You might think direct mail is fading out, but lettermail marketing remains a valuable tool for businesses. It’s not just about sending invoices or letters; companies are finding creative ways to use lettermail as a powerful marketing tool. It's also an affordable option compared to other mailing services, making it a great choice for businesses of all sizes. In this blog, we’ll discuss why businesses choose lettermail, its benefits, and how to make it more engaging while keeping costs down.
Why Businesses Use Lettermail
Lettermail is an appealing choice for companies that want a direct and personal connection with their audience. Here are some key reasons why businesses continue to use it:
Affordability: Lettermail is a cost-effective way to reach customers compared to other mailing options like parcels or larger mail formats. In Canada, sending a standard-sized letter within the country costs around $1.07 for domestic letters up to 30 grams. Bulk mailing rates can bring costs down even further, especially when sending thousands of pieces.
High Open Rates: Direct mail, including lettermail, boasts a significantly higher open rate than email. While email open rates range from 15-25%, direct mail has an open rate of around 70%. People are still check their mailboxes regularly, and a personalized letter is much harder to ignore than an email.
Personal Touch: Lettermail allows businesses to create a personal connection. Receiving a letter feels more intimate than receiving a digital message, which is often perceived as cold or impersonal. It helps to build trust and can foster a stronger relationship with customers.
Targeted Reach: Businesses can use lettermail to reach specific customer segments. By targeting a particular geographic area, demographic, or group of existing customers, companies can ensure their message is seen by the right people.
Longevity: Unlike an email that can get deleted in seconds, a physical piece of mail is often kept around the house for days or weeks. It may end up on the fridge, the kitchen counter, or in a drawer, which keeps your brand in front of your customers for longer.
Benefits of Lettermail
The benefits of lettermail go beyond just being budget-friendly. Here are some additional advantages that make it a worthwhile marketing channel:
Less Competition: The average person receives around 100-120 emails per day, but only a handful of pieces of physical mail. This means less competition for attention when you use lettermail. You stand a much better chance of your message being noticed and read.
Flexible Format: Lettermail offers various format options. You can send a postcard, flyer, coupon, or even a personalized letter in an envelope. Each type can serve a different purpose, allowing businesses to get creative while still staying within a standard lettermail size.
Direct Response Channel: Lettermail can be used effectively as a direct response tool, encouraging customers to take action. Including a call to action (CTA) like “Bring this letter in for a discount” or “Scan this QR code for a special offer” encourages recipients to engage with your brand.
How to Get Creative with Lettermail While Maintaining Cost-Effectiveness
While lettermail is already affordable, there are ways to make it more engaging without significantly increasing costs. Here’s how:
Personalization Without Breaking the Bank
Personalization makes lettermail feel more relevant to the recipient. You don’t need to spend a lot to make your lettermail personalized. Here are some tips:
Use Variable Data Printing: This technique allows you to change certain elements of the print run, like the name, address, or a personalized message, without stopping the press. It’s perfect for adding a personal touch while keeping printing costs down.
Handwritten Fonts: Using a handwritten-style font can make your letter feel more personal. It gives the impression that someone took the time to write it, making it stand out in the mailbox.
Personalized Offers: Instead of sending a generic coupon, use customer data to send personalized offers. For instance, if you run a restaurant, send a “Happy Birthday” coupon to customers during their birthday month.
Interactive Elements That Add Value
Interactive lettermail can be engaging without being expensive. Including elements that require the recipient to interact with the mail increases its value and impact.
Scratch-and-Reveal: Include a scratch-off section that reveals a discount or a secret message. This creates a sense of excitement and anticipation.
Fold-Out Mailers: A letter that unfolds to reveal additional content can be more engaging than a standard flat mail piece. You can use the extra space for additional messaging, images, or even fun facts.
Pull Tabs or Magnifying Elements: Simple mechanical interactions like pull tabs can reveal hidden messages or images, making the mail piece more dynamic.
Incorporate QR Codes to Bridge Offline and Online Worlds
QR codes are an easy way to make lettermail interactive. Adding a QR code to your letter provides a bridge between the physical and digital worlds, allowing customers to scan and be taken directly to your website, a promotional landing page, or a video.
Track Engagement: By using unique QR codes for different campaigns, you can track the response rate and measure the effectiveness of your lettermail efforts.
Encourage Social Media Interaction: Direct recipients to a social media contest or exclusive online content through the QR code.
Use Vibrant Colors and Unique Shapes
Custom Envelopes: Although lettermail usually needs to stay within certain size and weight restrictions to be considered cost-effective, using a custom color for your envelope or adding a printed design can make it stand out.
Shape-Cut Postcards: Consider sending a postcard that’s shaped like an item related to your business (e.g., a cupcake for a bakery). While staying within lettermail size guidelines, you can still make the piece look more interesting than a standard rectangle.
Colorful Graphics: Use bright colors, interesting fonts, and high-quality images to grab attention. Even though you’re sticking to basic printing options, creative design can make a huge difference.
Leverage Bulk Mailing Discounts
Sending large volumes of lettermail can qualify you for bulk mailing discounts. We offer discounted rates for businesses that send 1,000 or more pieces in a single mailing. This is an ideal opportunity for companies looking to reach a large audience affordably.
Targeted Campaigns: Use bulk mailing for special events, seasonal promotions, or major announcements. The more you send, the lower the cost per piece, allowing for a wider reach while sticking to your budget.
Combine with Digital Campaigns: Pair bulk mailings with email or social media efforts to increase campaign effectiveness. Recipients who see your message across multiple channels are more likely to take action.
