Markets for inserts are highly targetable, and you can quickly achieve large volumes of impressions. As mentioned above, your insert is guaranteed exclusive in your category, so you don't have any competitors to contend with. As with lists, you'll want to test at least ten companies at about 10,000 to 15,000 pieces each in order to achieve statistical reliability.

In business-to-business markets especially, alternative media may be a cost-effective way to drive traffic to a Web site. Self-mailers are being used to do this now, at considerably greater expense.

Creative can be kept simple, and should run less than $30 per thousand. The piece must weigh under one-quarter ounce.

Getting Started in Package Inserts

For the uninitiated, package inserts -- and alternative media generally -- can be a jungle. To help newcomers get headed in the right direction, broker Leon Henry offers the following ten suggestions:

1. Use a Broker. Don't do it yourself.  It's tough and unnecessary. We know all the answers. We've been there with over a billion inserts for nearly every conceivable company and industry and we (or any reputable broker) will tell you what's good for your product...and what you should avoid.

2. Test, but test smart. Some mailers test for "test's sake" which unfortunately means when they are through they don't know what and why they tested.  It is axiomatic in the insert market because of its varied nature that you test.

But testing smart means testing with a proven insert wherever possible.  Test statistically reliable numbers relative to your offer.  Test with no more than two copy approaches.  Test as many programs initially as your budget allows.  Remember that the batter who comes to the plate once is only a hero if he hits a home run. Test smart by coming to bat as often as possible. One strikeout won't look so bad among the homers.

3. Test New Programs. Along with the stand-bys such as Hanover House, Newfield, Ambassador, Carol Wright and Fingerhut you want to test the new ones such as Viking Office Products, Global Computer Supplies and Buyer's Choice.

4. Use One Insert. Look at all the smart mailers and you will see that they have been going out with one insert format for years. Why one?  Because you want to test the medium and not the message.  If you are confident with your message, then each test of the medium (the various package-insert programs you go into) will be clear in its results.

5. Ask Lots Of Questions. Don't be afraid to ask your broker every silly question that you can think of about the source of the program that he is presenting to you. Just as you would ask other media salesmen, you should inquire about the source of the customers, number of years in business, other marketers that have used and continued with the program, the time that it takes for your inserts to be distributed, and so on.  The more you ask the better informed you will be.  The better informed, the more likely you are to be successful.

6. Be Sure To "Key" By Program. You'd be surprised how many sophisticated mailers forget to key in such a way that when the distribution takes too long, they can't research how and when their inserts were distributed.  For example, if the distribution will take three months, it makes sense to key your inserts in such a way that you can tell when the first month is completed and so forth.  The small extra expense with the printer can save you headaches and cut your aspirin bill.

7. Use The Right Sources. Just as you should be using a knowledgeable broker, you should have the right printer, direct-mail consultant, and, where necessary, the correct mailing house working for you.  Ask for competitive bids from everyone that you use. Your printer, sad to say, may not be right for the insert market even though he is an expert with your catalog.

Your artist should know that inserts must be machine insertable, which means that when the finished product is delivered to the company inserting them, they must be able to place them on their inserting machine and collate your insert with the others going into the package.

8. Ask For Proof Of Receipt And Proof Of Delivery. The old days are gone, so you can be reasonably assured that the inserts you send to be distributed will be used.  Why?  Because too many companies are making too much money from the service to "fuss" around.  But you can never be too sure.

Your broker should obtain an insert sample upon receipt and upon completion and have it in his or her file.  Your printer should have receipt of delivery. Your inserts should be boxed professionally and clearly marked. The insides of some of the warehouses dwarf the imagination and your insert can get lost.

9. Pay The Right Price. Because of the variety of insert programs, you want to pick the best for your offer and then decide on the right ones based upon the top price you are willing to pay.  After you've received the test results, there's plenty of time to negotiate for price reduction.  As with other media, prices change with volume and frequency.  After all, the worst your broker can report is "the rate card or nothing." It pays to ask.

10. Expect Less, Get More. This is a medium that is still being developed.  For all the success stories, the package insert field is just like the other forms of direct response. It is a numbers game. If you watch the cost of printing and the cost of distribution, your response should be sufficient to provide you with a satisfactory cost per inquiry or cost per order.

If you expect a miracle, this is not the medium.  But for steady production of orders at reasonable and competitive costs, this medium is hard to beat.  And for ease of entry, low visibility, low cost, what could be better?

More About Card Decks

Most of what is true of package inserts applies equally to card decks. However, card decks offer even less real estate in which to get across a message. Despite that apparent shortcoming, however, marketers in every category -- and business-to-business marketers especially -- are finding card decks a cost-effective addition to their marketing arsenal. At an average of 2c to 3c per contact, they're certainly worth testing.

Indeed, as mentioned earlier, some use card decks exclusively to get leads, then follow up aggressively with additional direct mail and/or telemarketing efforts both to re-qualify respondents and to convert. In recent years I've worked with two such marketers, a magazine publisher and an electronics manufacturer.

For a quick snapshot of how a card deck media plan might look, following are actual "recos" ("recommendations" in listspeak) for a client selling Network Certification software.


Name of Deck (circ)        1x            3x        +2nd color

Computerworld
(147,000)                        $3744      $3494    +$435

Computer Network Professional
(100,000)                          3900          --        +395

Hi-Tech Times
(120,000)                          3900      3700      +150

Internet Week
(130,000)                          3250      2990      +245

Windows
(120,000)                          3900      3700      +150

Windows NT
(100,000)                          3200      2800      +250


The most effective test of any one deck would consist of a minimum of three insertions which puts a test in this category into the $12,000 range. As with space advertising, there is a cumulative effect to being in a card deck with some consistency. Ask your broker who the regular repeaters are in any deck and examine their offer for a fairly reliable indication of what's working in that deck.