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The Direct Mail Solution — Chapter-03: Sales Piece Format and Design
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Sales Piece
Format and Design
T WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU COULD PERSONALLY VISIT EACH AND EVERY
prospect for your product or ser vice. You could share your
enthusiasm about the quality of your merchandise and your
customer service team. You could explain the reasons why what
you offer can have a positive impact on your buyer’s life. You could
go into detail about why you are so much better than any of your
competitors.
Of course it’s impossible for you to go out and meet everyone
who could potentially become your customer. But in a way, that’s
what your sales piece does for you. It enters your prospect’s home,
sits at the kitchen table, and carries on a kind of “conversation” with
him or her.
I
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Your sales piece explains a problem your prospects have, offers a
solution, anticipates and answers questions, and tells them exactly what
steps they should take next so that you can make their lives better.
But there is one important difference between a live salesperson and
a sales piece. If you were knocking on their door, they couldn’t ignore
you. But a sales piece could easily get pushed aside and never get read.
It is an art to develop a sales piece that gets noticed.
You want your prospects to come home after a long day, stop at the
mailbox to see what’s waiting for them there, and have the first thing
they notice be your sales piece. Maybe it’s a bulky envelope with a big
headline. Maybe it looks like an elegant invitation. Whatever its format,
it catches your prospect’s attention immediately.
And that’s what we want to look at now. It’s time to consider a very
important element in the profitability of your direct-mail campaign: the
physical package that you will be sending to your prospects.
It needs to be attractive enough to stand out in the pile of daily mail
most people receive. In addition, it has to be the right format for your
audience. Some formats just work better with some types of prospects
(a matter of testing, which we’ll look at in a later chapter).
And then there are issues concerning the actual printing of your
package. How can you be sure that your print shop will produce what
you want?
You don’t have to become a printing expert. But there are some
things you need to know so that you can be confident that you’ll end
up with a package to mail that will be worthy of what you have to sell.
Formats and Designs
There are many different formats and designs to choose from when
planning a direct-mail campaign. Finding the right format for your
offer, niche, and budget is critical to the success of your campaign.
For example, if you are trying to make a direct sell for a product
or service, you may need more than a postcard to get the prospects to
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respond. On the other hand, if you are just trying to get people into
your store for a free promotion, you most likely don’t need a 10-page
sales letter. A postcard that people can read at a glance may be your best
option.
Below is a listing of some of the most popular mail formats.
The Letter Package
The most common format is a basic letter package. The components
within it can vary, but in general, the package would consist of a letter,
an order card or form, a brochure, and the outer envelope. Sometimes,
there’s a lift note included. A lift note is usually a little note (perhaps 6
x 9 inches) that looks very personal—and may even be made to look as
though it has been written out by hand on stationery.
There are a number of different types of letter packages based on
the size of the envelope used. The most common sizes are the #10 letter
package, which uses a standard business-size envelope; a 6- x 9-inch
letter package, which stands out a little bit more in the mail; or a large
envelope letter package sized at 9 x 12 inches—which really stands out
in the mail.
You can mail just about any size envelope you want. You can create
a specific size just for your mailing, realizing, of course, that using a
nonstandard size will cost a lot more to print.
The envelope can be plain white or it can be cream or black or blue
or even a shiny silver or purple; you can make it any color you want.
The more color and style you add to the envelope, the more it will cost
to produce, but the more it will stand out in the mail. A shiny purple
envelope will get looked at before a plain white envelope.
Some marketers do interesting things with envelopes by making
them “official” looking. They may put words on them like “Verified
Mail” and “Confirmation Number.” Or they may create a sense of
urgency with words like “Express Letter Service,” “Rush,” and “High
Priority Contents.” These are all ways to make sure your package gets
noticed and moved to the top of the pile. On the other hand, sometimes
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a plain envelope does best, and there’s only one way to know for sure:
test different formats to see which brings the best response.
