Hi everyone, today’s blog post contains our 5th direct mail video…it’s about roll fold self mailers.
We print and mail these for a few clients on a regular basis. And a new company that we just added to our family of clients is testing one as well.
They relied on us for format and design guidance during the beginning stages of the project and one thing came up that we thought we should share with you.
Watch the 2 minute video below for more info…
Want samples? Email your address to ryan (at) ballantine.com
We just finished creating a Facebook Page for Ballantine. In a nutshell, it’s a portal on Facebook that contains direct mail related videos, pictures, blog posts, discussions and more.
I guess it’s not too much different than our blog…it’s just a bit more compact because it doesn’t contain nearly as much information. But as time goes on, we hope to grow the Facebook Page like we’ve done with this blog.
It would be great if you could take a minute to visit by clicking on the button below:
And if you’re a member of Facebook, please consider becoming a “fan” of our Page. Doing so keeps you in the loop when we add new content.
The story centers around their 6×9 invitation style mailer (pictured above) that they use to generate subscriptions for Fund Directions.
The invitation mailer measures 6″ (height) by 9″ (width). Inside is a 1-page letter, 4-color brochure and reply card. The offer is for two complimentary issues.
Institutional Investor News used to mail a polybag mailer containing an actual issue of Fund Directions, a letter and reply card. They replaced this mailing with the invitation mailer above and response improved.
Strategy
Fund Directions is a different type of financial publication because it’s sold to the board of directors of mutual funds. As a result, the entire board has to vote on whether or not they want to purchase it.
They tested the invitation mailer because they learned their audience is more resistant to typical direct mail…they needed to test something that would get opened and an invitation format was the logical choice.
Results
A subscription to Fund Directions is a highly-customized program and Institutional Investor uses more than just direct mail to close the deal…for example, telemarketing and event marketing is included in the mix.
As a result, they don’t have hard response numbers for their direct mail campaigns. That being said, the last two invitation-style mailings resulted in a noticeable lift in new subscriptions.
Surprises
The Marketing team for Fund Directions was surprised that the invitation mailer beat out the polybag mailing containing a newsletter issue. They speculate that recipients might throw out the polybag mailer thinking it’s junk mail of some sort.
Future
Institutional Investor News is going to produce another similar invitation-style mailer based on the success of the previous two campaigns.
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DMA 2008: We’re exhibiting in booth 636 at the DMA Annual Conferencein Las Vegas, NV on October 12th-14th. Please stop by to say hello if you’re attending. We’re also giving out chocolate poker chips!
