With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22nd this year), I've been seeing a lot of earth-related, green promotions in the mail, on the street and in stores.

The other week, I received an informational booklet, membership offer and a packet of wildflower seeds in the mail from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

I like a lot of things about this promotion: free seeds, cheerful copy, bright, beautiful photos. Most of all, I applaud its relevant timing. 

Now, it might seem like a no-brainer to send out wildflower seeds during the peak bloom period of Texas wildflowers, but I'm consistently surprised at how many poorly-timed promotions I see everyday.

Planning a large scale mailer or promotional campaign takes a lot of time, and unfortunately it's very easy to get behind schedule. Identify the day, week or season during which you'd ideally touch your prospect, and work backwards, building in one to two months to get logistics sorted, materials printed and mailing lists compiled.

Day, week or season? That seems like a really wide range...  

Well, it is. The timing of your promotion really depends on the type of event or service you're promoting. Something like a nature center membership or a discounted car wash is relevant across an entire season. An invitation to a charitable gala, on the other hand, has a much smaller window.

It would have been very easy to ignore the Wildflower Center's seed packet had beautiful scenery like this not been top of mind. 
 
Instead, they succeeded in getting my attention.

I really can't stress enough the importance of good timing. Sometimes even just a week or two can make all the difference. The longer a person leaves your mail on their coffee table or desk thinking- "I really should remember this for that project next season"- the less likely it is you'll ever hear from them.

Mashable Business posted a really interesting article this week titled "The Evolution of Advertising: From Stone Carving to the Old Spice Guy". The article discussed a beautiful illustrated timeline, originally created by Infolinks.

The graphic is too large for me to repost here, so you'll have to click over to check it out.

Here are a few of my favorite parts:



2,000 responses out of 8,000 mailers?! That's an insane response rate!



This blurb really surprised me. I would have thought contests were used long before the 1950s. I'm also intrigued by the oil well prize. I wonder how the value of a well in 1950 compares to one today.


Oh, Britney Spears, how times have changed. Advertising may endure through the ages, but celebrity fame... does not.

Happy [belated] New Year!

The entire Sonic office is looking forward to another successful year, but before we get too far into 2011 we'd like to revisit our favorite projects from 2010.

For additional photos and project details, please view our case studies library.

Sonic Drinkware Self Promotion

In January, Amanda developed a drinkware set to thank Sonic's top clients for their continued business and to welcome the year ahead. Amanda selected the Double-Wall Ceramic Coffee Mug and the To-Go Tumbler for this self-promotion after evaluating the newest drink items on the market at the 2010 PPAI Show in Las Vegas. The items were imprinted with Sonic's Starbucks-inspired logo and packed with a personal card bearing each sales representative's favorite coffee quote.



These drink items proved to be two of our best sellers in 2010, generating over $17,000 in business.

SMC Dental Care Promotion

In April, Seth worked with Southern Management Corporation (SMC) to develop a promotional products campaign that would encourage employee participation in SMC's "Passport to Wellness" health-and-wellness campaign. The first phase of the program focused on dental care, and Sonic Promos created a Pocket Dental Kit to be distributed at corporate wellness fairs. The custom kit contained dental floss and an educational wallet card that explained program details and highlighted proper brushing and flossing techniques.



The Pocket Dental Kit was a huge success, and SMC calculated that 40% of their employees scheduled dental exams, earning 20 points on their passports.

PAS Road Show Mailer Series

In June and September, Lindsay organized a three-part mailer series with Professional Accounting Solutions (PAS) to announce and generate interest in their Fall Road Shows. The main goal of Mailer 1 was to create a lasting first impression and boost booth traffic at an upcoming trade show. Mailers 2 and 3, sent later in the fall, sought to incite face-to-face appointments with key decision makers.

The first mailer adopted a "PASsport theme" and presented recipients with a debossed leather passport holder and informative marketing materials packed in a custom box. Mailers 2 and 3 shared the common theme of "back office pain", a play on PAS's tagline "The Experts in Back Office Solutions for Hospitality". They contained an imprinted wooden hand massager and a custom pain relief kit, respectively.



PAS reported surges in web traffic and call volume after each and every mailer, and Mailer 1 resulted in several face-to-face meetings that ultimately led to a multi-million dollar contract.

