Direct mail marketing: Getting outside the comfort zone leads to 31 percent increase in sales
MarketingSherpa
Marketing can be a balancing act. A conservative, traditional and well-established industry may have certain expectations in how it's marketed to, and how the marketer's sales team perceives campaigns. The balancing act comes from not completely breaking the mold, but still managing to stand out.More

Why 23 percent rate increases shouldn't even be discussed
PostCom
There have been rumors within the industry that it should expect or budget for a 23 percent increase for Standard Mail flats during the next annual U.S. Postal Service price change early in 2012. This type of rumor can have disastrous consequences for mail volume as businesses begin media choices for 2012 across the nation. To a novice postal user or out-of-the-loop type of mailer, this type of news may force their hand in leaving mail altogether or test other media at a more accelerated pace. The U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission is not in a position, nor would it would to put itself in the position, of imposing a 23 percent price increase at any given time to Standard Mail flat mailers.More

Targeting email and direct mail leads to better direct marketing
Presort
Addressing customers by name and recommending products which may fit in with those they have already purchased are just two ways to improve direct marketing, a marketing chief has suggested. Mark Peterson, president of chief executive of Diamond Marketing Solutions, said in the Start an Easy Business blog that personalized direct mail, email marketing and online direct marketing was more likely to get a response than generic items.More

The roles of social, direct mail and print media
123Print
Many marketing analysts have pointed to the Web as the future. While social media, mobile tech and search marketing are certainly revolutionary, it is important to recognize the value of real-world, physically tangible marketing materials. Ultimately, consumers prefer to live in both worlds - not just the digital - and it's vital that businesses are able to fulfill those concerns.More

Small businesses have inexpensive advertising option
USPS via North Fort Myers Neighbor
The U.S. Postal Service's promotion of Every Door Direct Mail is producing results. Since its introduction, the Postal Service has closed millions in annualized sales with hundreds of customers who are using the product to promote their goods and services. EDDM - a form of Simplified Addressing used by the Postal Service for years - allows business mailers to use mail delivery route information, instead of names and exact addresses, to reach target customer groups in urban areas. It has long been an accepted addressing option on rural routes and for government mailings.More

Macy's: Why mail matters
Courier, Express, and Postal Observer
Macy's recently announced its first quarter 2011 earnings this morning and provided another clear indication that the courier, express and postal industry provide the an increasingly important role by delivering Web based sales to consumer's homes. The description of Macy's sales in the press release provides an indication as to how important Web-sold and home-delivered sales are to Macy's.More

Direct mail lists 'the best way to win new business'
Business Strata via Thomson Local
Marketers have been urged to consider direct mail services as an alternative to social campaigns, or perhaps to support existing B-to-B marketing strategies. Writing for the BiggerPockets blog, Jason Hanson, founder of National Real Estate Investor Month, said that in his experience direct mail is the "number one" way to win new business and "will probably stay that way for years to come."More

Print marketing should emulate social media and focus on the consumer
Overnight Prints
While the advent of social media has generally proved to be a challenge to traditional print marketing, such as direct mail and poster initiatives, there is one lesson print experts can learn from the digital medium. Social media has enforced a customer-centric marketing strategy that is designed and driven by consumers, their preferences and interests.More

Target: Customers on the go
The Wall Street Journal
With cafes on nearly every corner in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Ethical Bean Coffee Co. needed a way to stand out. The answer was an odd bar code with a maze of black boxes instead of the usual straight lines. About eight months ago, the three-store chain started putting these "quick response" codes in its train ads. When customers scan the little squares with their smartphone cameras, a coffee menu pops up on their screens.More

Cloud2You: New software combines best of mail, digital
Deliver Magazine
The Karis Group has built its business speaking for its clients. But the company, a mediation service for uninsured and underinsured medical patients, has also flourished thanks to a mail strategy that allows it to speak effectively to its clients as well. As part of its communications efforts, the firm sends out thousands of thank-you cards each year to the patients with whom the company works to set up affordable medical payment plans.More

Improve your direct mail marketing
Bloomberg Businessweek
If you're like most small business owners, running your business is not a problem, but marketing may be. When it comes to best practices, creating relevant and personalized communications are the most important factors for small business marketing success. Direct mail, like a good conversation, should be engaging and interactive. It represents a dialogue between you and your audience and presents an ideal opportunity to develop, build, and expand your business connections.More

MasterCard campaign highlights World Elite benefits
Direct Marketing News
MasterCard Worldwide launched an integrated marketing campaign May 16 to promote new features of its World Elite card. The direct mail, email and print effort highlights new Elite benefits, such as a global concierge service, price assure for travelers and exclusive golf packages. The financial services company worked with McCann-Erickson on the initiative's print elements and R/GA on the campaign's online elements and microsite.More

Direct mail should be a consumer-driven dialogue
Amsterdam
Marketers may be infatuated with new technologies such as quick response codes and burgeoning channels like mobile, but sometimes traditional modes work just as well for business promotions. One channel that is regaining popularity is direct mail. Consider how, in a recent survey for Capital One, 62 percent of small businesses said print advertisements topped their marketing expenses.More

Connecting the dots: Using QR codes, direct mail and video to ramp up local marketing
Business 2 Community
It's no secret that word-of-mouth recommendations and referrals are important in developing strong local business, especially for service-based business - think about cleaning services, roofers, lawn care, real estate services and so on. In fact, 70 percent of consumers consult reviews or ratings before making a purchase. And, according to a June 2010 Harris Interactive poll of adult U.S. consumers, "71 percent claim reviews from family members or friends exert a great deal or fair amount of influence on purchase decisions."More