Marketing idea: Advertising letters with a gift

Flower seeds, gummy bears, or tea bags—you can fit more into a sales letter than you think. Small mailing gifts are even available quite inexpensively at drugstores and supermarkets.

This article is part of the special topic " Marketing – professional and successful!"

They're small, flat, and always a nice surprise: mini bags of gummy bears, flower seeds, face masks, or a sachet of hot lemon juice fit into any standard envelope. In technical terms, such add-ons to sales letters are also called mailing boosters because they dramatically increase customer attention. Promotional product manufacturers offer a vast array of such giveaways – from bath confetti with the company logo, mini dragons, small keychains, or credit card-sized USB sticks.

Light, flat and unbreakable
Craftsmen who don't want to put in so much effort can also achieve the wow effect with products from the drugstore or supermarket. "To keep the postage costs for a mailing with an enclosed insert within reasonable limits, these eye-catchers should be light, flat, and unbreakable," advises the paint manufacturer's marketing department. brilliant.

For example, a company promoting facade and building protection could write that the house also needs cleaning and refreshing, care, and protection. Brillux then suggests small gifts such as sunscreen in flat sachets, face masks, refreshing wipes, or mint cards (small mint lozenges in flat plastic cards). On the topic of thermal insulation, a thermal card or a hand warmer would provide a good conversation piece.

Think about the postage costs
If you don't want to exceed the standard postage of 70 cents for a domestic letter, the mailing including the insert may weigh a maximum of 20 grams and be no more than five millimeters thick. Individually wrapped tea bags, espresso sticks, a sachet of flower seeds, a lens cleaning cloth, or a single aspirin tablet ("Building without a headache") are suitable.

If the letter is thicker than five millimeters or slightly heavier, the postage for the compact letter will be 85 cents. Of course, as always in advertising, the extras must be appropriate for the company, the advertised service, and the mailing. Businesses that focus on ecological construction or organic food could, for example, include organic mini fruit babies, an organic tea, or a feel-good mask from a natural cosmetics company in their mailings. All of these are available at well-stocked drugstores.

Every little thing provides something to talk about
"Such an enclosed mailing is somewhat more complex to handle than a pure advertising letter. But companies that have tried this route once tend to do it again," says Brillux. The success rate for such letters is significantly higher, and "every tiny little thing included provides something to talk about."

These small giveaways are also considered "opening boosters" in the advertising industry because they can be felt right through the envelope. The letter is thicker and piques the recipient's curiosity even before it's opened – a letter like this is less likely to end up unopened in the trash.  

Spring: Small packets of flower seeds, cress seeds, vegetable seeds, or colorful balloons and egg dyes for Easter are perfect for a spring theme ("Bring color into your home"). Small dusters or a lens cleaning cloth are suitable for a spring cleaning theme.

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Summer: In summer, you can send sunscreen in small sachets, refreshing wipes, mint cards (mint pastilles in flat plastic cards), flower seeds or colorful gummy bears.

Autumn: In autumn, mini dragons, chocolate pastilles, hand warmers (keyword: thermal insulation) or a pampering face mask are good additions.

Winter: For the pre-Christmas period, for example, tea bags in a winter flavor, a bag of hot lemon, mulled wine spice or of course a mini advent calendar are suitable.

Birthday: For a customer's birthday, you could send a small packet of four-leaf clover seeds, or stick a lucky penny on the letter, and of course include a voucher/discount for a purchase or service from your company. Mini birthday candles are also available in supermarkets and drugstores.

Interior design: Those who want to highlight their company's service benefits could include an individually wrapped aspirin tablet ("Building without headaches") or a microfiber or eyeglass cleaning cloth ("Our tradespeople leave a clean apartment"). Painting companies could also simply include a small bag of colorful gummy bears.

Facade and building protection: Care, protection, and cleaning are also important for the house. A single-serve face mask or a refreshing wipe can reinforce this message in an original way.

Thermal insulation: Accessories that create a desire for cozy warmth would include a hand warmer, a thermal card, or individually wrapped tea bags.

Sources: Brillux customer club, own research. 
Article from 2012, updated in March 2018