Business-to-Business DM: Rising Above the Junk Mail

By Rich Carango
Vice President, Creative
Schubert Communications

Every day, direct marketers around the country send letters and mailers to try and solicit responses from business audiences. The targets of these letters and mailers are, like you and me, extremely busy – rushing from meeting to meeting, trying to complete as many tasks as possible in days that always seem to be too short. Somewhere in all that mayhem they might read their mail, although it is more likely that they will just glance at it. Perhaps they will even have someone else read it for them, who will pass along only the "important" stuff.

The rest of it gets tossed in the round file. Discarded…never to be seen again. In other words, it becomes "junk mail," and many hours of creative writing and design, and thousands of dollars in production costs, are wasted.

So what happened? Why didn't it work? What could possibly turn all that work into junk?

I have my theories, but first let's get a clear understanding of what "junk" is.  Webster's defines it as: something of little meaning, worth, or significance.

Interesting. So, consider this – if you received a letter in the mail and deemed it as having little meaning, worth, or significance, would you take time out of your day to read it?

Don't bother answering, I know you wouldn't. Neither would I. Neither would tens of millions of business buyers throughout the country.

So what's the secret? How do you avoid adding your DM projects to the piles of junk mail cluttering up our nation's mailrooms? Well, direct response is a tricky business, and there is no one secret to success – but here are several tips that should help.

Use the right list

Any discussion of DM dos and don’ts must start with the list.

Your best bet is a list that contains the names of prospects that have already expressed direct interest in your company. When you know the specific interests of your audience, you stand a much better chance of crafting a meaningful message that won’t get “junked.”

This “A” list will most likely come from your company’s own database. Hopefully, your database already contains names of customers and prospects that have “raised their hands” and inquired about your products or services as a result of ads, public relations, or trade shows.

If you don’t have such a database, create one.

Save your mailer from "the sieve"

Some of the people on your list may not open their own mail. A high-level executive, for instance, may have an administrative assistant that sorts out the junk. This person is often referred to as a gatekeeper, but I don’t like that expression. I think these people should be called “sieves.” Every piece of mail of a certain size, color, style, etc. will pass right through this sieve and into oblivion. To ensure that your mailer gets through to the right person, you have to design it so that it won’t fit through the sieve.

If your mailer looks important or at least out of the ordinary, the “sieve” will have to stop and think about it. Most likely they will pass it along to the boss, not wanting to make a mistake by discarding something that could be of interest.

My favorite tactic for beating the sieve is to create a piece with dimension. Boxes are the best. They get a lot of attention and have plenty of internal real estate for graphics, copy, and give-aways. Tubes are good as well, although the shape limits what you can stuff inside (posters and calendars work great).

If your budget won’t cover the cost of a box or tube, try an oversized or padded envelope. Personally, when forced to go the envelope route, I like the padded variety. The padding implies that there is something valuable or important is inside. “Valuable” and “important” are concepts that clog the “sieve” and stop your mailer from becoming junk.

Push the envelope to get your mailer opened

Dimensional mailers can be very effective, but they are expensive and are really only mandatory when you know that you have to beat the “sieve.” Most of the time, you can be reasonably sure that your mailer will at least reach the intended target. But that doesn’t mean that you have escaped the dreaded junk pile – you still have to make sure that your mailer gets opened.

Take a look at the pile of mail on your desk. Chances are most of it is good ol’ standard white #10 envelopes – the 9.5” x 4.25” workhorses of the business world that shuttle most of the bills, invoices, and correspondences that keep the country working.

Now imagine your message is hidden somewhere in all those envelopes. What are the chances that it will be seen, let alone stand out from the others? Not much.

So I say the first thing you must do to get your mailer noticed is break out of the #10.

Supersize your mailer. Go with a 6” x 9” envelope. Or even a square envelope. The larger and unique sizes will literally stand out from a stack of mail. If you are bold enough, you can even go with a round mailer (although the Post Office will charge you more for the postage – they like the #10s).

To really stand out, break away from envelopes completely and print your mailer on an interesting material. Digital presses can print on all kinds of things –  metal, wood, plastic – almost anything you can think of (and if the digital press can’t handle it, there’s always silk screening). The other day I received a postcard that was covered with fur on one side. Awesome. It certainly got my attention.

If your company happens to make a product that can be used as the mailer itself (like plastic or metal,) you can print your message on your actual product and create a promotional piece and product sample in one.

Of course, the wilder you get, the more your costs go up. Especially your mailing costs. But there are less expensive ways to get attention.

Whether you send out your DM piece in an envelope or as a self-mailer, your piece can get a lot of attention with bright bold colors. When you are choosing a palette for your envelope, push to be unique. Consider magenta, yellow, orange, bright green, and bright blue. I am not advocating going overboard, but rest assured that even a little color goes a long way.

As a designer, I would like to think that design alone compels prospects to open a DM piece. But I realize that is not the case. That is why some of my best friends are copywriters. Combining bold graphics with targeted teaser copy on the outside of a mailer is, in my opinion, the best way to get opened. There are theories out there that counter my point and warn that teaser copy can backfire – alerting your prospects that what’s contained within is a sales pitch.

But if you have the right list, do your homework, and really get to know your audience, the well-crafted teaser strikes a nerve with the prospect and is instrumental in delivering a meaningful message.

Make sure your mailer is meaningful

Take a moment and think about your day. Your week. The last quarter. I am sure that you have been nagged by problems in one aspect of your business or another (if you have had no problems at all, congratulations – now tell the truth). Your computer network may be inadequate for the growing needs of your sales force. Or you may feel that you are spending way too much on business travel. Whatever. The point is, you probably have these important issues on your mind all of the time.

Now imagine that a piece of mail came across your desk and in big, bold, colorful type made this offer, "Upgrade your computer network and cut travel expenses by 40%." You would probably read that one, right? If you are like most business buyers, you would, because it cut through the clutter and got your attention by at least promising something very valuable – a solution to your problems.

The most powerful direct mail messages should be written to address the reader's needs, not the advertiser's agenda. I can assure you that your prospects are much more concerned about what's on their minds than they are with your sales goals or marketing plans.

Once you have a reader's attention, your copy should work quickly to deliver the juicy part of the message and make an offer up front. Even interested readers may only scan your copy for 5 seconds so it does not pay to create a "build-up" that fails to make your strongest points until the end of your message. Don't be dramatic; be direct (they don't call it direct mail for nothing)!

Finally, strive to narrow the focus of your message as much as possible. The real power of direct mail is that you have the opportunity to target your message to a specific group of prospects. A very specific offer that solves specific problems will have the most impact.

Don't get junked

So you see, you are not powerless against preventing your art from becoming junk mail. Always remember the definition: something of little meaning, worth, or significance. Pin these words on your message board and every time you design a DM piece or write a letter, be honest with yourself. Ask yourself if you are avoiding the round file. Think how you would fare versus the "sieve." Check to see that your copy says what they want to hear, and not just what you want to say.

Only you can prevent junk mail.


Rich Carango is Vice President, Creative for Schubert Communications, Inc., a leading 100% business-to-business advertising and public relations agency, in Downingtown, Pa.  Contact Rich at rcarango@schubert.com.

Back to the top