Right next to my neighborhood's mailboxes stands a trash can. It never stands empty for long. I see neighbors pull out the mail from their box, sort through it right then, and then toss most of it into the trash can. That's understandable if their mail is like mine: mostly ads from car dealerships, cable companies, and financial services such as credit card companies. (Although a big difference between those neighbors and me is that I tend to take my mail home, and shred it before tossing it.)
This behavior raised a question in my mind: What will entice people to open an envelope to see the creative and inspiring message you've spent weeks creating, and then spent money on printing and mailing?
In answer to that question, I found a recent study published in the Journal of Marketing Communications, which looks at what factors increase the recipient's intent to open a direct mail envelope. The study looked at what the direct mail envelope message communicated and if it influenced the recipient's intention of opening the envelope.
Out of six types of messages, only three had any significant impact on increasing the intention to open the envelope. These were messages that created a feeling of importance, gratitude (we appreciate your business, thank you), or an anticipation of a non-price incentive.
The other three messages: creating a feeling of urgency (offer expires soon), exclusiveness (special offer), or anticipation of a price incentive (don't pay too much), did not significantly affect the consumers' intent.
The study showed that direct marketers should design marketing pieces as tools "for building relationships with the recipients" instead of transactional oriented factors. Piquing the curiosity of what is inside by using a non-price incentive also increases the chances.
So, when designing a direct mail piece, pay attention not just to the piece, but also to what the envelope is saying to your intended audience. With the right type of envelope message, your piece could make it past the neighborhood mailbox trash can and into my neighbors' homes.
Source: For the report of this study, click here
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