussed on achieving that goal and |
| mail lead generation letter or postcard or self-mailer | | | | nothing else |
| stands out from the rest, it won't reach the desk of | | | | ADVANTAGES OF DIMENSIONAL MAIL |
| your potential client. | | | | - Gets noticed amidst all the other mail your prospect |
| That's why dimensional mailers are one of the most | | | | receives |
| effective ways to reach elusive prospects with your | | | | - Almost guaranteed to get opened |
| sales message. A dimensional mailer is simply one that | | | | - Likely to get opened first |
| has more than two dimensions. Unlike a letter, postcard | | | | - Great at stimulating buzz at a company |
| or self-mailer, it has three dimensions. Dimensional | | | | - Likely to make it past the executive gatekeeper |
| mailers are usually boxes, but they can also be sturdy | | | | DISADVANTAGES OF DIMENSIONAL MAIL |
| envelopes that have something three-dimensional | | | | - More costly to design, print and mail than other direct |
| inside. These kinds of packages are also known as | | | | mail formats |
| "lumpy mail." | | | | - Might be mistaken at the target company fora bomb |
| Dimensional mail is effective because it stands out. It | | | | or a prank |
| gets attention because it doesn't look like everything | | | | - Expensive to produce if you need a custom-made |
| else that the executive is receiving that day. | | | | box |
| Dimensional mail is also effective because it always | | | | - Box can get damaged along with your brand |
| gets opened. I am confident in predicting that no one | | | | reputation if delivered by mail |
| who receives a box 36 inches long, 9 inches wide and | | | | - May be perceived as a bribe for a sales appointment |
| 5 inches deep, bearing the prospect's name and job | | | | if the item in the box is particularly valuable |
| title on the top and an intriguing headline, is going to | | | | EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL DIMENSIONAL |
| pitch the box in the trash unopened. Innate human | | | | MAILER |
| curiosity is too powerful for that. | | | | Continental Resources generated a 30% response |
| TIPS FOR PRODUCING DIMENSIONAL MAILERS | | | | rate by mailing a remote-control dinosaur to technology |
| - Use a standard size of box if possible to save on | | | | executives (without the remote control). Prospects got |
| printing costs (talk to a printer) | | | | the remote control and batteries when they booked an |
| - Put something in the box that is valuable, or fun, or | | | | appointment with a Continental sales rep. To see the |
| both | | | | mailer, click here. |
| - Make sure what's in the box ties in with what you | | | | © 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. |