Direct Mail Strategy: Open Sesame

Are wafer seals keeping your mail from getting opened?

November 2007 By Pat Friesen

multipage

This may be an eye-opener. Did you know if you don’t tab certain types of mailings, USPS Mail Processing may do it without asking or informing you? (For more information, visit http://pe.usps.gov and search for Quick Service Guide 201b.)

Don’t get me wrong; I support the good intentions of the USPS. It doesn’t want to rip up your mail piece during automated processing. But as a direct marketer responsible for generating response, you need to make the decisions that control the openability of your mailings—not the USPS, a lettershop or mailing service. This isn’t just a tabbing decision. It starts with details such as format and paper choices.

While lowering postal costs through automation is an important consideration, what do you gain if you decrease openability and lower response rates? To avoid this trap:

Make no assumptions. Do you know if your company currently applies wafer-seal tabbing or if the USPS has been applying tabs for you? Find out, and don’t assume it was a conscious marketing decision driven by maximizing response versus cutting postage costs. If the USPS has been doing the tabbing for you, review why and plan accordingly for the future. I’ve noticed USPS tabs aren’t always the easiest to open and may hide copy after they’re applied.

Know your options. If you decide to use wafer seals, consider your choices: white versus clear versus translucent seals. Wafer seals also are available in colors. Your direct mail designers may want to incorporate colorful wafer seals into the mail-piece design to increase visibility and openability. Your copywriter may want to include teaser copy with them , so make wafer seals or gluing part of your creative strategy.

Did you know you also have the option of perforated versus nonperforated seals? Perforated seals may cost more, but they can be a sound investment if they can be opened more easily without tearing your catalog or mail piece. In some cases, you may have choices for the seal placement. (Visit http://pe.usps.gov for placement guidelines.)

Seed yourself on your mailing list. If you haven’t already done it, add yourself and others on your marketing team to your mailing list. Consider it informal quality control. You want to receive exactly what your customers receive and try to open. If your mail pieces are not getting opened, there’s no way they’re getting read or generating response.

Test. Ask your lettershop or mailing house to run pre-mailing tests to show you what will arrive in your customer’s mailbox. Also consider testing wafer seals or spot-gluing versus paying the surcharge, then track response and sales versus postal cost-savings. Testing will show whether or not you’re depressing response and sacrificing bottom-line dollars to save a few cents in the mail.

A final note of thanks: In writing this column, I received helpful advice and information from the USPS, colleagues who run lettershops/mailing services and mailers. It was clear (no pun intended) that everyone’s intention is to get the mail delivered in good condition. However, you are the individual responsible for its openability after it’s delivered. A wafer seal may look like just a sticker, but it’s actually an important strategic decision

Pat Friesen is president of Pat Friesen & Co. She can be reached at (913) 341-1211, via e-mail at Pat@PatFriesen.com, or by visiting www.PatFriesen.com.

• MORE ON
• DIRECT MAIL & POSTAL