Just before Christmas last year Google sent our little design agency, which is hidden away in Twickenham, West London, a piece of lumpy mail. It’s enormous (too big to fit through the letterbox). The package contained an advent calendar and behind each door is chocolate with a digital insight about internet use in the UK. Insights such as:
“45% of Google searches for fitness are now coming from mobile.”
“16% of British consumers use 3+ web-connected devices a day.”
“90% of UK consumers are expected to own a smartphone by 2020.”
“30% of 2014 Black Friday revenue was on mobile.”
And remember these insights are coming from Google … the company that has a massive database of real search data and behaviour. They know how we all use the internet.
The package also included numerous books of Google AdWords £90 free advertising vouchers. The purpose driving this Google marketing campaign is to get our agency to sell their AdWords PPC product to our design and marketing clients.
Does lumpy mail work?
Google are the kings and queens of data, so I don’t think they’d invest in a marketing campaign if they didn’t have proof that it works. And remember they’re sending this to design, marketing and advertising agencies who spend a lot of time each day on the internet. It would be easy to think that a lumpy mail campaign is only valuable if your client base doesn’t use the internet much. Google apparently thinks otherwise.
Lumpy mail is one of my favourite marketing tools
I love getting packages in the post. Much more desirable than the usual bills in brown envelopes! I remember which companies have sent me lumpy mail … even years later. I’m still surprised how few businesses invest in sending creative mailings.
I’m basing this on the fact that our agency has only received lumpy mail from three companies, including Google, in the last four years. Those companies were printers and a marketing training company. Our clients rarely send lumpy packages believing it to be too expensive and high risk when they could just send out marketing emails for free.
Lumpy mail packages are a brilliant way of jumping the marketing hurdle of getting your product or service noticed and considered by your potential customers.
Will lumpy mail always work?
No, the following things must be in place beforehand:
- Your product or service must be high quality!
- Your potential customer must want your product or service
- Your message must demonstrate that your product or service will add value to the life of your potential customer
- You must come across as genuine and trustworthy
- Your potential customer must have enough budget available
- You must know or be able to find the names and addresses of some potential customers. Sending lumpy mail to a random selection of the general population will be a waste of money for most businesses unless your product is something that everybody wants and can afford!
Why is lumpy mail good?
- It’s memorable
- It will almost certainly get you noticed and your message delivered
- It makes you stand out from your competition
- It demonstrates that you’re a professional business that invests in your customers and yourself
- It implies that your business is successful. People want to work with successful companies. If you can afford to run lumpy mail marketing campaigns, other people must be paying you for your products and services – you must be good – right!
- Done well it is highly targeted to your ideal customers which means you are not wasting money on marketing that has no chance of working
- If it’s impressive and useful, people are likely to keep it around for a bit. This keeps you in their mind and means they’re more likely to buy from you!
A few lumpy mail ideas
Some of these things may seem obvious, and you may think they’re overdone already … but think about it … how many of them have you received this last year from potential suppliers or businesses that you might buy from?
- Chocolates
- Flowers or a single flower with a message
- A book or magazine that will be valuable and interesting to your ideal customer
- A free sample of your product
- A beautifully designed and printed brochure with tips and tricks to help your potential customer
Lumpy mail is effective with existing customers too – but that’s a topic for a future blog post 🙂
If you’ve received any good or bad examples of lumpy mail, please share in the comments below or email them to me: Sarah at studio@pavonicreative.co.uk.
Leave a comment