If you are a regular follower then you know I am electronic media’s biggest fan.  It is everywhere from the demise of newspapers to E-vites and email rsvps.  So what’s with that headline?

It is exactly the fact that online marketing has become so ubiquitous that I think it may be a time to give snail mail a fresh look. We all have our spam filters set and a separate email address that we use when we have to give an email address that we know will result in junk. Junk mail has fallen off and doesn’t crowd our snail mailboxes like it once did. Hmmmm.

So just why do I think a postcard will get any more attention that it did 4 years ago? Well I don’t think a postcard will, but a nice fat “lumpy” mailer will. What’s a lumpy mailer, you ask. A lumpy mailer is a padded envelope or box with something in it. Don’t YOU always open those? I know at one time I had a whole collection of pens that said “Your name here” LOL

This, of course, is not the most budget conscience option but it may be effective. Even that behemoth of the online world, Google, is doing it. They sent out little spiral bound note cards in bright green listing tips for using Adsence to advertise.

So what do you put into a lumpy mailer? Well it has to be unique and it has to have a connection to your business. Ideally it should be something that the recipient will either keep or remember.  Suppose you are a caterer, how about a sushi shaped eraser with your information on the bottom? I know I’d keep that. A bridal salon might have some mini jewelry bags made up out of bridal fabric with a tag sewn in with their information. Photographers might send out picture frame key chains. Get creative.

I’m not recommending that you buy a list and send these out blindly to a couple of thousand engaged couples. I do think you should send them to hot prospects though. Maybe drop one in the mail to a new consult on the day you meet with them.  Or harvest the best from that list you got at the bridal show and send by snail mail rather than just handing it out at the show, for just a bit more money you get a second exposure.

This kind of thing also works great for business to business sales. Think up something that will get the attention of other vendors that you want to refer you.  You might even consider spending a bit more on something for this purpose. Say you are a florist, find a vase shaped pencil cup that you can put your information on and send it out to rental firms, caterers and venues. If it is unique enough they will use it on their desk, keeping you in the front of their mind. Double score if it is on the desk where they meet with clients.

The old rule of thumb with postcards was that you need 7 exposures to be effective. If you add that up you may not be spending all that much more doing one lumpy mailer than you were on the postcard campaign. If you want to track the success, set up a mini page on your website and have that URL printed on your collateral. Then you can simply track how many people enter on that page.

In today’s market you have to think outside the box to get noticed.

Further reading:

What Google Can Teach Us About Printed Marketing Materials

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