Advice on using Business Reply Cards and other Reply Elements in Direct Mail - Contact us for advice

Business Reply Cards and Business Reply Slips are known as Reply Elements

A business reply element is a very important part of your mailing. To be effective, your mailing must include a call to action at the end of it and the business reply element is the means of reply.

The reply element may be a business reply paid envelope, a pre-paid business reply card or a printed and personalised order form. It may even be a request for your prospect to make a simple telephone call. For example,

"Ring me today on 01234-56789 with your credit card details and we'll despatch your gift same day"

If you do need your responder to telephone you, don't rely on them finding the number on your letterhead or sales literature. Always make it easy for them by putting the whole telephone number (including the dialing code) in your call to action here is ours.

Business Reply Cards are better than a telephone call
If at all possible, avoid the telephone call route. Use a printed reply element instead. People much prefer to pop something in the post than to use the telephone. Many older consumers still totally avoid the telephone if they can. Include your web site address and e-mail address if you have one (and if you have not got a web site and e-mail address, get one now). All reply elements are useful, but the advantage of a written response from a business reply card or in a business reply envelope is that your respondent will happily give their full address - critical for your mailing list.

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Undoubtedly, the reply element is essential. Most mailings ask for a written response, because this then converts the responder to one of your own. This means that you can then legitimately write to them again in the future, even if their name and address came from a rented list. You can ask them to incude further details on the reply card or even get them to ask you to contact them again within a specific time period. "I'm not interested at the moment, but please contact me in ...... weeks".

How to get a business reply licence from Royal Mail
Make it as easy as possible for your prospect to contact you. A reply paid envelope or card uses a licence number that you buy annually from Royal Mail. Is is easy to get the licence, just contact your local Royal Mail sales office on 0345 950950 or click here for an application form. The licence costs (at present) around £102 per annum and is worth every penny. It can be used on business reply envelopes, business reply cards and Freepost business reply envelopes or cards.

Thank you for reading this article, which, hopefully has proved useful to you. If you would like further advice on any specific aspect of leaflet production or direct mail, please feel free to contact us. Or fill in our secure enquiry form for help, advice or a quotation on your own project or requirements

Please feel free to reproduce this article elsewhere if you wish, as long as all links remain intact.

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