The Self-Mailer
Another format that’s commonly used in direct mail is what is called a
self-mailer. This is a piece of mail that is not enclosed in an envelope. It
is mailed just like a magazine. There are many types of self-mailers; here
are three of my favorites.
SLIM JIM
Ranges in size from 6 x 10 to 61/8 x 111/2 inches. The J. Peterman catalog
is famous for its use of the slim jim format. There’s a quality of elegance
to this size and shape.
MAGALOG
Very commonly used. The size is around 8 x 11 inches. I’m sure you have
seen these in your mailbox. It’s floppy, it’s full of color, and it’s made to
look like an actual magazine—but it’s not. It’s actually a sales letter. This
is very commonly used in health supplement and nutritional marketing.
DIGEST
This is my personal favorite. I’ve mailed over 100,000,000 of the
digest sales piece. It looks like a little booklet, kind of like Reader’s
Digest. The size is usually around 6 x 9 inches. This kind of piece is
very appealing to people. It feels good in the hand and looks like it
would be fun to read.
Self-mailers are very versatile, and there are a variety of ways you
can use them. Keep in mind, with this, and really just about any mail
format, the kind of paper you select can help create a certain impression.
The piece can be printed on thick paper or thin paper, white paper or
colored paper, matte paper or glossy paper. And it can be offset printed
or digitally printed. There are numerous options with self-mailers that
you can discuss with your print shop.
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The Postcard
Generally, the least expensive type of direct-mail format is a postcard
or a double postcard. Postcards offer a huge range of sizes. The 4- x
6-inch postcard is the least expensive to print and mail, and it’s the size
most commonly produced. A 5- x 7-inch postcard is the second most
commonly used of all the postcard sizes. I’ve also used a huge 101/2- x
14-inch postcard.
Just because a piece is in a postcard format doesn’t mean the
postage is always going to be the lowest postcard rate. As you increase
the size of the postcard, you’ll also increase the cost of your postage.
Depending on the size, it could even be charged at the full first-class
postage rate.
Postcards are just like self-mailers but with a lot less sales copy. You
get the benefit of the prospect seeing your sales copy right away instead
of having to open an envelope. Your prospect can read the headline and
see what the offer is at a glance.
CD Mailers
The CD mailer is another favorite of mine. I’ve mailed well over a
million CDs to prospects. This format is really a cross between a
standard mail piece and dimensional mail, which we’ll discuss below. It
mails flat, but when it’s received you can feel something lumpy inside.
That’s what helps get this mail package opened. CD mailers are most
commonly mailed in a 6- x 9-inch envelope. The mailer should include
a short letter or lift note and be personalized. The CD should have sales
copy on it with a phone number or web address. Many people end up
throwing away the letter and envelope and holding on to the CD. Or
prospects may listen to the CD in their car and decide to respond to the
message on the spot. You need to make it easy for them to respond, so
always include contact information on the CD.
The CD mailer can deliver a powerful message. Not only do you get
to connect with prospects through a letter, they also get to hear your
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voice and listen to your enthusiasm about whatever you are offering.
Your CD could also include testimonials from satisfied customers.
Testimonials will encourage the prospects to respond.
The sales letter that goes with the CD mailer should focus on
getting people to listen to the CD. That’s the best way to get prospects
to respond to your offer. The letter is only to pique their curiosity; you
don’t want to present the offer in the letter. If you do, the prospect will
have no reason to listen to the CD and will completely miss the most
powerful sales tool in the package. The whole idea is to get prospects
to hear you deliver your message. It’s almost like having an infomercial
delivered right to their doorstep.
I’ve seen the CD mailer work in large-scale mailings, where we’ve
mailed out hundreds of thousands, and I’ve also seen them work very
well for clients with a very small mailing of only 200 pieces. The format
is unique, it’s compelling, it stands out in the mail, and it delivers a
great response.
