Postal Service Losses of $3.2 Billion in Second Quarter Underscore the Need for Legislative Changes (via PR Newswire) WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Postal Service ended its second quarter (Jan. 1 – March 31) with a net loss of $3.2 billion, compared to a net loss of $2.2 billion for the same period last year. Despite ongoing management actions that have grown and improved efficiency,…
Last week we were contacted by a client about sending a wedding invitation. The vast majority of the jobs that we produce for customers at Zairmail include printing and mailing. In fact, all of our published prices on the website are quoted including processing, printing, addressing, and postage. This client asked us to review the invitation and make sure that the layout would work through the mail. The client had decided to use a double postcard (two postcards, connected together at one edge, then folded and tabbed). This style of postcard allows the sender to include a reply card and still get low postcard postage rates. In this case, the reply card was an RSVP for the wedding. There were … Continue reading
Marketing in any form is not an exact science. However, “test marketing” will allow us to take some of the guesswork out of the process. This is especially true with direct mail marketing because our success is ROI-driven – which is easily to measure. Historically the additional cost and time involved could make it infeasible to test in advance with all but the most strategic promotions or campaigns. Of course, for most small and medium enterprises every dollar spent on marketing is critical. Today, with the existence of online mail-on-demand tools, it is fast, easy, and extremely inexpensive, to test various messages, offers, and packages; find a winning formula; and then turn up the volume on some larger campaigns. When … Continue reading
There are as many different sales theories and techniques as there are products to sell. However, there is one simple formula that we have had great success with over the years – AIDA – which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. This technique works just as well in an ad campaign, sales presentation, or even more importantly, a successful direct mail campaign. Let’s take it from there… 1. Attention If you know what your customers want, it’s not hard to get their attention. Just think about the biggest benefit your product or service can provide and dramatize it. We are talking about “benefits” not just product features. A gardener or landscaper, for instance, can get attention by mailing a … Continue reading
There are three key elements to every direct marketing campaign: the list, the offer, and the creative. Experts seem to agree that the single most important element is the list. In fact, the rule we generally use when planning campaigns is: 70% list, 20% offer, and 10% creative. It is ironic, because most mailers and agencies in particular spend most of their time on the creative and very little on the list. With any campaign it is important to first understand what you want to accomplish. Two common goals are to (a) convince existing customers to buy more or more frequently (loyalty programs), or (b) find new customers and convince them to purchase for the first time (sales prospecting). Loyalty … Continue reading
New customer acquisition is a critical factor in a company’s growth, and requires even more forethought and strategic action when the economy is sluggish. Tight marketing budgets and cost management are the game plan when sales are slow. Even in these circumstances direct mail can play a pivotal role in finding and keeping customers. Direct mail is the most cost-effective way to bring in new customers. According to a study by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) direct mail averages $10 in sales for every $1 invested. In another study by Pitney Bowes they found that direct mail generated a higher percentage of sales than Internet advertising, TV, or radio. History has shown that direct mail, when used correctly, is the … Continue reading
We see a lot of sales letters are Zairmail – A LOT. As you can imagine, not all of them are created equal. Some of them produce a flood of responses and sales – planting a big smile on the face of the sender and leading to advance planning for their next Caribbean vacation. Others sputter. And, honestly, there are some that land right in between. Of course, we all want that next “home run” direct mail campaign (or marketing promotion). So, how do we get there? Clearly the standard business letter writing techniques do not apply. If they did then all our direct mail campaigns would be knocking the ball out of the park. One of the reasons it … Continue reading
1. Create a Powerful Offer To professional mailers it’s the oldest trick in the book: a discount, free gift, or rebate – an offer that is just too amazing to pass up. Good offers are so powerful that most professional mailers use them right in the headline of the letter. Also, make sure the offer has an expiration date. Time and again, it’s been proven that more people respond to an offer when there’s a deadline or an impending event. 2. Emphasize benefits, not features Features are what the product has. Benefits are what it can do for you. The “5-horsepower engine” in a power lawn mower is a feature. The ability to mow down an overgrown lawn in half … Continue reading
One banking client of ours asked if postcards still work for direct mail and how can we maximize our potential for success. We thought that you would enjoy seeing our response… One general data point is that most branches that are doing mailing seem to be doing letters rather than postcards. This is not to say that postcards cannot be effective – they can be. But, you have to do the same amount of selling with a lot less real estate (space). On the other hand, of course, the challenge with letters is getting an “open” – postcards always create at least a momentary “impression”. The general rule of thumb in DM is that the success of any campaign is … Continue reading
