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MAILWAYS
A free newsletter offering direct mail marketing tips from
Bi-County Mailing & American Mail Communications
January 2011
Copyright © 2011
888-MAIL-888
IN THIS ISSUE
- New Year's Resolutions
- Use Templates
- Roll Up Your Sleeves
- Power of Direct Mail
- Revitalize Strategies
- Important New Mailing Rules
- Our Favorite Charities
- How Are We Doing?
- Hold That Thought
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HOLD THAT THOUGHT...
"Black cat, white cat, all that matters is that it catches mice."
Deng Xiaoping
1904-1997
Chinese Premier
Selected by Long Island Business News readers as..
Time for a Resolution
Does your list of 2011 New Year’s resolutions include the promise to stop procrastinating? To help you succeed this year, start slowly by picking a task you’ve been putting off, and try this:
• Carve out one hour (come in early) and devote yourself to that task. Tell your crew that hour is off limits.
• Measure the hour exactly by setting a timer for the 60 minutes.
• Stay focused. No interruptions, no breaks, no day dreaming, no watching the timer. Just do the work.
• Check results when the time’s up. You may be surprised at how much you accomplished.
• Keep that timer handy.
Hailing the Power of Direct Mail
Marketing expert Sarah O’Leary recently reminded marketers that “email’s efficiency without effectiveness can be wasteful.”
She pointed out that “consumers, now inundated with unwanted email, are digitally throwing out the spam, while today’s direct mail is more apt to be opened and read.”
According to Ms. O’Leary:
“To reach your consumers in the Internet age, sometimes you have to lick a few stamps.”
Marketing King Shares Strategies
The famous marketer, Stew Leonard Jr., recently shared some of his strategic insights the readers of The New York Enterprise Report.
- “If you were selling $100 bottles of wine two years ago, take off your ascot, roll up your sleeves, and start selling $10-to-$30 bottles.”
- The company sells the best-you-can-buy Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at $13.99 a pound. “We used to sell one-pound wedges. Now we cut down the size of the wedges and sell them for $9 apiece. We call it pocketbook friendly.”
Save $$$ on Direct Mail
By Creating Templates
If you change your creative every time you send out a direct mail piece, you could be driving up cost, losing continuity and weakening your message.
Here’s an interesting case in point from KeyBank, a financial services division of KeyCorp.
KeyBank shifted its marketing strategy to using graphic templates for direct mail programs. Six templates were designed with flexibility in messaging and offers.
They preprinted the templates and inserted freshly printed and relevant copy with each mailing campaign to highly targeted audiences. The templates also enabled the company to get to the market quickly.
• They saved on creative, printing and paper costs.
• Since response rates were maintained, ROI improved with the reduced costs.
Revitalize Your Direct Mail Marketing Strategies This Year
It’s time to catch your customers’ eyes by making some changes that will rejuvenate your printed materials. Here are some suggested changes:
• Brighten the graphics by changing where your logo and tag line appear.
• Review the printed materials, and refresh the language, making it more contemporary and relevant to your audience.
• Engage your customers/prospects with educational/informative messages on every printed communication, rather than focusing on hard-sell copy.
Our mission is to make your use of direct mail correct, efficient, effective and as hassle-free as possible. In every way possible, we will operate as an extension of your company or organization
with your needs and goals as our paramount responsibility.