Dimensional Mail
If you want to mail something that is really going to stand out in the
mailbox, then dimensional mail is your best option. I use dimensional
mail to get people’s attention in hard-to-reach niches, such as medical
professionals or business executives who have gatekeepers who screen
their mail.
Dimensional mail is not just a flat piece of mail that arrives in a
mailbox. It has something totally unique about it, usually something
lumpy—something that relates to your business or your offer or that
has some clever tie-in to your sales copy. For example, if you are using
an envelope, maybe you could put a chopstick or Jelly Bellies inside.
Or if it’s a package, like a foam mailer, it can contain a bottle with a
message inside.
Dimensional mail has a much higher opening rate than traditional
direct mail, and it’s easy to see why. A mail package with something
lumpy inside will spark the curiosity of the person receiving it.
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If you are going to use dimensional mail, keep in mind that the
cost per piece is going to be much higher than doing traditional direct
mail. It costs more money to package and will most likely put you in a
higher weight class for postage. Plus the actual item that you include
(chopstick, aspirin, bottle, etc.) will cost more to produce than standard
printed material. In addition, your production cost to assemble the
package will be higher. It takes time to insert something of an odd size
into an envelope. But given the higher response rate, it could well be
worth the extra expense.
Dimensional mail has many great advantages, and there are
thousands of different items you can use to capture your prospects’
attention. There are unlimited dimensional mail packages to choose
from, so you just have to find the right one for your niche.
Dimensional mail can be used very successfully by small businesses
targeting a small customer file. If you’re looking for a high response
from 500 to 1,000 people and you can afford a higher mailing cost, then
dimensional mail is definitely the way to go. It will get the customers’
attention and get them to respond.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to reach tens of thousands or
perhaps millions of people, dimensional mail probably isn’t the most
effective way for you to reach out simply because of the huge mailing
costs involved. The lower response on a larger untargeted list isn’t likely
to offset the extra cost of using dimensional mail.
If you would like to get a better feel for what these direct-mail
formats look like, and perhaps get inspired for your own campaign, you
can download some PDF samples at TheDirectMailSolution.com.
The Shock-and-Awe Package
This marketing method, first described by Dan S. Kennedy, is an
elaborate package that you send to people who have specifically
requested information from you about your products and services, and/
or have already placed an order with you. Regardless of how you got
their attention initially—a direct-mail campaign, an ad in a magazine or
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newspaper, a radio spot, or even the internet—they have responded and
come into your court.
The idea is to exceed their expectations, engage their interest, and
build their loyalty—and perhaps even a sense of obligation to you—by
sending them a package of materials and goodies that is unexpected
and so impressive that it takes their breath away. That’s why it’s referred
to as the “Shock and Awe” package.
The contents of your shock and awe package will vary with the
nature of your business and your budget and on whether it’s for lead
generation or is part of a new-customer welcome package. Are you
trying to sell the person something? You will need sales material. Is
it a new customer package? You might need to provide orientation
materials of some kind.
Another consideration is the image you want to convey. Do
you want to appear serious and focused and therefore only want to
include practical, necessary information and items? Or do you want
to appear more friendly and playful? If so, you might broaden the
range of possibilities to add some fun elements. Whatever you put
in your package, it should be branded with your name and logo.
You want the recipient to think of you every time he or she uses
your mug, looks at your imprinted calendar, or reads through the
materials you sent.
These packages should include as many items, and as wide a
variety of items, as possible. The idea is to make going through
the package seem like opening a present. It’s better to break up the
material into lots of different smaller pieces (booklets, CDs, tables,
checklists). You want it to be exciting to go through and look like
there’s a lot going on there.
These packages can be expensive to put together. But they also can
be one of the best ways to spend your marketing dollar. What makes
this method work so well is that you’re giving your expensive packages
to a very self-selected group of people who are already interested in you.
