How To Get Your Mail Opened

Getting your mail opened by the person you mailed it to, is arguably the most important part of the direct mail process.  Don’t get me wrong, selecting a very targeted list and putting together an incredible sales letter is important, but without the envelope getting opened, all the other work is pretty useless.

So, four tips for getting your mail opened:

1.    Put it in a ‘personal sized’ envelope.
2.    Have a simple return address.
3.    Use a real stamp.
4.    Address the envelope to the person’s name.

Put it in a ‘personal sized’ envelope.  This is one of my favorite tips.  Anytime you can put your mail in an odd sized envelope your chances of getting opened increase.  I like using invitation envelopes.  They are the same envelopes you would get from your Grandmother and when a prospect receives it there is little chance it will end up in the trash.

Have a simple return address.  This is useful if this is the first time you are mailing to a potential client.  By just using your street address and no name, you are creating another level of enticement for them to want to open the envelope.  Every little bit counts.

Use a real stamp.  A first class stamp greatly increases your odds of getting opened.  When people see something that has a meter marking, it almost always goes straight to the recycle bin, or worse, the trash.  I like using interesting stamps.  Right now, we are using flower stamps, along with the Chinese New Year stamps, and mixing in some comic book stamps.  All of them show an increased open rate, and are much more interesting than the standard flag or bell stamps.  

Address the envelope to the person’s name.  This is very important, a marketing letter made out to the ‘Current Resident’ is the biggest kiss of death when it comes to direct mail.  By using the person’s name you have a much better chance of it getting opened, at least it has a chance of not going straight to the recycle bin.  

And here is the big kicker, have it hand addressed.  Picture the envelope… an invitation size envelope with a return address label with a two-line address in the top left corner.  It has a flower stamp in the top right corner.  It is addressed to you, with your first and last name, and is hand written.  Can you picture yourself throwing this envelope away without opening it?  I can’t, and I know you wouldn’t either.

I hope this helps you to understand the power of using some simple ideas to make sure your direct mail gets opened.  Of course, if you are in need of finding someone to hand address your envelopes, look no further than www.UpperHandMarketing.com.  We are here to help you make all your marketing campaigns a success.

James Cappelmann