So, I always tell my friends and family to save their “junk mail” that looks really interesting or grabbed their attention, because… I want to study it (I highly recommend you do the same thing).
My mom saved this piece of mail she received the other day…
Looks pretty inviting, no? (See what I did there?! heh… wooo, tough crowd)
Headline: “You’re Invited” with a sub-headline “Four complimentary tickes for dinner” along with the restaurant’s logo. Oh, and it’s marketed with a “Time Sensitive” stamp and the address was in a handwritten font.
Makes you wonder who’s inviting you to dinner… I thought it was Harry’s Steak House… I was wrong (stupid David!!!).
I open the letter and dig a little closer… It’s for someone who recently retired or is approaching retirement age.. uh-oh… they’re trying to sell us something.
Ah, an “Educational Event” (yeah right, they’re just trying to get your money… Can’t blame ’em. I’d do the same thing.. by the way… if you haven’t signed up for your free marketing kit and 2 months free of the No B.S. Marketing Letter now’s your chance! Click Here or visit the FREE Marketing Kit tab above).
Ok, back to the mail. Now I open up the card and two Complimentary Tickets fall out, both are good for two people so you can bring 3 friends. That’s right… you can bring 3 friends!! Exciting.
And, here’s what the inside looks like…
Ah, it’s about Social Security. Well, I can tell you I’m not interest in social security. But, I am interested in FREE dinner, though, I won’t be attending either. It would probably be a little odd for me, a good lookin’ young man, walking into a retirement seminar. ha
Any-who, I thought this was an interesting mail piece. There are a few things I would have done differently… but the marketers did a pretty good job creating this piece.
Done Right:
- Created curiosity with the clear front envelope showing “You’re Invited,” Time Sensitive stamp, and handwritten font for mailing address.
- Had real tickets fall out of the invitation with date, time, address, restaurant logo, and admittance.
- Used photos and screenshots of the speaker they will meet.
- Paper was on nice, invitation style paper.
Things I Would Have Done Differently:
- Would have made the headline better with “Mary, You’re Invited” to draw even more attention.
- Changed the headline on the invitation to include name of recipient,
- Had a deadline. The only deadline on the invitation is the dates for the dinner. I would have done something like… “Register by July 3 and receive a free book (and give the title of the book or something else).”
- Have a video created (or, even a recording of the event taking place) and direct prospects to go watch the video if they are unable to attend the event (I would have also been sure to collect contact info for prospects when they go to watch the video).
So there you have it.
What are some things you would have done differently? Anything you saw the marketers did correctly? Be sure to share you thoughts in the comments section below.
Reviewing “junk mail” is a great way to build up your marketing knowledge. I highly recommend reviewing the mail you get and seeing what you would do differently, what makes you interested in reading the sales letter further, and what you think the marketers did right.
If you have a piece of mail you’d like me to review, feel free to share it with me and I’ll write a post about it.
Now go take action!