You have to do the math on your own situation to see how elaborate
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How a Simple Design and Copy Change
Can Have a Significant Impact on Your
Direct-Mail Campaign
I once sent out a mailing for a client who wanted to test two
different envelope packages. Both packages had precisely the
same 16-page sales letter inside, the same order form, and the
same reply device. The only difference was the outside of the
envelope. One envelope had a really strong headline to grab
the prospect’s attention. The other envelope was completely
plain and just listed my client’s name, rather than the com-
pany’s name.
By not putting any copy on the outer envelope and not put-
ting the company name in the return address, it made the
sales piece look rather obscure. You couldn’t tell who the let-
ter envelope was from, what was inside, or why it was being
sent to you.
Which format do you think got the better response?
I’ve tested this concept a number of items. It’s surprising to
most people that every time I’ve tested it, the envelope with
no headline or copy always pulls a much higher response rate.
Most people would guess the opposite.
It should be noted that this test was based on mailing to cold-
prospect lists. If you are mailing to your house file or a list of
customers who know who you are, then I would recommend
using an envelope with sales copy on it.
But why would a plain envelope work better to cold pros-
pects?
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a package is worthwhile for you. Of course, you can completely tailor
your shock and awe package to fit your business and budget. As always,
only testing will determine if your shock and awe package brings a level
of response that justifies the cost.
Issues of Design
Designing a direct-mail sales piece is not like designing an ad for
magazines. It’s not like a miniature version of a flashy website.
Simple Design and Copy Change, continued
If prospects see a headline or a company name on the enve-
lope, they know immediately that some kind of sales informa-
tion is enclosed, and they make the decision right then and
there whether they want to read it.
However, if there’s a chance the letter might be from some-
one personal—a friend, a relative, or someone else, perhaps
some mysterious stranger—then it’s going to get opened.
Once it gets opened and they take a look at it, they’re going
to realize, oh, this is some kind of sales material. At that point
they may or may not read it, but the plain design got the
envelope opened!
We have to get past that first barrier; we have to get our
prospects to open the envelope. So, making the envelope
plain—which keeps them from knowing exactly what it is—
gives us a chance to get them to open it to see what’s inside.
That increases the chances they will read the sales copy—and
possibly respond by ordering.
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Direct-mail design is much different from what you see in mainstream
advertising. For most businesses—not all businesses, but for most—you
actually want the piece to be fairly plain, simple, easy to read, and not
complicated with a lot of different graphics and fancy fonts.
The purpose of a direct-mail sales piece is to get people to read it
and respond. Some companies that do direct mail try to “brand” their
company by using beautiful art and large company logos and very little
sales copy. This usually gets them little or no response, and it’s really a
waste of time and money. If you’re serious about doing direct mail to
get a response—to get customers to your store or drive them to your
website—you need to have a very simple, clean, and easy-to-read sales
piece design.
An important part of the design is the typeface or font that is used
and how big it is—its point size. When I look at the font being used in
a piece, I want to make sure it’s large enough for the average customer
to read, preferably a 12-point font, and at least a minimum of 10-point.
You don’t want to use a tiny 8-point font that’s so hard to read, people
will just throw the piece away. And you don’t want to use something
super fancy that almost looks like cursive writing or a decorative
element. You want to use a simple, easy-to-read, serif-type font for the
main body copy. Sometimes a designer will use a clean sans serif font
for headlines. In Figure 3–1, you’ll see examples of both serif and sans
serif fonts.
Use graphics or photos to help support a key point in the copy,
but don’t overdo it. If you make your sales piece too graphic-oriented,
people may totally miss the point of why you’re contacting them. You
want to be very clear with a direct-mail piece. The key to a good sales
letter is to get people to respond, and it’s strong sales copy that will do
the job, not a design element or a fancy photo. You don’t want your
graphics to distract from the main point, which is to make a strong
argument for buying your product or service. (You’ll find the basic rules
of writing effective sales copy in Chapter 2.)
