by Richard Roop

Sex in advertising gets people's attention. But it can also be offensive. Now there is a "limited window" of opportunity to use sex in your direct mail marketing without ever the chance of being offensive or appearing unprofessional.

Combine this notion with other proven "response boosters" and you have a powerful marketing strategy for your direct mail package design.

So you know who you're dealing with, I am an experienced and successful marketing entrepreneur. I have helped sell over $8 million dollars worth of books, tapes and seminars using direct marketing methods.

Recently I was hired to come up with a direct mail campaign for a well-known financial newsletter editor. In a couple of weeks I created a sales letter for him and we tested it. We sent this letter to 3,100 current and past customers. The direct mail package was designed using some of the methods below.

In 27 days that mailing generated $70,310 in sales! Not bad for our first project together which cost my client less than $5,000 to produce.

So that's a little about my background and experience. Now to the issue at hand...SEX.

How can you prepare your direct mail pieces so as to produce the maximum response...then top it off with a little sex appeal. Here's how:

If your mail piece can stay under one ounce, don't use bulk rate. First class mail gets more attention. Deliverability is more certain. Mail carriers have been known to throw away or destroy bulk rate mail...and only because they did not what to carry it around and deliver it! Materials and printing are wasted if the piece is never delivered.

(Exception: I have had excellent success mailing postcards bulk rate when I'm not concerned about getting returns to update a mailing list.)

Live stamps on letters generate more response than permit imprints or metering. Anything to make your piece look personal will help. Commerative stamps are even better.

Regular (non-window) white envelopes look personal and boost response. Avoid irregular sizes and fancy colors. Higher quality stationary can help but the extra cost is not always justified. This is something you may want to test for your particular offer. (In fact, you may what to test all of these suggestions.)

Teaser copy on the envelope destroys any attempt to make it look personal.

5. Handwrite or use a typewriter or "courier" type font when addressing envelopes.

Handwritten is better but sometimes too labor intensive for larger mailings. When ink jet or laser printing, I use 10 to 12 point size and black ink only. You want it to look like the mailing address was typed. Here is an excellent "typewriter font" you can download for free.

Avoid mailing labels.

If you like, you may add some simple endorsements in the same size and font as the address, i.e. First Class Mail, Address Correction Requested, or Dated Material. These endorsements can make the envelope appear more important.

Do you see what I am doing here? This is not a new concept. The idea is to get the prospect to receive and open your letter. As marketing guru Gary Halbert points out, people sort their mail over a waste basket. No one will throw away a personal looking envelope until they know what is inside. Commercial looking "junk mail" can often be discarded unopened.

The personal look should carry into the inside as well so you don't generate a "yuk" response. Once they open the envelope, your next job is to get them to read your message and respond. But I guarantee you this, the most salivating sales message ever printed and mailed will not produce a single new customer if the envelope is not opened first.

Got it?

Now, where does the sex appeal come in? Did you think I forgot? No. This final suggestion for your direct mail piece is a brand new opportunity...never before available to direct mailers.

This is the icing on the cake. Have you seen these stamps? There are without a doubt the sexiest U.S. stamp to appear in a long time, if not ever. They are still available now (March 1996)...but not for long.

Get yourself a supply. Add a fleshy, busty painting of one this century's most popular sex symbols and stick it on the front of your direct mail piece, courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service.

While it's true that steps 1-7 above will do the most for your ad response by gaining your prospects attention, Ms. Monroe can increase that even more.

(example of personal looking mail)



SIDE NOTE:
Apparently this article has offended someone... I go this email anonomously on 2/19/03:

"Your advertising  pitch is 7 years old. Mariln Monroe stamps are relics. I strongly suggest you get into the 21st century, that is if you want to sell or market something."

Obviously, he missed the point. Yes, this article was written in 1995 but still offers value to marketers. The main purpose of this article is to teach you how to make letters look personal, to increase your response rate. Simply amazing. - RR

Richard Roop is a speaker, author and President of Bottom Line Results, Inc. located in Woodland Park, Colorado. He has been a successful marketing consultant since 1984 and today he specializes in helping entrepreneurs launch and grow their creative real estate businesses. He bought his first investment property in 1986 and became a full-time real estate investor in 1996. Today, he buys and sells 3 or 4 single family homes each month using creative financing and entrepreneurial marketing techniques. His "how to" articles and marketing pieces have been featured in various entrepreneurial, real estate and marketing newsletters. He is the author of "How to Sell Your Home in 9 Days" and "How to Collect 5-Figure Paychecks Buying & Selling Houses". He can be reached at 1-800-737-8582 or rrmroop@starband.net