Six Tips to Get Your Mail Read

You've already spent money putting together a flyer, promo package or other mail piece to send to your customers, this week we're going to go over a six pointers on how to make sure it doesn't end up filed away in the trash can.

Stuff It - If you're sending a sample or other trinket to a client or prospect, find a way to make it puff the envelope. This makes it harder to stack other mail on top of yours which means your mail is more likely to end up at the top of the stack - making it the first to be read.

1. Hand Write Your Addresses - Computer generated mailing labels can certainly be a time-saver, but they also make your mail look more like everyone else's junk mail as well. Hand writing your mailing label adds a personal touch to your message and shows your recipient that you've put time and thought into your mailing.
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3. Use Colorful Wrap for Packages - Mailing departments, shipping and receiving or even the small mom and pop shop receive numerous letters, boxes and brown paper wrapped packages daily. Packages wrapped in colorful, festive papers stand out to the delivery team (and the recipient) and are more apt to be delivered to the right person in a timelier manner. Also, bright colored packages are more likely to be opened instead of sitting on a desk for days.
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5. Use a Clear Call to Action - Tell your reader exactly what you want them to do and by what time. "Save 10% if you call by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday." This seems like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many advertisements are ineffectively written by not including a call to action. If you're advertising a new product or service, make sure to include a line informing the reader that this is a new item. If you're promoting a sale or special, be sure to include the sale price and valid dates for the offer. And in any written correspondence, always, always,always, include a way for your readers to get back in touch with you! The best call to action ever written will do you absolutely no good if there's no clearly identified way for a customer to get back in touch with you.
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7. Validate Your Recipients - The USPS receives 5.4 billion pieces of undeliverable mail every year. Why? 2.4 percent have moved; 4.1 percent have missing or wrong apartment numbers; 6 percent have missing or wrong directionals or suffixes; 0.4 percent have wrong route or box numbers; 5.9 percent have wrong street names or numbers; 4.8 percent have the wrong ZIP code, city or state. Make sure you have the correct delivery information on your mail piece. If you're unsure, call your customer to verify you have the correct information. This is a perfect opportunity for you to introduce yourself or merely touch base and let your customer know you have an important piece of mail you'd like to send them.
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9. Don't Send "Junk" Mail - We all loathe junk mail. It's important to stay in front of your customers, but make sure your mail has a purpose! Don't overwhelm your customers with mail every other day and don't include irrelevant information in your messages. Keep you mail short, to the point and action-oriented.

Follow these tips and your mail stand is sure to stand a better chance of staying out of "File 13!"