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Printing Your Mail Package
One of your priorities is selecting the right vendor for the job. Your
mailing can be a success only if your vendors do their jobs correctly. It
is critical to have excellent vendors who do superior work. These include
list brokers, mail processors, and, of course, printers.
FIGURE 3–1 Font Samples
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One of my clients used a printer who was a “family friend.” I tried
to tell him that the printer was providing poor quality and didn’t pay
attention to detail, but my client didn’t listen. Eventually the printer
made a huge mistake and put the wrong order form in with the sales
piece. This “small” mistake went out to over 50,000 people. I ended up
firing this client and refusing to work with him again.
I suggest that you keep vendor relationships on a business level.
Over the years I’ve ordered thousands of mailing lists, printed millions
of sales pieces, and processed too many jobs to count. Early in my
career, I served as a purchasing manager and ordered hundreds of
thousands of books, manuals, CDs, and DVDs. It’s been my experience
that vendors are always willing to become your buddy. They want to
constantly talk with you on the phone and develop a friendship, which
is very nice. But it can compromise your decision-making process in
finding the best rate for your business, your clients, or whomever you’re
working with.
Let’s say you’re planning a direct-mail campaign and you need to
give the job to a printer. One vendor is your friend, and he has a slightly
higher price but provides lower quality of work. Meanwhile, there’s
another vendor out there who’s a little better at a lower price. Which
one will you select? You can see where at times, you’d lean toward giving
your friend the business, but you’d end up paying more and risking a
lower quality of printing.
Some people will disagree with me on this, but when it comes to
my business, I want the best deal, and I want the job done right—the
first time! That’s why I keep vendor relationships on a professional
level. The relationship is absolutely respectful, but we are not crossing
the line and developing a friendship where we’re hanging out, going
to dinner, playing golf, etc. I don’t want to compromise my judgment
when it comes time to make the right decision for printing, duplicating,
or any other services. So be careful with your vendor relationships
and try to keep them business-related. It will benefit you in the long
run, letting you establish great business relationships with a variety of
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vendors, rather than being stuck using just one vendor you’re tightly
connected with.
Deciding who will print your sales material can be complex. Weigh
all these areas before making a final choice.
Color work. Color adds an added dimension to most promotional
pieces, but if it’s not done right, it can cheapen the look of your
piece. Make sure your printer can match the colors you want and
does a nice, clean job.
Availability of stock. Is your printer able to provide a wide variety of
quality papers in different weights, textures, and colors? You’d be
surprised at how the paper you use can affect the overall impres-
sion you present.
Proofs. It could be problem if your printer is unwilling to let you see
proof copies before printing a full job. While you don’t want to be
making editorial changes from proofs, you want to make sure the
piece looks good and has the right codes, that the pages are in the
right order, there are no smudges on the plates, and so on.
Quality of finishing work (folding, cutting, collating, etc.). A job can be
beautifully printed, but if it’s cut at an angle, the corners aren’t
straight, or the folding is sloppy, it can ruin the job.
Responsiveness. Things change quickly in business. You may have
a last-minute brainstorm that requires a change in the piece
you’re printing. Or you may realize you put the wrong phone
number on the piece. You want to know you can call and talk to a
real person who will make the changes you want. This is no time
to have to deal with a stream of voice-mail prompts or have to
leave a message for someone you don’t know and hope they get it
and respond before the job goes to press. Contact your prospec-
tive vendor two or three times to see if he is available, and if not,
how quickly he’ll get back to you.
His niche market. A printer who specializes in four-color printing
that’s high quality with low volume wouldn’t be a good fit for
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a two-color job that requires hundreds of thousands of pieces.
Sure, he probably could do the job, but he wouldn’t be as effi-
cient at it as a printer who specializes in high-volume work. It
would be like taking your Ford truck to a Volkswagen mechanic.
The VW mechanic could probably fix your truck, but he would
not be as efficient as someone who fixes Ford trucks every day.
