Boost Your Direct Marketing Success with a Johnson Box (and Its Email Equivalent)
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Most
integrated marketers understand there’s a lot about direct mail that seems
counterintuitive. First of all, the medium itself still continues to outperform
most digital tactics. And it’s a technique that’s been around for 60 years, that
still works as well now as it did back in the day.
We’re
talking about the Johnson Box, a graphic preview on the outside of the envelope
that gives recipients a tantalizing hint of what’s inside. The copywriter who
developed it, Frank Johnson, was (in)famous for writing direct mail letters
that ran to four pages, which is probably why he needed to intrigue his
audience. Some marketers have
A/B tested direct mail with a Johnson Box, and saw a 220%
increase compared to the control piece.
Besides
giving you tips on how to use a Johnson Box to boost your open rates, we’ll
also run through best practices for its email equivalent, preview text.
Johnson Box Best Practices
- Create
an actual high-contrast box on the outside of the envelope.
- Use
copy to pique the reader’s
interest.
- Johnson
Boxes work particularly well with a typical #10 envelope, but experiment with
other formats, too. Check with your mail vendor for other best practices.
- Johnson
Boxes can also be used on the actual letter: it’s a great way to draw attention
to the offer or important points.
Preview Text is the
Internet Equivalent of a Johnson Box
Preview
text (also called a preheader) is the little snippet of text that follows the subject line of an email in most email
programs. The overall effect is very similar to a Johnson Box – and like a
Johnson Box, it can greatly influence your open rates.
Preheader Text Best
Practices
- While
character counts vary by email client, your best bet is to keep it under 50
characters.
- Focus
your key messages in the first 30 characters (because: mobile).
- Don’t
just use this text as a continuation of the subject line: preview text can also
be a branding tool or function as a CTA.
- If
you repeat the text of the subject line, readers may think it’s an error and
then assume that you are an untrustworthy or suspicious sender.
- Be
playful but keep the text faithful to the content of your email. Otherwise, you
risk losing your reader’s trust.
Make sure you preview the text – and the rest of
your email, too. It really doesn’t take much to lose your credibility, and it’s
so fast and easy to double-check your work. (Same goes for direct mail…and
brochures, websites, and all your other communications!)