Lumpy mail - getting your marketing material opened

Several years ago I attending a marketing conference and the speaker talked about Lumpy mail.  Getting your message to clients is getting harder and harder so I am rethinking this idea for my own marketing tasks.

Ever get an envelope that felt like it had something other than just paper inside?  What did you do?  You opened it, right? Of course you did.  We all love surprises and an envelope that is lumpy - meaning it holds something of interest inside - spurs us to find out just what is hidden in the envelope.

Why would you want to send out paper today in this electronic age we live in? Because more and more people are electing to opt out of email marketing because they are being deluged.  Since everyone is busy out there trying to make a dollar in a poor economy, they tend to be on the phone rather than sitting around waiting to answer your cold call.  Or, they have signed up for the "do not call" list and you can't get through in the first place.  What's left is knocking on doors or sending paper.

If you elect to send paper, you need to figure out a way to keep your paper from ending up in a trash can without even being opened.  There are tons of tricks out there for making an envelope enticing.  My least favorite is the one that makes it look like a check.  Come on guys, that's just plain mean.  But lumpy.  Ah, you got me on that one.  I just love the ones that have pens in them - wish I got more.

For myself, I have had the idea of sending the little plastic monkeys that hang off of cocktail glasses.  You can buy them in bunches of a hundred for practically nothing.  My marketing text will talk about "taking the monkey off your back" by using our services.  Cute, huh? I have found several sites that will produce my marketing materials for pennies on the dollar so I have the quality materials.  Now, it's off the to the mailbox to send them and sit back and wait on the results.

The secret to getting sales in the door is to cover all avenues, large or small.  This is one that I hope will be productive and also a bit of fun.  I'll keep you posted on the results.