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3. Use the Whole Package
Often, you may be well served by using the entire outer, including its back. Friesen describes a package for bison meat that was mailed to gourmet food and beef eaters. When she spoke with her client about why its current buyers were buying bison, the answer was health reasons (it’s lower in cholesterol).
“So I did something I rarely do; I pretty much covered the envelope. I put a steak on the front because this audience buys meat through the mail, so they see that, and it will stop them. Above that, I said, ‘Bison, better for you than beef’ and the way the type ran was that ‘for you’ was smaller. Meanwhile, the back of the outer had a comparison chart. So we gave them a lot of information on the outside,” describes Friesen, who reminds that when you tease on the outside, you have to make sure to deliver on the inside or prospects will be disappointed.
4. Employ Teasers That Target
Of course, teasers that don’t relate to the audience or name a specific concern of that audience are less effective. “In the alternative health field, I’m seeing that very specific headlines are pulling better than a strong, general promise,” says Carline Cole, copywriter and owner of Cole Marketing Solutions in Lawrenceville, Ga. She mentions a package selling a COQ10 product whose teaser, “The shocking truth about cholesterol-lowering drugs,” significantly beat “Bye bye bypass.”
Sometimes it’s simply a matter of pushing the right button. “I keep trying to boil down my theme into a sentence … phrase … or just one word. I’m also thinking of key buttons to push to get them to open the letter. Usually a bribe of free, valuable gifts works,” comments Cole.
5. Make It Official
Then there is the anti-teaser outer, which is gaining in popularity. “Today, packages are more official-looking. There’s lots of bar coding and official sounding language. The [outer envelope] trend seems to be ‘less is more,’” says Sheldon, who points to packages that look official and spark curiosity.
Accordingly, Sheldon uses fewer words on the outer these days. “I try to keep it lean and mean,” she admits. Copy such as “Dated material enclosed” or the use of expiration dates are ways to do just that.
With the average prospect more discerning and/or savvy about the mail that gets into her mailbox, many mailers are moving away from hype-based mail. “Prospects are more sophisticated than ever and can smell an ad a mile away. You DON’T want them to think: ‘This is another AD!’ and get ready for the toss,” relates Sheldon, who also is seeing more and more outer envelope backs without copy that reinforce the non-promotional, official aspect of the package.
The “official” theme explains why more and more mail comes from the president of such and such company, or from the desk of a celebrity. “I think the official theme connotes that something slightly undesirable might happen if you don’t open the envelope: You might miss out on important information. You might miss a payment and be dunned. You might miss a deadline,” says Sheldon.
Todd Lerner, copywriter and owner of Todd Lerner Advertising in Farmington Hills, Mich., is in firm agreement. “We favor teaserless outer envelopes. They look more like a communication from a company with whom the prospect already has a relationship,” he concludes.
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Cracking the QR Code
The Art & Science of Multichannel Fundraising