We took $500, bought some s’mores, mailed them, and got two new clients.

Direct mail: still the secret to the success of your business.

Every month, the Amazon stork drops yet another giant box of diapers on my doorstep. I ordered them. I knew they’d come. I also know that a giggly human I love a whole lot will soon test their capacity. It will be messy. It will be smelly. I might pass out. And yet, even with all this information, I still see that box on my doorstep and think, “Oh, SWEET. Diapers!”

That, my friends, is the magic of getting something in the mail. If a preordered package of poopin’ pads possesses that power, it’s hard to define just how meaningful it is to receive a mysterious and thoughtful gift in the mail. It takes seconds to fire off an email. Ringing phones are greeted with derision. But receiving an enticing piece of mail remains a bonafide treat.

You need to be using direct mail. To prove it, I will first tell you a story.

Earlier this year, my company—Ivor Andrew, a dynamite marketing agency—mailed s’mores ingredients to 20 people we had never met. We now have two new clients because of it. Not responses. Not projects. Clients.

After reading that story, you may be inspired to launch some direct mail campaigns of your own. Nice. Get after it. But before you do, I will wrap up this read with Ivor Andrew’s tips for a great DM piece. And, of course, please recommend and share this read if you found it to be helpful. It helps us quite a bit, and your effort will bring you a karma boost for the rest of the day.

Part I: The S’mores Campaign

We had a list of 20 contacts in the food industry, and we knew we were sending them something. We just didn’t know what. So we had a quick brainstorm session. We talked about how the technical, creative, and strategic combination at Ivor Andrew is a huge benefit of doing business with us. They were kind of like three magic ingredients. At some point, someone in the room said, “Hey, you know what else has three magic ingredients?” And just like that, we were off and running.

We probably could have gone to the grocery store and gotten the s’mores ingredients, but Graham’s Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream is two doors away from our own. Their treats are homemade and they are spectacular, so we had no choice. We asked Graham’s if they could whip up 20 s’mores kits. They were all, “Totes.” We were like, “Sweet.” When we had the homemade s’mores stuff in hand, we packed it in a mini cooler. Attached to the cooler was a more traditional marketing piece that explained the gift and who exactly Ivor Andrew is.

For every direct mail piece we send, we try to cut through the clutter. Bottom line: success is more likely if the mailer looks like a gift. Postcards are fine, but if you include something extra with the postcard, your campaign is much more likely to be properly appreciated.

Part II: Ivor Andrew’s Direct Mail Tips

1. Be clear. What do you want this piece to accomplish? A meeting with a prospect? A sample order for a trial run? Whatever it is, map the next steps out for them. Make it as easy as possible for them to keep moving forward.
2. Be generous. Pretend the piece you’re crafting will end up in the hands of someone you care about. This will make your recipients feel like they’re getting an unexpected gift instead of a cold call.
3. Show your personality. By being your true self, you will attract the people you most want to work with.
4. Do a little extra. Is there more you can do to make the piece even more enjoyable? For the s’mores package, we added the line “Classic campfire snack inside. Acoustic guitar not included.” to the outside of the box.
5. Tighten your audience to get the most out of your budget. Let’s say you have $1,000 to spend on 500 contacts. What if you trimmed the list to 250 people? Or 100? How much better would your piece be if you spent $10 per person rather than $2? Weeding some contacts out is time consuming, but the end result is a much healthier list.
6. Follow up! Fun fact: we didn’t hear a peep from anyone we sent the s’mores to until Keith (the guy who signs my checks) sent a personalized email about a week after we mailed the coolers. This is when he received kudos for the gift and put face-to-face meetings on the calendar.

In the end, the Ivor Andrew team collectively spent 81.75 hours on the s’mores campaign and $500 on the packages (each s’mores cooler cost roughly $25). We now have two more clients.

You need to be using direct mail. Now more than ever, a thoughtful gift delivered by the postal service is opened, appreciated, and responded to.

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