AMiable Solution #115: Survey Says: Bigger is Better

When it comes to getting a prospect’s attention, bigger is better.  At least when it comes to direct mail,  according to a study done by the Direct Marketing Association in June 2012 and reported by website and newsletter, Marketing Charts, that same month.

Although direct mail beats email for response rates among existing customers with an average of 3.4% over 0.12%, it’s telephone that scored highest in response rates with prospects at 12.95%.  Direct mail had the next highest response rates among prospects, with oversized mail making the biggest impact: 1.44% for oversized mail, 1.28% for letter-sized direct mail, 1.12% for postcards, and 0.94% for catalogs.

What constitutes “oversized mail”?  Better known in postal terms as “flats,” they’re the large envelopes, newsletters, and magazines with one dimension that is greater than 6-1/8 inches high or 11-1/2 inches long or ¼ inch thick but not more than 12 inches x 15 inches x ¾ inch.

What makes “big” mail work?  To be fair, the same variables and factors--graphics, copy, paper stock, use of color, etc.--can mean the difference between a successful mailpiece and an immediately-recycled one no matter what shape or size it a promotion is.  What makes a “big” mail piece work most often among prospects, however, could be the things you can’t see.

Say you find two promotions in your mailbox.  One is a 9” x 12” envelope.  One is a 4” x 6” postcard.  Based on size alone, you may inadvertently draw conclusions about the senders.   The contents of the envelope must be of better quality.  The company sending the larger promotion must have more resources.  The envelope folks are probably more experienced, more qualified, or more capable.  Right or wrong, size sometimes does imply “better.”

Oversized mail may also draw higher response rates because they literally stand out from the competition.  In a handful of #10-sized envelopes, small selfmailers, and postcards, a large mailpiece will surely grab someone’s attention, if even for a split second, which may be all the time that someone needs to take interest.

Size alone won’t guarantee your recipients will open your mailpiece, much less respond to it, but a larger-sized promotion can increase the likelihood that they will.