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Tips & news for
the creative mind
It’s a busy Monday afternoon, and the mail carrier drops a curious-looking package on your desk. With a skeptical glance, you skim the headline emblazoned across the front. What’s this? Maybe you’ll just peek…
 Welcome to the world of dimensional marketing. If this results-boosting strategy isn’t part of your overall marketing plan, maybe it’s time to learn more.
Results, Anyone?
For those who think dimensional marketing is just another shallow tactic, these statistics tell a different story:
- Baylor University research revealed the benefits of dimensional elements. In a mailing to 3,000 school administrators, recipients of a promotional product in a dimensional package had a 75 percent higher response rate than those who received only a sales letter.
- According to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2006 Response Rate Report, dimensional mail averaged a 4.7 percent response rate in the B-to-B market and 5.4 percent in the lead generation category.
- Silver Marketing Group found that promotional incentives are even more effective. In offers mailed to 1,482 businesses, the highest response (7.3%) came from those who received a product incentive and a sales letter, versus simply a letter (1.8%) or a letter plus a promotional product (2.7%).
Let’s Get Practical
Here are some practical tips to help you plan an effective dimensional campaign:
1. Be diligent. He’s making a list, checking it twice. Santa had the right idea. Make sure your mailing list is pristine. Bad addresses, misspelled names and unqualified leads are costly.
2. Be relevant. Prospects must associate the dimensional item with your company. A clever giveaway with a memorable message beats a lavish gift from someone they don’t remember.
3. Be creative. Even if your target market is perceived as stodgy, don’t mail an "uninspired" package. Make it audience-appropriate, but make it compelling.
4. Be inviting (not pushy). Avoid offers that are too technical or specific. Dimensional mailers are a great way to get a "first date" with customers—don’t scare them off with a marriage proposal!
5. Be sensible. Decide what you can afford to mail each prospect, and what you expect in return. Plan a campaign that hits the mark and stays within your budget.
Other tips are to leave time for a trial mailing of the package, and to track ROI with measurement tools.
Don’t Let the Magic Wear Off
After spending the extra effort and expense to launch an amazing program, it’s tempting to sit back and wait for leads to come knocking. But don’t let the magic wear off—one of the most critical elements of any dimensional campaign is the follow-up call.
Jim Domanski, President of Teleconcepts Consulting, says it best: "The whole point of the mailer was to make your prospects more receptive to your prospecting overture. Capitalize on their receptivity!" He suggests 3-4 days as the ideal interval between the drop date and the follow-up call. Without a follow-up plan, your investment may be in vain.
For more information about driving results in your next dimensional direct marketing campaign, contact your account executive, or call Randy Peterson, director of promotional products, at 763.971.3251.
Imagine…a whole day without email. Does this sound inviting to you, or scary? The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a growing number of employers are imposing "no email" Fridays.
The limits aim to encourage more face-to-face contact, raise productivity and give employees a reprieve from the ever-rising email tide. Not a bad idea, if you consider the average number of sent emails is climbing to nearly 50 a day.
And this volume isn’t always easy to handle. Nearly one-third say they feel stressed out by email, with many checking their in-boxes as often as 30 to 40 times an hour—almost like an addiction. Hmm…sounds like an email intervention may be just what’s needed!
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