In my opinion the mailing list if the most important part of a direct mail campaign. You can have a brilliant design, great copy and a well printed direct mail piece, but if it does not get into the hand of your target market, it is all wasted. The best list possible is the list that you keep yourself. If you are a non-profit organization make sure that you capture the names and addresses of volunteers, donors and others who may have come in contact with your charitable organization.  Those names are of people who know of your organization and the work that you are doing in the community by either volunteering or through donations.  If you want to mail to a larger number of people then use your list and buy some names to go with them.  Your mailer can do a duplicate check and combine the lists.  Over the years, I have had organizations want to mail to several thousand people that they acquire from a list company and then are disappointed with the results.  A good list takes careful planning and attention to capturing the names of people associated with your organization.

If your company is a for profit company and you want to purchase a list, then narrow your demographics to your particular market and then to the area that you want to mail.  Be careful to insure that you can handle the calls or business that the mail piece may generate.  If you intend to mail 25,000 then it might be a good idea to drop them 2000 at a time and see how much interest is generated and if you can handle the business that is brings.  If your not getting enough response with 2000 then drop 3000 on the next mailing until you hit the right number.  That is the good thing about mailing vs media, that it is trackable and can be targeted.

I

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This just released from the USPS

Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion

Building upon last summer’s mobile barcode promotion’s success, we are offering it again from July 1, 2012, through August 31, 2012. In our final rule Federal Register posted today on Postal Explorer, we describe the conditions for eligibility for the promotion and the revised mailing standards to implement it.

 Here is information to help you take advantage of this revised special offering:

 Qualifying mailings are Presorted and automation mailings of First-Class Mail cards, letters, and flats and Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) letters and flats with a mobile barcode inside or on the mail piece. The mobile barcode must lead the recipient of the mailpiece either to a webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device, or to a personalized URL, which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient.

• ·         Qualifying mailings may receive an upfront price reduction of 2 percent of the eligible postage.
• ·         Participation requires electronic documentation.
• ·         Commingled, combined and co-mail mailings are allowed, but a separate postage statement is        required for pieces with mobile barcodes.

 Using mobile barcodes is a great way to integrate direct mail with mobile technology. Get more information, including updated FAQs, on the RIBBS website or by emailingmobilebarcode@usps.gov .

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My customers are always looking for ways to get their mail opened and read.  After all, that is what direct mail is all about.  It seems that the advisors such as advertising agencies are of the opinion that somehow a first class stamp is better.  Do you look at the postage on your mail?  I know that  some donors receiving non-profit mail think that money is being wasted if a first class stamp is used.

My opinion is that Standard A mail is a bargain and has several benefits.  The first being the lowest postage and second the delivery time.  I am on several mailing list that we actually print and mail here at Burns.  I receive the mail that was dropped the next day. I really think that the contents of the mailing is what drives the success of the mailing and not the postage.  Again, that is just my opinion.  If in doubt a test mailing can be made to measure the success.  That is a good thing about direct mail, it can be tested.

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A couple of years ago, I was thinking about mailing a calendar to our customers but I was a little worried about how much the postage would be for each calendar.  We were working on a 6×11 post card at the time and it hit me that if the calender was a 6×11  it would mail out at a letter rate. So that is how our 6×11 yearly planner came to be.  Since it qualifies for presorted standard letter rate the postage is only between .196 to .273.  The same rate you would pay for a #10 envelope mailing as presorted standard.

If you would like a 6×11 calendar/planner for your customers, Burns can customize it for your company, including using you photographs and copy.  To get started call us today at 865 584-2265 or toll free at 866 288-5618.  It will be 2012 before we know it.

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I am still excited about printing and mailing after all these years.  I am like a kid with a new toy.  We recently purchased a Konica Minolta biz hub digital press.  Along with the press we purchased Print Shop Mail software.  The combination is awesome, at least to this country girl.  What is so exciting to me is that we can now print, personalize with variable data and address all on one pass through the digital press.  My customers are asking for faster turn around and excellent quality.  This gives us the capability to deliver both.  Imagine a retailer who wants to send a post card wishing their customer a happy birthday.  We print a post card with a picture of a birthday cake and written on the cake is happy birthday to the person receiving the card.  Does that not get your attention?  It would mine because everyone like to see their name in print, it is just human nature.  For us it means fast turn-around because we can print and mail some jobs the same day.  Now that makes me happy and our customers happy. 

If this is something that you would like to do for your next direct mail, give me a call. 865 584-2265

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Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to be directed to our website.

Have you have seen similar boxes like the one above in magazine, grocery stores and in direct mail and don’t know what they are? The image is a QR Code, it can be scanned with a smart phone or bar-code reader and it takes you to a site designated by the business.  For example the above QR code when scanned by your smart phone will take you to our website.  For a restaurant it could be directed to a site with their menu, for a college it could be to a tour of their campus.  You get the picture.

 The United States Postal Service is getting in on the QR action and is offering discounts on postage for mail pieces that have a QR code.  See below the latest postal bulletin with all the information.

 At Burns we can set up your QR code and direct it to your site, design your mailer, print you mailer and finally mail it.  That is the convenience that Burns offers with our one-stop, all under one roof concept. Call me to get started on your QR code mailer.

