The best way to make the right first impression with your direct mail is to think like your customer. What would they respond to, what kind of offer will excite them, what problems are they seeking solutions to? Far from being all about you, your mailed offer needs to be all about the customer. When recipients see you’re putting them first, they’ll think well of you in return. Read More

  I was out for a walk in the neighborhood the other day when the front door of one of the homes caught my eye. Vines covered the front door from the top almost to the bottom. The photo you see here is the very door that caught my eye. Read More

  When your direct mail campaign has no particular time sensitivity, for instance if you are sending a general product catalogue, getting your timing strategy spot on isn't so crucial. There are times, however, when an unexpected hold up can totally ruin the campaign. Read More

  Sometimes a marketing promotion or program seems like a really good idea. It’s fun. It’s engaging. It has broad appeal. Or at least you think it does because it appeals to you—and you’re not thinking like your ideal customer. You see your ideal customer has a persona—a kind of personality that’s fairly well defined. And what characterizes your customer may not quite be the same thing that characterizes you. Read More

  These days it's not enough for companies to use just one method to engage with their target market. Everyone is pressed for time, and the digital age makes the need for instant gratification even greater. That, in turn, makes the concept of integrated marketing even more attractive. Read More

  Often, less is more, and just because you can include a design element doesn’t necessarily mean you should. What you leave out can be just as important as what you put in, so it’s always a good idea to keep things as simple as possible, however complex the total mailing package. Read More

There’s an old aviation adage that claims: “Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.” That may be true for flying, but it doesn’t work so well with marketing. Where your prospects “land” is important. Read More

  Direct mail is alive and kicking, providing something email never can: the satisfaction of something tangible on the doormat or in the mailbox. Make sure you follow through on that little frisson of pleasure receiving a piece of mail creates by making your mailed offer relevant, personal and valuable. Read More

  Once upon a time there was a hard-working laborer who worked in a big plant. Part of his job every day was to open the valve on a particular pipeline first thing in the morning. It wasn’t easy because sometimes the valve would stick. It took time that he could have spent doing something else, but he kept at it.  Read More

  You’ve heard it said: Millennials (those born between 1977 and 2000) have no interest in paper. They like things digital, tech heavy, and fast. But with a 2014 report indicating that over 90% of young shoppers refer to direct mail to help in shopping decisions, clearly all is not lost. It’s just different. Read More