Imagine you have an Inbox full of emails, a stack of envelopes from the mail, and one oddly-shaped little package. Which one would you open first?
Chances are, you’ll want to see what’s in that package. In fact, marketers claim the “lumpy mail” package has an open rate of 100 percent—meaning nobody can resist finding out what the lump in that package might be! With email so popular that it makes direct “snail mail” campaigns seem new again, lumpy mail gives your company a way to stand out among other postal deliveries and jump to the head of the line.
So what IS the lump? It’s usually a small promotional item bearing a company’s logo and an accompanying coupon, announcement, or invitation to call. You don’t want to spam potential customers by sending them something with no value—say, a rock. But refrigerator magnets, tiny flashlights, and packages of post-it notes are useful gifts that reward opening the lumpy mail package! First-aid kits, sewing kits, and pop sockets are welcome, too.
Remember, most lumpy packages will arrive at a home address—but with home offices so popular now, office supplies are good lumpy mail items, too. Lumpy items don’t have to be related to your business, as long as they bear the name of your business. Think of your potential customer base and try to choose a gift they will find helpful. If you market mostly to seniors, they’ll appreciate the tiny flashlight more than the pop socket. But whatever promotional item you choose, a gift will brighten the potential customer’s day for at least a few minutes, and that helps your brand make a favorable impression.
The best way to evaluate the success of your lumpy mail is to include a unique identifier—a specific telephone number to call, a special website landing page, or a discount code not used in other promotional material. Take the time to analyze your results and use that information to target your potential customers more closely.
Be sure the postal service can and will deliver your lumpy mail packages by taking a sample package to the Post Office before you invest in more lumpy mail components. Postal workers will consider your lumpy mail a parcel rather than a letter, even if it’s in a regular envelope. That means you’ll pay a higher postage rate and you’ll need to meet the other restrictions for parcels—for example, hand sanitizer is a popular product but a poor choice for lumpy mail, because it contains a potential flammable substance (alcohol) not allowed in postal service parcels.
Start small, analyze your results, and gradually expand your lumpy mail program until your company’s name (and its accompanying lumps) saturate your territory! Lumpy mail is irresistible, and that can make it an important part of your next marketing campaign.
Related Articles You May Want to Check Out:
Download our Promotional Products Quick Guide.