Direct mail with a lump could get you noticed.

Marketing can be a bit like a sport. The aim of the game is to get the eyeballs of your audience. The prize is attention that lasts long enough to for your message to be remembered.

You will know from your own email inbox and social media feeds that standing out online is becoming harder and harder. Online marketing is still vital, but don’t forget the other tools in the marketing kit.

Because so many businesses now focus their marketing efforts online, our letterboxes are now comparatively empty. Suddenly snail mail can be a very effective way to get noticed. But plain and boring won’t work. When the post arrives, you still need to be in the A pile. That’s the one that gets opened first, because the letters are personal, from the tax office, or they’re intriguing. You need to make your mailer irresistible. How?

An oldie but a goodie is lumpy mail. This is direct mail with a difference.

Using an envelope containing an object makes it bulky and intriguing. Most people are curious and can’t resist.

You still need to follow all the basics of good marketing – be clear on your target audience and the make sure your message makes sense.

Choose your reason for connecting

• Say thank you to your customers (gratitude goes a long way – 68% of customer loss is due to indifference)
• Wake up customers who haven’t bought from you for a while
• Intrigue and engage prospects who haven’t yet bought
• Pique the interest of a prospect

What could you send? Your imagination is the only limit here

Lumpy Mail works best if the lump relates logically to your message.
Keep it simple – a fun gift, something with a special personal relevance, or a quirky twist.

7 examples of lumpy mail

• Soap (you don’t know me from a bar of soap but…)
• Boost Bar (thank you, we hope we’ve given your business a boost)
• Shoelace (good for startups – we can work on a shoestring budget)
• Packet of seeds (we’re here to plant the seed of a new idea)
• Tabasco chocolate (we’ve got a red hot deal for you)
• Boomerang (we’d love you to come back to us!)
• Dollar coin (we’ll help you earn a lot more of these)

You can also improve your chance of getting noticed by using a coloured and handwritten envelope. Remember logistics – make sure it’s packed in a way that won’t get damaged, and if you’re going for really lumpy mail, factor in postage costs.

Whatever you do, don’t forget:

• Follow your mailer with a phone call and
• Measure your results, so you can do more if it’s working, or tweak if it’s not

For more useful stuff about using print to market your business, download our free ebook.

Secrets to Finding and Keeping More Customers with Print Power