Turn Your Marketing “Upside Down”

When planning a direct mail marketing campaign, you choose the message you want to convey, design a great looking piece, break out your client/prospect list and mail, right?

We suggest turning that idea upside down. Instead of starting with the message, start with the mailing list.

It’s common practice these days to personalize mailings. But even personalization of your direct mail piece may not be enough. We need to know more about our customers and potential customers to tailor messages even further.

The internet is, of course, always on the edge of progress and a good place to see this in action. Have you noticed, when browsing the net, lots of ads are directly targeted at you? They may mention your city or town, or be tailored to something you were searching for online. Savvy marketers take your online habits and direct ads towards you that resonate. You are more likely to respond to ads that invoke your name, hometown and interests.

Maintaining a database of your customers’ preferences goes a long way toward connecting with them. Harvey Mackay, bestselling author and networking guru, promotes his system of keeping data on acquaintances and business contacts. He knows their birthdates, children’s names, the college they attended and other personal information and keeps them in a Rolodex. Then he makes sure to contact them regularly, using this information in a conversational way to show that he remembers them and is interested. Mackay has built a business empire and become an expert on the art of building relationships with customers.

How does this relate to that direct mail piece you need to send out? Here’s how – take the information you have about your clients and prospects and turn it into a memorable communication by including those details in words and images in your mailing. Let’s take a look at an example:

A retirement community wants to send a mailing to prospective residents. They make use of personal information gleaned through contacts with the prospects on several occasions. One letter, which is sent to thousands of different people, has vastly different information on each unique piece.

A letter to Mrs. Parker, for instance, mentions her by name and the pottery classes she wants to attend. A color image of the community art studio is dropped into the letter to focus on this. It mentions the last time she visited, her adult daughter’s name and information about moving from another state which pertains to her.

A personalized letter to Mr. Jones, however, is more focused on the healthcare offered by the community, which is his main concern. One color image dropped into his letter shows up-to-date medical facilities and assures him of getting quality care. It also mentions that he can practice his hobbies of playing pool and bridge, with an image showing the game room.

These very different messages can be created within the same mailing, in one pass. Variable data printing can create the personalized greeting and copy within the letter, and variable images reinforce the connection you make with your audience. Think of the potential in creating a communication which is uniquely personal, doing this at high speed in one mailing, and being able to reach out to many people at once.

How valuable is each customer to you? Making a memorable impact sets your company apart from the competition and gives the personal edge you need today in a market saturated by advertising.

Why Postal Regulations Matter (and how they can save you thousands)

In the world of direct mail, there are many agencies which can create a beautiful piece of advertising. Talented graphic artists with innovative ideas and attention-grabbing art can help give you a leg up. The printer goes to work and produces magic, and you send out a mailer or postcard or letter which will produce a great result for you.

They can also cause delays in the mailstream, get your pieces rejected by the post office and cost you thousands of dollars.

The unglamorous but essential job of knowing postal regulations can make or break your project and sadly, most printers are unaware of many of them. The USPS produces a “Direct Mail Manual” which is long, tedious, and reads like the tax code. It contains a vast number of regulations, and it also contains benefits for your business which can save you money and make your mail flow more smoothly, get to its destination faster, and be tracked along the way.

CASE STUDY #1: We produced postcards for a client who was giving an annual event. They had sent postcards for years using other printers, not knowing that they were entitled to a discount on pre-sorted standard mail as a non-profit entity. Because no other printer had ever asked them “are you a non-profit organization?” (it was not obvious from their company name), they paid postage in excess of their obligation every time. In this particular mailing, the difference in postage was about $300.00. Imagine how much they could have saved over the years!

CASE STUDY #2: Another project came our way in the late stages. A creative agency/printer had designed a catchy, clever appeal for an important client, and they needed our help to seal the mailer for them. One look at these mailers with a practiced postal eye spoke volumes. At least five errors had occurred in their design and production process. The construction and fold of the piece made it non-machinable. Incorrect placement of the address and barcode made it non-automated. Every aspect drove up the cost and slowed down the pace of the mailing, and yet it was too late. They made the decision to “send it out anyway”. Extra postage cost to their important client would run around $1,000.00.

Knowledge is power, and in the direct mail business, knowledge of postal regulations has the power to save your project lots of money, hassles and delay. Go with a pro to get the job done right the first time and every time.