Whoopee cushions, worry dolls, boomerangs, compasses, pens, coins, message in a bottle, trash cans, bank bags, pill bottles, puzzle pieces, and aspirin tablets… all have one thing in common: we’ve mailed them!
What Is Lumpy Mail?
Customers often ask me this question. I tell them that if they’re looking for a creative, outside-the-box idea, lumpy mail is the way to go. It’s anything you might see in your mailbox that’s bulky. You’ll find these items in a normal envelope, a glamour envelope, bubble envelope, or even in a small cardboard box.
It allows your piece to be noticed first when your recipient opens their mailbox. With a lumpy item, your piece becomes irresistible! Everyone wants to know what’s in the odd-shaped envelope or package. Regardless if it’s suspected that it might be marketing mail, it will still get opened out of sheer curiosity. I mean, c’mon, who can resist that kind of temptation?!
What Do I Need To Know Before Starting?
Before sending out a project like this, there are a few cautions to be aware of.
First, the post office is going to require you to pay more for this service. It has to be handled by a person rather than a machine, so they charge more for the personal handling. And because the envelope is bulky the post office will classify it as a parcel.
Second, there are risks involved with lumpy mail. It does cost more per piece than your normal mailing, so there is a risk versus reward factor. If you mail this out and receive a poor response, the additional investment becomes a costly mistake.
Lastly, let me share a few tips to having a successful lumpy mail piece. The ultimate goal of lumpy mail is to dramatically improve your open rate. However, it’s crucial that whatever object you include in the envelope ties into your sales letter. Also, be sure to include a compelling offer in your sales piece to close the deal. And of course, dial in the mailing list you use to a specific specific market of buyers.
How To Be Successful With Lumpy Mail
Because of our years of experience with working with the post office, you’ll find it very beneficial to work with us on your project. Before mailing something unique, we take the piece to the post office and confirm it can be mailed. This eliminates the costly mistake of finding out the post office won’t mail your piece, after it’s been produced. There’s nothing more devastating then spending a hefty chunk of change, only to discover it was meaningless.
If reading this blog post gets your creative juices flowing, talk to us about what ideas you have for your next project. We’d love to help make it a reality!
