Making Your Prospecting Mailer a Present Worth Opening!

Everyone likes getting gifts!
 So make your mailer a fun surprise!

Everyone enjoys receiving a present. Opening a package with anticipation of its contents reminds us of past birthdays and holidays. So if you want to get a prospective customer interested in your mail advertisement, consider making it more like a present than a piece of mail. 

"Lumpy Mailers" as they are termed, have a response rate well above 10% and some companies have seen response rates as high as 50%! Compare that to the typical response rate for conventional mail pieces which are around 2-3%.

Many people might shy away from loading up their prospecting mail pieces because they think it'll cost them to much. Between postage and materials, is it really worth the extra cost? While the initial investment in producing a "lumpy" prospecting piece is slightly higher, the returns are far greater. And there is good news! 

As of January 22, the United States Postal Service offers first class postage for up to two ounces on any package for the standard one ounce price. That means you don't pay anything extra on postage to load up your mailer! So you might as well get the most bang for your buck! The significantly higher response rate you will generate from the extra weight will increase your return on your investment. People like to open things when they think there is something interesting in it. 

Most importantly, with the extra weight, you can get creative with your mailer! Instead of loading your piece up with more paper, find a creative way to tie your business into the mailer. Even something as simple as a branded calendar or notepad can do wonders to keep your company on your potential customers' minds. Or you can go with something a little more creative. If your a mortgage firm, have a mailer die-cut into the shape of a house or perhaps even make your letter out of a thin piece of roof tile for a unique texture. 

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Anything that adds volume and fun to your piece will increase the chances someone will open it and read your offer.

In addition to creativity inside your prospecting piece, look to make your piece stand out on the exterior too. Take advantage of the wide range of package shapes and sizes. They offer a great way  for your mailer to catch your prospect's attention. 

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Engage your prospect with colorful designs and decorations. Place a post-it note on the envelope! That's right, we can send your mailer with a personalized post-it note attached to the exterior of the envelope. Now your client  has a reminder about your offer that they can stick on the refrigerator before they even open your letter.

Utilizing these unique services, as well as the newly expanded weight capacity from the Postal Service, Synergy can help you design a direct marketing campaign that is sure to expand your business and increase your advertising return on investment! Get a free quote online for your next direct marketing campaign or give us a call at 714-824-3780!

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By: Will Pearlman

Newsletter: Buying the Right Prospecting Data

Synergy Says: Buying the Right Prospecting Data

May 2012

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The right data list makes all the difference in prospect marketing. In order to build your client base you need to figure out which clients are the best prospects for your business. So here are a few tips to make sure when you buy consumer data you get the most bang for your buck!

First, Know Your Prospect

Before purchasing any list, make sure you know what you want and why you want it. At Synergy, we can help you determine which potential clients are ideal for your business and budget. Nowadays, data lists can be sorted by countless qualifiers, so understanding to whom you are marketing is critical before you start contacting data companies. You have to know what your looking for since some companies specialize their services for specific industries.


Before you start looking, you need to know who you are looking for!

Consider your potential client's perspective, I.E. What makes your business a perfect fit for their needs - from the prospect's perspective? According to the Aberdeen study on the science of sales intelligence, 42% of companies have insufficient knowledge of the business needs of their prospects. So do the preparatory work before you start looking at data, it'll save you time and money in the long run.

Not All Data Lists Are Equal

Make sure you check out different companies and ask about different options. Find out how the data company generates their list so that you know its the right prospects for your business. Take advantage of the services data companies offer such as sorting and cleaning.

Remember, your not buying a list for one-time use, it's an investment in your company!

Keep It Clean

Data lists are like gardens, if you don't tend to them, they will die. Buy a prospect list from a company that automatically updates the list for you on a regular basis. If that is not an option, we can manage your list for you!

According to the United States Postal Service, the quality of a data lists deteriorates by approximately 2% a month, so make regularly updating your list a habit so that you won't waste time and money advertising to a dead end.

Use Multiple Sources

When buying a prospecting list, it should come from multiple data sources. Check with the data company to see where they get their information. Data lists complied from multiple sources tend to be:

• More accurate
• More detailed
• Unique (So your competition can't mail to the same list!)

Passive Aggressive Marketing: The Best Way to Reach New Customers!

Your in control of how the public views
your company, so make yourself known!

No matter how big or small your business is, the desire to grow and reach new customers is constant. The most effective marketing campaigns use a multichannel approach. But, you must ensure you are marketing to the right audience in the right way. A layered campaign involving a broad and passive approach working simultaneously with an aggressive and narrow marketing strategy is the most effect way to build your client base. In order to maximize this dynamic marketing style, an understanding of whom to which you are trying to sell, and the range of your marketing spectrum is required.

Going Big and Passive!

Awww, cute. Is your company
the big teddy bear everyone likes?

Prospect marketing must expose your brand while engaging potential clients in need of your company's services. For brand exposure, a passive approach must be taken. Advertising mediums such as television, newspapers, internet, and radio are great ways to make people familiar with your company name without a high pressure sales campaign or annoying spam messages. Brand recognition is built through repetition and familiarity. While building brand recognition, try to avoid over exposure; you don't want people to develop a sense of frustration or agitation because your company is everywhere. Just make a clear presence without over exposing. (less is more . . . and cheaper!)

The more people hear your brand name, the more comfortable they will become with it, even if they have never previously done business with your company. In psychology this is called habituation - the process of becoming familiar and therefore comfortable with an elicit stimulus. Familiarity is one way to draw potential clients to your company. Make people recognize your name, even if it is just locally or regionally. Then, as people recognize your brand, you can tell them what your all about in a personal and direct manner. This is where the narrow and aggressive side of your marketing campaign takes over.

Getting Personal

Make sure your offer has a personal touch.
This way prospects feel like your ad is a gift!

Whether your brand is established or not, you want your marketing strategy to feature a specific prospecting campaign to target potential customers who are in need of your product or service. Many data companies out there can filter lists for countless criteria, such as; industry, sales volume, number of employees, geographic location, etc . . . Determine who the target audience is for your company through the various criteria and then target a direct mail campaign for these potential clients. Send an aggressive offer or sales message to them displaying how your company will resolve their problems. Appeal to them using a specific offer that will positively effect their lives. 

Be Personally Aggressive, Communally Passive

Keep the aggressive marketing out of the mainstream! Make sure your company has a passive brand image in your broad and highly public marketing campaign. You want your community to view your company as a positive influence in their daily lives, not an aggressive advertising nuisance. With that in mind, when you send direct mail to people in your community, use a personalized and specific offer, they will not see it as a nuisance, but as a welcome invitation for a great deal on a local service. Moreover, if you have a pleasant brand image thanks to your passive marketing, then your direct customer contact will be a welcomed and informative offer to those who receive it!

Everyone has personal needs and so does your company,
but present your brand as a part of the community,
then market to each individual based on
what your business can do for them!

A combination of an aggressive, specific appeal with a passive, brand recognition campaign will generate a network of familiarity for your brand within the local community. Even if you are a national company, a regional campaign themed to a specific demographic area will generate additional local growth. If you can coordinate a well-targeted, aggressive, personalized prospect mailing campaign with a broad, brand recognition approach, you will undoubtedly see your business boom!

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By: Will Pearlman