Direct Mail Best Practices – Letter Packets

I've created a lot of letter packets over the years and have developed a few 'rules of thumb'. Hopefully you can use them to help you creating your own successful direct mail packages.

Envelopes

• I prefer stamped or metered letters on a envelope (but using an indicia is fine on self-mailers - they already say "bulk mail").
• I do not use a company logo on the outer envelope if the brand isn’t well known or loved.
• I shy away from teasers unless the offer is fantastic and you've found a really freakin’ good way to say it.

Letters

• As they say "The brochure tells, the letter sells." So this is where we SELL!
• I often recommend laser printing these, so we can get personal. I'll often take a window envelope (although I don't prefer them) to personalize and so we don't have to double match the letter and the envelope over a non-personal letter and a regular envelope.
• We can customize anything in the letter, entire sentences and paragraphs. So use the information you know about the customer to your advantage. Make sure the letter speaks to the reader - remember WIFM!

Brochures

• Sometimes the letter and the brochure are one (such as tri-fold self-mailers), these work well with products that have strong brands & need images to sell.
• When quantities are under 20K, we can look at digital variable printing – where we can personalize and customize, words AND pictures!

Here's a letter we did for Heald. Showing the personalized letter and the tear-off reply card.

Here's another version of this letter that was a survey. The survey was printed on the back of the letter.