Some people dread cutting the grass. As a kid, however, I always thought there was something very satisfying about it. One of the things I liked about cutting the grass is that you could tell where you’d been. The grass was either mowed—or it wasn’t. That meant that you knew when you were done. You could look back over the yard and see if there were any spots you missed. If it all looked good, you were finished! Read More

  Transitioning from winter to spring brings new anticipation in the retail business, as people pack up their winter woolens and gear up for spring clothing, shoes, makeup, and more. Successful marketing will jump on spring retail trends for 2015. Direct mail businesses in particular can take advantage of spring marketing.  Read More

  By the time March finally arrives, though the calendar says winter, spring is on everyone’s mind. This can make marketing difficult for a few reasons. Customers may be reluctant to shop for spring before the snow melts, unable to trust the calendar. Many aren’t sure what they’re looking for, or ignore winter sales in favor of soon-to-be-released spring items. A few tips will help make your March marketing more successful.  Read More

  The rise of e-readers does not mean the death of paperback books, but it does mean booksellers need to rethink marketing campaigns. Direct mail can be a great way to update campaigns, whether you’re using publishing house catalogues, direct book shipments to book clubs, or other methods. Read More

  Failing to test a direct mail campaign before sending it out on a massive scale can be a costly marketing mistake. Depending on the reason for the campaign and the type of mailing, you may be looking between $50 and $100 in terms of cost per lead. By testing your campaign first, you’ll know if the projected ROI is worth the cost of continuing the campaign. Read More

  There is a debate that has been going on in the world of direct mail marketing ever since people began using movable type. When it comes to getting your marketing message across to your desired audience, is long copy or short copy more effective? Which one works best? Read More

Great direct mail design doesn’t happen on its own. It takes planning and effort, and the design of the mailing material is the axis on which it turns. A good design strategy offers limitless opportunities for creativity and variety, whether you’re designing your mailer yourself or outsourcing the job to a mailing house or graphic designer. Follow these nine steps to develop a direct mail design that rocks the mailbox, generates sales leads and brings you the ROI you want: Read More

  To successfully compete alongside other forms of marketing, direct mail campaigns should focus on engaging content. Everything from pulling the mail out of the mailbox to opening the envelope and reading should be an experience that is natural and relevant. Content marketing in direct mail doesn’t have to mean pages of passive script. Instead, it means focusing on sending mailings that make a difference in the lives of the recipients. Read More

  Targeted marketing is just as important in direct mail as it is in online marketing. Spending more time on the front end of your campaign increases the likelihood of its success down the road. In the ever-used marketing analogy, it is better to throw a few darts and get really close to the target than to throw a bunch and end up all over the board. Determining your target market is a matter of knowing your product or service intimately and matching that up with the demands of the marketplace. Read More

  When you hand over the responsibility for your direct mail campaign to an external service provider, it’s normal to feel a twinge of concern about whether the final product is going to meet your standards. Implementing a quality campaign takes close cooperation between you and the mailing house, and using this checklist of 5 ways to ensure quality control will help make the end result meet your professional standards. Read More