Pricing. I always like to get a quote from three different vendors
so I know that I’m getting a reasonable price. If one price is much
lower than the others, be careful and double-check everything to
make sure the vendor isn’t missing any important details. Ask
lots of questions so you can be certain there are no hidden costs.
Compare vendors in the same niche. If you want to print 5,000
postcards, don’t compare quotes from a vendor who special-
izes in printing postcards with a printer specializing in printing
magazines.
Attention to detail. When you ask for a quote, you have to give
specifics about what is involved in the job. If the vendor misses
or “forgets” to quote on one of the job’s details, you may want to
pass on using them. There are plenty of vendors to choose from.
Make sure to use one that pays extra attention to detail.
Experience. If your vendor has been in his niche business for many
years, he will be more likely to catch any possible errors early on.
He will also provide insight into how to run your job more effi-
ciently. It’s worth paying a little more for an expert. He will end
up saving you money in the long run.
Finally, when considering whether to try a new printer, get samples
of his work. Try to get samples of jobs similar to your own.
Get References
The price of the job is important but so are references. Make it a point
to ask for references and actually call them. Many companies ask for
references, but then never make the calls. If they had, they may have
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learned something that could have prevented a disaster. Ask a printer’s
reference questions like these:
Was the quality what you were looking for?
Did the job get done on time?
How did the price compare to that of other printers?
Were there extra, unexpected costs? Any hidden costs?
Visit the Printing Facility
If possible, you’ll want to visit the printer and walk through the facility
while it’s operating. I’ve always found that a good printer keeps the
floors clean and the warehouse organized.
I once visited the printing facility that prints the West Coast edition
of the New York Times. It was a massive facility, but it was extremely
dirty. It was perfect for printing newsprint and high-volume projects,
but it would fail miserably if it tried to print a four-color, high-quality
catalog or invitation. Visiting the printing operation will give you a
much better idea about the printer’s strengths and weaknesses and
whether this facility is the one for you.
Once you find a great printer, find one or two more. You never want
to be locked into using just one. I’ve had numerous mailings where
the printer’s schedule was too full to take my job and get it done when
needed. Because I always have more than one printer, I’m able to move
my job somewhere else without worrying about whether the job will be
done right or on time.
Plus, having more than one great printer will keep them all
competing for your business—giving you excellent pricing, quality, and
customer service.
What About Those Discount Online Printers?
Many businesses are budget conscious these days—and properly so. But
there’s a great old expression: “penny-wise and pound foolish.” In other
words, trying to save a few cents by using a cheaper printer could end up
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costing you a lot more in printing jobs that look bad and don’t get the
response you want or, even worse, that you can’t use at all.
I personally prefer a full-service printer with whom I have an
ongoing relationship for higher-quality jobs that are more complex. I
like being able to talk to the person who is doing the printing. I like
to see paper samples so I know I’m getting the product I want. I like
being able to get proof copies, especially for color jobs, before printing
out 10,000 pieces. And I like being able to call with last-minute changes
or corrections and know that someone will be there who knows the
job and will be able to make sure the change is made before the job is
printed.
Plus, when you have that kind of relationship with your printer,
you have another set of eyes watching the job for you. The printer
may notice a problem in how the art is laid out or that a color doesn’t
seem quite right. Instead of having the attitude “Well, the customer
signed off on it so I’m not going to bother to check any further,” your
full-service printer is more likely to think, “I don’t believe Craig will
be happy if this job comes back looking like that. And even though it
would be his responsibility, and I’d still get paid, I want to make sure he
gets the job he wants. I’d better give him a call.”
This isn’t to say that discount online printers don’t have their place.
Discount printers can be good for small, simple jobs, like postcards that
don’t have any personalization. You can save a little money and still get
an adequate-looking product. But for anything more complex, I like to
use someone I know and trust.
Next we’ll look at a surprising—but highly effective—use of a direct-
mail campaign.
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