Gold Eagle Product Rollout with Wal-Mart

In October, Gold Eagle Company, an innovator and leader in product development, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of branded engine performance and maintenance chemicals, contacted Sonic to help them promote the rollout of a new product at more than 1,000 Wal-Mart locations nationwide. 

Sonic Promos designed, created, fulfilled, and helped to implement every element of the program. A total of 1,050 Wal-Mart locations received a promotional package of 50 die cut plastic bags stuffed with three decals and a custom scratch-off card. When revealed, the scratch-off card presented the consumer with a $2 discount on the purchase of one of three branded engine products.



Prior to working with Sonic, Gold Eagle had seen less than a 2% return on their promotional packages. This rollout program has so far resulted in sales that have more than doubled its overall cost.

2010 was certainly a great year, and we're looking forward to another twelve months of creative work.

Sometimes it can be hard to put your finger on why a direct mail piece works.  It just does.  But, generally speaking, a few tried-and-true ingredients belong in any direct mail formula. A good direct mail piece will:

 
Be mail-able.  While it’s true that you can mail just about anything (yes, you can put enough stamps on a watermelon to have it delivered!) the cost of postage and packing materials can really add up.  Don’t forget to consider this expense when designing a direct mail piece or selecting a promotional item.

Grab and hold the reader’s attention.  The biggest challenge for any direct mail piece is surviving the journey from mailbox to desk/coffee table/countertop without hitting the trashcan first.  How can you ensure your mailers get opened?  Chunky, lumpy, three-dimensional mail consistently gets a much higher response rate than flat mail.  We also recommend using clever and colorful packaging material and writing each address out by hand.  Anything that screams OPEN ME!

Include a call to action.  Your mailer might be well-written, creative, and eye-catching, but if it requires no action on behalf of the recipient, it will lay forgotten on their coffee table.  The purpose of your mailer is most likely to secure an appointment or a sale, so ask for it.  This advice holds true with every marketing piece you distribute.

Get followed-up on.  If you’re going to invest time and money in a direct mail piece, do not ignore the most important step: follow-up.  Call or email your contact list immediately after the mailer hits to ensure delivery and answer questions.  Subsequent follow-up is highly recommended.

With these tips in mind, let’s review and grade the office show-and-tell piece from Thursday’s post.









Was it mail-able? A+

A paper envelope, sticker, and postcard cost pennies to produce and $0.44 to mail.

 

Did it grab and hold the reader’s attention? A

The handwritten envelope, ambiguous return address and mysterious URL got us hook, line and sinker.

 

Did it include a call to action? C-

Once the game ended, the mail piece couldn’t convince us to visit a designated website for additional information, and the little red ‘X’ on the upper right toolbar made the better case.  If our company had a need of or use for the product being offered, maybe our response would have been better.

 

Did it get followed-up on? F 

Nope, we never heard another word about it.

 

What’s the most interesting direct mail piece you’ve ever received? We’d love to hear about it! Tell us more on Facebook.
 

And, if you would like a printable copy of the quick checklist I use in planning direct mail pieces, I am happy to share – just drop me a line at Lindsay@sonicpromos.com.

 

 

When you work in direct marketing, “junk mail” becomes much more interesting.  Standing at my mailbox, I don’t automatically chuck the coupon books, flyers, postcards, and brochures; I save the ones that catch my eye for office show-and-tell.  The magnetic calendar from my neighborhood realtor carefully addressed to Lyndsey Hickerson? Keeper!

 
At the office, we review our postal treasures with an analytical eye and discuss what worked and what could use improvement.  They often inspire us with creative ideas that we can tweak and modify for a client.

Several days ago, a handwritten envelope arrived at the Sonic Promos office addressed to Seth Weiner. No return name was denoted, just the return address in California.

Upon seeing that Seth had been “selected [as] a contestant” in an online game, we went straight to the computer and discovered an interactive game show called “The Switch Is Smart”.  Humorous multiple choice answers and ego-boosting, congratulatory text kept us clicking through to the final screen where our host was at last revealed: Netgear.   Left with options to A) purchase a Netgear port, B) download case studies or C) contact a Netgear specialist, we… closed the window and went back to work.

Where did Netgear go wrong?  Tune in Monday and we’ll evaluate the good, bad and ugly about direct mail campaigns.