Direct Mail Marketers have become so dependent on the mass distributed, flashy graphic infused direct mail pieces so much that buyers today can instantly identify what is “junk mail” and what they will actually take 10 seconds to open.

Many small business owners tend to follow the trends of these larger mass distribution companies and design direct mail pieces that imitate them. I think this is mostly because they want to feel like their business is just as established or they can do just as well with they same type of direct mailer.

However, what they fail to realize some times is that these large companies structure their mailers in this way because it is more cost effective to mail this way to hundreds of thousands of people in just one week. Where the smaller local business may do just 1-5% of that volume. Because of the large volume, these companies can thrive off the lower response rate of a “catch all” piece that has no personalization included.

So how does a smaller business with less resources beat the large Corp’o?

It’s by going in the compete opposite direction from what they are doing in direct mail. Go back to the tried and true methods of personalized marketing, and make it look different.

I suggest using a Monarch letter…. Yes, these same size and shape that you receive as a birthday or Christmas card. You would never throw one of those away would you?

Now for the icing on the cake, actually hand write the address on the envelope to really give it that personal touch! You could even go so far as to have the entire copy of the direct mail piece hand written.

When was the last time you received a hand written letter? I’m guessing that you would at least read one if it showed up in your mailbox.

You may be saying, “I have horrible handwriting and my fingers would fall off after writing just 10 letters”. Well so would mine, and thats why I dont write the direct mail pieces myself. There are companies that will do it for a fee, but it isn’t cheap.

BIG TIP: Go to you local retirement homes and post an ad on their bulletin board for “Letter Writer Wanted”. There are a lot of bored grandmas that have amazing handwriting and would love a job to keep them busy. I pay $0.10 per hand address envelope, and $0.50-0.75 per hand written letter depending on the length.

They will even stuff and seal the envelopes for you! But I recommend stamping with a first class stamp and mailing the letters yourself, stamps aren’t cheap anymore. Also, always include yourself in the mailing so you can keep an eye on quality.

This method may bring your cost per letter up to around $1, but your response rate will be much higher, as the mailer wont go directly into the trash like most.

Leave your comments and let me know what you think of this method, and feel free to ask any questions about the Monarch Letter direct mail strategy!