Direct mail campaigns are a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. Using them wisely can bring in new business, build customer loyalty and expand your brand awareness beyond other types of advertising. While they are one of the oldest marketing tools, direct mail campaigns require more than just sending out a postcard to a mailing list. Here are five pitfalls to avoid. Using a Bad Mailing List Today’s data hygiene services have advanced data tracking tools to ensure that mailing lists are up to date.  While reputable companies may charge you a chunk for a quality mailing list, it’s worth the extra dollars ...

Direct Mail Marketing has been a marketing cornerstone since the first concepts of a postal service. Before the Internet's capability to feed information to anywhere in the world, marketing catalogs and other forms of direct mail marketing were often how people in rural areas purchased what they needed to survive. Just because the Internet is the hot new thing in today's commerce arena doesn't mean that the old guard is ineffective or outdated. Keeping this in mind, here are 5 ways marketers can pump some vitality into their current direct mail marketing strategies. 1. Make sure your message is clear As with all ...

Some marketers may feel that direct mail marketing is not a successful use of a marketing budget. However, in a recent study titled "Finding the Right Channel Combination: What Drives Channel Choice," ICOM found that consumers in U.S. and Canada between the ages of 18-34 preferred to learn about marketing offers via mail and newspapers than online sources like social media sites. Also, 36% of U.S. respondents, across all ages, trust the mail more than email — up from 29 percent in 2008. This means direct mail marketing is becoming even more important to companies looking to reach prospective customers. If you ...

Your direct mail marketing campaign cannot be successful if you are not using a quality mailing list. A beautifully designed postcard for your new steakhouse restaurant is worthless to vegetarians. A quality mailing list provider should know very specific details about the people living in your target area. Here are 3 things you need to watch for in a potential mailing list provider. 1. Look At Their Deliverability Percentage Deliverability is the number of addresses on the mailing list that are bad, or undeliverable. If you want a successful direct mail campaign, you need to make sure you aren't wasting money sending out pieces ...

As most people have figured out, one of the golden rules of marketing is personalization.  The concept is simple; show that you care and know your audience.   Sounds simple, right?  Extensive research shows that personalized messages and marketing pieces show increased response rates leading to higher returns on investment (ROI).  Variable Data Printing (VDP) allows you to personalize each individual  marketing piece so that your reader receives something that is personal and relevant to their needs and wants.  On-demand VDP technology allows the personalization of just about anything on your marketing piece. This can be graphics, text or images.  The technology ...

As times change and technology advances, the needs and requirements of clients change.  To keep up with technology and the ever-increasingly sophisticated customer, businesses must constantly revise and update their marketing strategies.  Every marketing campaign has one common goal: obtain a response from the target audience.  Not too long ago, the preferred method for marketing campaigns was a mass marketing approach where a specific offer would be sent to as many prospects as possible.  While that may have increased visibility, conversion rates are very low.  Recently, sophisticated technology has made a case for the superiority of a one-to-one marketing approach. ...

Variable data printing (VDP) and digital printing technology allows business owners to target customers more specifically with the aid of specialty data and mailing lists.  With VDP, business owners can define a target market based on income, lifestyle choices, interests, marital status, gender, and an almost infinite number of categories.  Business owners are able to actually imagine the "perfect client," the customer most likely in need of their goods and services, and then systematically and specifically target individuals who fit that description in their direct mail marketing campaigns. These highly targeted direct mail marketing campaigns are even more effective when they ...

During a recession, the business owners that survive - and even thrive - are those who take advantage of the unique opportunities of the times.  In a business climate in which many marketers are cutting expenses by slashing marketing budgets, some are using the latest advances in variable data and digital printing to make the most of every marketing dollar spent. In the past, the owner of a brand new neighborhood restaurant may attract customers and increase awareness in the community with a generic direct mail marketing campaign. The business owner might design an attractive and informative postcard inviting customers. He ...

As modern marketing practices become increasingly high-tech and advanced with every innovation in communications technology, you might be surprised to learn that overwhelming research indicates that a standard of the industry, direct mail marketing, continues to be a strong and high-yielding option, especially in today's slowing economy.  Print in the Mix, a  clearinghouse on print media effectiveness, follows marketing data in all areas of print marketing, including direct mail, magazines and catalogs, newspapers, and custom publishing.  According to Print in the Mix, in 2008, direct mail marketing campaigns produced a ROMI (return on marketing investment) of over $15 for every ...

Studies Show VDP & PURL Successfully Drive Up Response Rates & ROI Recently, we have been writing about the benefits of personalization in a marketing campaign.  Today we want to drill home the point further.  One of the main reasons some people may be hesitant to adopt VDP (Variable Data Printing) or PURL (Personalized URLs) solutions is a lack of numbers indicating probable success.  We want to erase any hesitancy you may have. James Mikes, Director of Technology for PODi, said last year that companies generally double their response rates when they switched from a static marketing campaign to a personalized one.  These rates ...

                Year after year, you keep getting that fun, little post card from your dentist reminding you that your checkup is coming up.  While we may think of direct mail campaigns as something of the past, they are still very much effective.  When you get that little postcard in the mail, you normally put it on your fridge and make a note to call and schedule your checkup.  So why is it that a postcard from your dentist is actually worth your time but not some postcard about replacing your windows?                  First and foremost, your dentist is sending out a ...

A long-held truth amongst marketing professionals is that an accurate, clean, well-populated database of client info is key to connecting with your customers.  This is especially true when it comes to utilizing variable data printing and personalized URL marketing.  If you are looking at VDP and PURL you already know that every customer is different and you want to find a way to tailor your sales pitch as much as you can (we have explored in previous posts just how beneficial this area of marketing is).  Database management will greatly increase the effectiveness of your project. There are many creative ways ...