Match format to objectives. (Direct Mail Essentials).

Take a look at the mail you receive. You are likely to find a mix of standard envelopes, I square envelopes, large formats and a few postcards. Which type of package is the right format for your next direct mail campaign? The answer depends on many factors. Typical considerations include:

* Budget: The cost of printing a postcard may be only one-half or one-third that of a larger-format mailing.

* Product complexity: Certificates of deposit primarily need to sell a rate, but not much more, while trust services are better sold with packages containing more complex copy.

* Type of response: If a telephone response from the recipient is sufficient, a simple format mailer may be appropriate. A larger format would be better for something like a home equity loan requiring a long application.

Here's a quick guide to help identify the most efficient format for your next mailing:

Postcard: One of the least expensive formats, the postcard gets attention and delivers your message quickly. Printing costs are low enough to justify four-color printing in reasonable quantities, and it can be produced quickly--which is helpful in a fast-changing rate environment.

Because of the postcard's relatively small space, copywriting and graphics can be produced quickly. Printing adds only a few days.

Postcards, therefore, usually are most appropriate for products that can be sold with a short message, such as checking accounts, or products with short time-cycles and rapidly changing rates, such as certificates of deposit or money market accounts.

Self-mailer: A folded letter-size page offers many of the advantages of a postcard. It has high visibility and relatively low cost, and it can provide three or more times the space for a longer message and larger graphics. Yet printing costs typically are only about 30 percent more than a postcard. The format also can be expanded to an 11"x17" paper size for even more space, then folded to 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" for mailing. This larger size is ideal for a newsletter- or tabloid-style layout, making it useful for selling multiple products or event marketing, such as a branch opening or anniversary.

Standard letter envelope: The #10 letter-size envelope still thrives as the classic direct mail package for selling many products, especially credit, because it allows room for a two- or four-page cover letter, brochure, and application or reply card.

While advertisers in most industries struggle with ways to entice the recipient to open their envelope, the advantage for banks is that consumers are reluctant to discard any envelope carrying a bank logo without at least checking the contents.

This format, however, can be double or more the cost of a postcard due to its many inserts, so it should be used when the product requires longer explanatory copy--and perhaps graphics--and when the profitability of the product allows for an appropriate budget.

The standard letter envelope is ideal for marketing home-equity credit or credit cards with their higher profit margins than more basic deposit products such as certificates of deposit. This package format also works well for business-to-business direct mail.

Large-format envelope: A larger package, such as a 6"x9" or 9"x12" envelope, has the same advantages as the standard #10. It may be preferred when selling either a product that requires more copy than fits the smaller package, or when you are marketing an especially profitable product.

To recapitulate, start with your objectives; next, consider your budget, message and the type of response desired. Once you have identified those factors, you should be on your way to producing a profitable mailing.

Jim Turner is President of Etra Corp., Naperville, Ill. The company provides advertising and research services. He can he reached at [phone] or at [e-mail].