UPDATE the Oldest Tricks in the MAILBOX

Asmart marketer needs good, satisfied customers the way human beings need oxygen. Without them, a once-lucrative business will be left gasping for air—in essence, happy buyers constitute the most basic need of a company. But that’s what prospects do for you. Now stop and think for a moment. What have you done for them lately? Using gifts to light the spark of interest in a mail piece is one of the oldest practices in the direct mail world. If your offer’s already good, nothing will make it more attractive than giving a customer a free item just for signing on. Or, if a freemium already is included in the mailing, hopefully the prospect will respond with proper etiquette—after all, they should at least peruse the offer, it’s just good manners. In either case, the outcome is the same: a premium or freemium increases a prospect’s faith in her investment, and not just financially speaking. Even more than making money, they also can go a long way in creating feelings of goodwill toward a company, providing a much-needed breath of fresh air for both prospects tired of the hard sell and marketers in need of sustenance.Cure What Ails YeIf the postal rate increase has not quite yet stimulated enough neurons to impel a testing spree, there are more than a few cost-effective options out there to round out the to-do list (see sidebar). However, budget concerns aside, subbing premiums and freemiums in or out of your package is a great step towards achieving a multitude of goals: reviving a fatiguing control, resonating with the right audience, helping your branding efforts, etc. Here are a few head-to-head tests, dissected:• Premium vs. freemium. “A freemium … is some sort of free gift that’s given up front. A premium is one that is more expensive, maybe more high-end, and typically given [on the] back end,” explains Judy Mann, president of Providence, R.I.– based freemium supplier Capital Designs. Testing one against the other certainly opens the door to various questions—e.g., how can a mailer know it’s not simply a great gift that’s attracting response, rather than when it’s sent?—but deciding how to reward your customers can lead to big dividends. While Mann states that, on the whole, freemiums have worked better for her clients, Stan Konik—president and CEO of promotional products marketing firm Konik & Company—is decidedly pro-premium. He maintains that freemiums scream “direct mail” a little too loudly and that a prospect is likely to retain the gift, yet throw the mailer out. Bottom line: In this test situation, aim to determine if ROI is best achieved with a free gift physically in the mailing, or whether you’re getting enough orders to offset the extra costs of a premium and its postage. Save the “But which gift is the best?” for later.• Matching to offer vs. matching to prospect. Our industry has bandied on this subject for years, but there never seems to be one conclusive answer to the eternal query. According to Mann, what seems to be happening now is a hybrid born out of branding. “I think your premium can be creative and maybe a little different but still tie into the organization or the marketing strategy,” she says. However, “creative” can mean different things to different people, and mailers run the risk of striking a discordant note in their package. Freelance copywriter Bob Bly asserts that not only must the gift be desirable to the customer, but it also must be relevant to the product or proposition at the same time. Adding further to the debate, Konik eschews matching a premium to the offer in favor of useful, more generic items like flashlights and calculators. Bottom line: Let your industry be your guide. Offer-driven, utilitarian gifts (whitepapers, bookmarks) could work well in the B-to-B or financial sectors, but nonprofits and publishing have a little more leeway. Bubble bath, for example, might be too whimsical a freemium for a business newsletter, but it’s just right for People magazine. • Switching it up vs. dropping it. If a package starts losing steam, there are a number of choices to make as far as an update goes. And with creative change in the wind, says Bly, a mailer often requires a new premium to deliver on what the new copy promises. This could be something as simple as a new freemium design, says Mann, or even cycling different gifts throughout the year. Yet, this also is a time to ask yourself, “Is there ever a time when you should phase out freemiums and premiums?” says Mann. “If a customer isn’t responding to the gifts or [is] telling you they don’t want them, a mailer should always listen,” she concludes. Bottom line: If your ROI is still hitting the skids, ditching the gift could be a good option. However, before taking such drastic measures, consider the whole of the package—no element works independently of itself. Try promoting the premium more prominently, using a freemium instead or simply try a different gift altogether. The Next GenerationOn the subject of switching it up, it’s becoming much easier to do so as new trends in premiums and freemiums slowly begin to take shape. Riding on the coattails of the inescapable Livestrong bracelets, other nonprofits have been turning to icon jewelry in growing numbers as a form of “awareness branding,” Mann says. “We just did a great stainless steel bracelet for an organization that is mirroring it after the POW bracelets that were worn in the ’70s during the Vietnam War era,” she adds. Other notable gifts working for her clients include yearly calendars and ornaments that build a continuation of donor recognition on an annual basis. As for premiums, fleece blankets consistently are a strong item, Mann notes.Similarly, Konik also is finding practical premiums to be big sellers, a reason he attributes to the age range many of his clients are trying to reach. “If the audience is 45-plus, you tailor items that are a lot easier to work with, that are not computer-friendly. Something that they just turn on and it works,” he reports.These items include flashlights, calculators and watches. And, interestingly, he also notes that sudoku also has been a popular premium for his clients. However, regardless of the type of product, Konik maintains that presentation is critical. “If it’s photographed well and the copy is written correctly, you’re going to get a lot of results,” he concludes.

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UPDATE the Oldest Tricks in the MAILBOX

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