Use Augmented Reality (AR) to Bring Mail to Life
Augmented Reality (AR) can transform a simple piece of lettermail into a dynamic experience. Adding an AR element doesn't necessarily increase costs significantly but adds a "wow" factor to your mail. Here’s how you can incorporate AR into your lettermail:
AR-Enhanced letter: Include a QR code that, when scanned, launches an AR experience where recipients can see a 3D model of your product, a video, or a message from your CEO. For example, if you’re promoting a new car, recipients could view a 360-degree model of the vehicle by scanning the code.
Virtual Try-Ons or Demos: Use AR to show how a piece of furniture would look in the customer’s living room, or how a new pair of sunglasses would fit. This is perfect for lifestyle brands aiming to give customers a feel for their products before buying.
Include Tactile Elements for a Multi-Sensory Experience
Engage more than just the eyes by using different textures or materials. Tactile elements can add a unique touch to lettermail without significantly increasing costs.
Embossed or Textured Printing: Incorporate embossing, raised print, or textured paper that recipients can feel. This makes the mail piece stand out from the usual flat paper, adding a premium touch.
Scented Mailers: Add a scent relevant to your product, like coffee for a coffee shop or a floral fragrance for a perfume store. Scented mailers make the recipient stop and take notice, appealing to the sense of smell as well as sight.
Thermochromic Ink: Use heat-sensitive ink that changes color when touched. Recipients can interact with the mail by rubbing certain areas to reveal hidden messages, discounts, or product details.
Incorporate Small Samples or Giveaways
Including a small item with your lettermail can increase its perceived value and make it more exciting for the recipient.
Product Samples: Attach a small, lightweight product sample, such as a tea bag, mini lotion sachet, or fragrance sample, to your lettermail. Make sure it stays within weight restrictions to avoid higher mailing costs.
Seed Packets or Plantable Paper: Send a packet of flower or herb seeds, or use paper embedded with wildflower seeds that recipients can plant. This is particularly appealing for eco-conscious brands and adds a fun, lasting interaction.
Coupons or Scratch Cards: Physical coupons are classic, but you can take it a step further by including scratch-off cards where recipients can reveal their discount. It adds an element of surprise and encourages immediate engagement.
Create Puzzle or Game Mailers
Make lettermail fun by turning it into a game or puzzle that the recipient has to solve. This kind of interaction can boost engagement and leave a lasting impression.
Jigsaw Puzzle Postcards: Send a postcard that recipients have to assemble, revealing a message, offer, or image once completed. It’s an interesting way to hold the recipient’s attention longer.
Crossword or Word Search Games: Add a small word search or crossword puzzle that relates to your product or industry. For example, if you’re in the travel industry, include a travel-themed crossword with a special message hidden in the solution.
Escape Room Challenges: Incorporate an "escape room" style puzzle into the mail, where solving clues can unlock a special discount code or access to an online experience.
Utilize Pop-Up Elements for a 3D Effect
Pop-up cards are not just for special occasions; they can be used effectively in lettermail to make a lasting impression.
Pop-Up Elements: When recipients open the letter, a pop-up of your product or a 3D message emerges. This adds an element of surprise and makes the piece more visually appealing.
Mechanical Cards: These cards incorporate simple mechanisms like sliders or pull-tabs to animate parts of the mail. For example, pulling a tab could reveal additional content or move a product image.
Include Fold-Out Maps or Infographics
If you have a lot of information to convey, fold-out maps or infographics can be a great way to do it without overwhelming the recipient.
Fold-Out Infographic: If you're trying to educate customers about a process, product benefits, or service areas, fold-out infographics make it easy to consume large amounts of information. They can be folded back into a standard-size mail piece to keep mailing costs down.
Location-Based Promotions: For businesses with multiple locations, a fold-out map can highlight the nearest store or service center. Include special offers that can be redeemed at a specific location for a personalized touch.
Use Reveal Windows or Hidden Messages
Adding a sense of mystery to your lettermail can intrigue recipients and encourage them to take a closer look.
Reveal Windows: Create a window in the mail piece with a message that becomes visible when the inner card is pulled or rotated.
Hidden Messages with UV Ink: Send a letter with a message printed in invisible UV ink, and include a small UV flashlight or direct them to use one they already own. It adds an element of playfulness while revealing the special offer or call-to-action.
Leverage Variable Imagery Based on Customer Data
In addition to personalizing names and addresses, you can take personalization further by using variable imagery that matches the recipient's preferences or past purchases.
Location-Specific Images: If you’re targeting customers in different regions, change the background image to feature a local landmark.
Customer History-Based Images: Use images related to the customer’s previous interactions or purchases. For example, if a customer recently bought hiking gear, send a lettermail piece featuring a scenic trail with a related discount.
Gamify the Mailer with a Loyalty Program Kickstart
Encourage recipients to join a loyalty program or participate in a contest by using lettermail as the starting point.
Scratch-and-Win Loyalty Points: Introduce recipients to your loyalty program by sending a scratch-and-win card that reveals a starting balance of loyalty points.
Contest Entry Codes: Include a unique contest entry code that can be entered on your website for a chance to win a prize, driving traffic to your digital platforms.
Overall, lettermail remains a powerful and cost-effective tool for businesses that want to connect directly with their customers. By getting creative with personalization, interactive elements, vibrant designs, and the strategic use of bulk mailing, companies can maximize their impact without significantly increasing costs. It's all about finding the right balance between affordability and creativity, allowing businesses to make a memorable impression in the mailbox.
So, next time you think about your marketing strategy, don’t overlook the humble lettermail. It’s cost-effective, has high open rates, and provides an opportunity for creativity that digital marketing channels simply can’t match. Click below to learn more about lettermail and its pricing options.
