Direct Mail

For distributors, the key to mailer sales is providing ideas that make end-users successful. A little patience and perseverance throughout the selling cycle don’t hurt, either. Mailers, after all, are not exactly a cut-and-dried type of sale. There can be aggravations along the way and a significant investment of time to coordinate materials, as well as the various approvals, revisions and final proofs the products entail. But in return, distributors can be rewarded with repeat orders and healthy profit margins. Easy Does It A new, patent-pending product launched by Roanoke, Virginia-based InfoSeal in October, FastTabsps, is already getting 2008 off to a

Distributors who can offer creative tips to end-users have a competitive advantage. That being said, internationally known direct marketing consultant and copywriter Lee Marc Stein noted one of the biggest obstacles mailers face today is TDD—Time Deficit Disorder. Prospects and customers simply don’t have time to read all of the mail and e-mails they receive. And the problem is only getting worse, as corporations continue to downsize, leaving those remaining on staff with more burdens and less time, while employees in small businesses have always contended with time pressures. Stein offered seven recommendations for overcoming TDD and boosting response rates: 1. Convince prospects/customers it’s

I’m big on recycling and have been attempting to do my part for several years now. Truth be told, I even love roaming countless thrift and consignment shops to purchase clothing and housewares—ULTIMATE recycling to my way of thinking.

So, I was understandably delighted when the city of Philadelphia stepped up it’s recycling program not too long ago. A new, reinvigorated campaign was launched featuring a very effective postcard mailed to residents showing the new, broader-range of materials allowed, including coated paper board, magazines, phone books and direct mail pieces.

Now, I must confess, no matter how attractive the mailer package, I’m typically not lured into

The issue of compliance and integrity has become a key topic for service providers who touch and manage sensitive customer data, whether that of their own or their clients’ customers. The increased demand for quality and audit-proof process control often does not translate into capital budget increases, making it even more important to analyze investments made in quality or process improvement. In the case of production mail integrity, discriminating between true compliance and false security is most important, as credibility, hard-dollar fines and loss of business are at stake. The question is: which solution truly validates total integrity? The most common approach

1 International Business Systems Headquarters: King of Prussia, Pa. Direct Mail Sales $(000): 13,500 Total Sales $(000): 15,000 2 Champion Industries Headquarters: Huntington, W. Va. Direct Mail Sales $(000): 13,067 Total Sales $(000): 145,188 3 Design Distributors Headquarters: Deer Park, N.Y. Direct Mail Sales $(000): 10,500 Total Sales $(000): 15,000 4 B&W Press Headquarters: Georgetown, Mass. Direct Mail Sales $(000): 8,66 Total Sales $(000): 11,550 5 New Jersey Business Forms/InfoSeal Headquarters: Englewood, N.J Direct Mail Sales $(000):

Amidst the mayhem of new media such as YouTube, iPods and blogging, using one advertising medium is rarely satisfactory. With consumers wading through an informational glut meant to provide ultimate personalization, marketers must pull out the big guns to ensure their messages are heard. E-mail, direct mail, television and website promotions are only a few of the ways to encourage an audience’s response to a campaign. It’s a delicate balancing act of maintaining enough presence to be seen, heard and responded to, without bombarding a potential audience into annoyance. In the case of direct mail, the most successful campaign is the one that nestles

By Maggie DeWitt Direct mailers know recipients respond better to paper-based communications delivered to home mailboxes than unsolicited e-mails sent to computers. Yet, there is no denying the effectiveness—and pervasiveness—of electronic media for disseminating information today. That being said, October’s mystery product is a perfect blending of the traditional and digital. To guess what the product is, check out the following clues: • It can be designed as a printed self-mailer, as well as an envelope format. • It features a unique, patented design resulting in a two-piece product. • It is a United States Postal Service (USPS)-approved product—weighing less than one ounce with a CD or DVD

By Maggie DeWitt For all the direct mail devotees out there, this mystery product’s for you. It presents a win-win-win situation, since the innovative product can boost manufacturers’ and distributors’ sales by enabling end-users to grow their businesses, while helping mail recipients save money. The product combines all the best of digital printing technology and the effectiveness of a direct mail campaign to create a vehicle for presenting money-saving coupons. Furthermore, its design serves to control production costs. Check out these clues to guess what the product is: • It is constructed using 18x12", 80 lb. white matte cover stock. • It

Is it possible to have the advantages of a traditional direct mailing when the content is digital information? Yes, according to Stockholm, Sweden-based Expericard’s CEO Peter Gustafsson. Expericard is a traditional postcard redesigned to contain a CD or DVD, and which can be sent by post at the lowest postal rate. The paperboard envelope functions like a postcard, with the printed cover making a strong visual impression. Iggesund Paperboard of Sweden is using Expericard as part of its “Seduced by Invercote” campaign, aimed at brand owners and converters. The campaign’s theme is chocolate, and consists of an elegant box containing a book about

Mailing a birthday card won’t cause anyone to feel the pinch of rising postage stamp prices, noted Stephanie Hendricks, director of public affairs, Direct Marketing Association (DMA), New York. “But ... those extra pennies can add up to thousands—even millions—of extra dollars for business and nonprofit mailers,” she said. To avoid the squeeze of postage increases, Hendricks provided these tips for reducing cost without cutting into mail volume: • Clean up mailing lists. Having up-to-date, “clean” mailing lists is one of the most effective ways to reduce waste and keep mailing costs under control. Make sure lists are checked for duplicates and returned mail. Lists