I have realized in my explanation of Lumpy Mail i have not accounted for all industries. I have also made vague assumptions you are familiar with when it is appropriate to use Lumpy mail and when it is not. Here is the quick and dirty of what industries Lumpy mail is good for and when to use it.
Lumpy Mail is good for any industries who fit the criteria below.
Smaller Campaigns: Size of the campaign will depend on the scope of the market. However try to make sure you are only targeting the highest level possible, which should limit your campaign size down.
Highly Targeted: Where you have the name, position, and address of the exact person you want to target
High Revenue Sales: When the sale of your product will allow for a $30 marketing piece.
When you have to reach the Un-Reachable: Dont use Lumpy Mail when you can get away with a simple phone call or introduction.
When you want to really stand out: These are not for the faint of heart. They are risky, bold, and very very effective when done right.
What Lumpy Mail is not for:
Spamming: If you dont know who the person is, dont send this. This very important, if it is not personally addressed you are wasting your time, because the decision maker will not be opening it.
Small Dollar Sales: This is obvious to me, however if your selling a $5 hairbrush then dont send a $20 advertisement for it.
No Clear Message/ Sloppy Copy: If your marketing copy is not amazing, these will not work either. You have to understand the reason behind why they work and if you just clutter up the marketing effort with sloppy copy then your wasting your time as well.
Non Decision Makers: If the person doesn't make the final decision, then you are wasting your time and money. Only send these to people who can make decisions, and write checks.
Lack of Sales Ability: These are not to make sales, they are to enhance your sales, by getting you noticed or a foot in the door. DO NOT confuse the marketing of your product with the sale of your product. Lumpy mail in the B2B setting is generally used to get phone time or face time with the top level decision makers. Salesmanship is need once you get the meeting.
These are highly evolved campaigns which are very effective. They are effective because of the effort which you put into them and the science behind them. YES, i said science. There are many parts to these "Lumpy Mail" marketing efforts which are scientific. So make sure you do your research, know your client. They can be used in many industries, just as long as they fit your marketing plan.
OF course there is some room with in these rules, but stick to them and you should know when Lumpy mail should be effective or when a bulk mailer would be a better use of your resources.