May 19, 2011                                                                 

DMM Advisory

Pricing — keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service

 Mobile Barcodes Deliver Value to the Mail

 On April 12, 2011, we notified the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) that we will run a Mobile Barcode Promotion this summer that provides commercial mailers a three percent discount for mail that includes a mobile barcode inside or on the mailpiece.

Now that the PRC has completed its review of the promotion, here is the latest information to help you take advantage of this special offering:

• The Mobile Barcode Promotion will run from July 1 through August 31.
• First-Class Mail and Standard Mail (including Nonprofit Standard Mail) letters, flats and cards with a mobile barcode inside or on the mailpiece can qualify for the discount.
• Participation requires electronic documentation.
• Commingled, combined and co-mail mailings are allowed and a separate postage statement is required for pieces with mobile barcodes.

Using mobile barcodes is a great way to integrate direct mail with mobile technology. Get more information, including updated FAQs, on the RIBBS website.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM^®) is available on Postal Explorer^® (pe.usps.com). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

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Having been in the mailing business for many years we have done some unique projects.  We put together a package for the State of TN for an advertising agency promoting business in TN and it included Goo Goo bars, White Lily Flour, CD music from Nashville and various other products that are made in TN.  We have mailed signs to put in customers yards for security companies, we have mailed head phones in a promotion for General Motors.  I am always looking for unique ideas for mail and today I have been researching seed infused post cards, invitations, business cards and even Christmas ornaments.  What a great way for customers to remember you if they get a post card that they can plant and have wildflowers grow.  That sure takes away the argument that it is junk mail doesn’t it?

That is one of the many things that I enjoy about my job is listening to the needs of the customer and finding a solution to that need.  After all, that is what sales is all about.  It is not giving the customer a sales pitch, it is listening to what they have to say and then fulfilling a need.  Do you have a need for seed infused mailing items?  Well you have found the right place, I am listening.

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I think that I may be typical of consumers today.  I don’t like commercials so I mute them if I am watching TV and I play my Ipod in the car so that I don’t have to listen to them because, to me, they are irritating.  I have read reports that the younger generation is a hard generation to reach for marketing because they don’t read the paper,  as much as my generation, they don’t listen to the radio and I imagine the only watch a certain segment of TV.

Direct mail is the one way to reach all of the generations. Recently, in Deliver® magazine they defined the generations as; GI Generation (born before 1925) with buying power being negligible, Silent Generation (born 1925-1944) with buying power considered negligible, Boomers (born 1945-1964) with $2 trillion in annual buying power, Gen X (born 1965-1984) children of the Silent Generation who are regarded as technology savvy but do not respond to Internet marketing efforts, Generation Y (born 1985-2004) 100 million Americans, consuming more than 5 times the Baby Boomers and finally Generation Z (born 2005-present) this generation is already more than 20 million strong and is will present a powerful consumer force in the future.

I am in the Silent Generation and the smallest generation in the 20th century.  This was due to the low depression-era birth rates and World War II.  In fact I was born while the war was still being fought.  The good thing about direct mail is that mail is delivered six days a week, for now,  to every address in the United States and to every generation from the GI Generation to to Generation Y.  It is not intrusive and it can be set aside and read at the recipients leisure.  Mailing lists can be purchased with demographics for age groups so that you can reach the generation that you want to target.

Want to target generation Y? There are 100 million of them opening their mailbox everyday. Direct mail is a good way of putting your message in their hands. Even us in the silent generation are opening our mail boxes and responding to marketing offers.  I look for local restaurants who are offering specials, discounts at my favorite clothing stores and I never know when there is going to be something new going on in town that I don’t know about. Can’t wait for the mail to run today.

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I had visitors today from a company that I have been doing business with for years.  The purchasing agent for this company has been to our facility many times but his boss and a couple of other support staff, had never been to our company.  I got the opportunity to show them around and explain the various departments.  Essentially we are running 3 business in one..graphic design, printing and mailing.  Even though we had done business for years they were still surprised at all of the things that we do. 

Sometimes after we have been in business for a number of years that we get lulled into believing that most people know who we are and what we do.  Our business name is Burns Mailing & Printing but I don’t know how many times we have been doing a printing project and the customer ask, “you do mailing too”? The same with mailing, some are suprised that we do printing as well. We cannot afford to make that assumption.  Every sales person has had the experience of working with a customer and one day calls that customer’s company to find that the person they have been doing business with is no longer employed there and the new person has no idea who you are and what your company does.  Back to square one in building that relationship with another buyer.

How do I keep my business in front of the most people?  Direct mail of course.  Unlike television, radio and some social media, the recipient of a direct mail can lay the information aside and look at it later when they have time or in my case I may save it until I have a need and then I have a resource for the service or product that I anticipate buying. One of the things I love about advertising with direct mail is that it is measurable.  When I mail out a new post card and we have phone calls telling us they got our card, I know that my direct mail campaign is working.

On a personal note, my Grand Daughter (age 2 1/2) is going to be coming from Nashville today to visit with us for a few days.  Of course, we are always thrilled to see her.  We have been using Skype to keep in touch with her for a couple of weeks now and that is the next best thing to her actually being here. I love technology!

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USPS®  Deliver® Magazine is allowing me to use this article by Elaine Appleton Grant

At a time when the corporate world seems increasingly obsessed with digital solutions, legendary direct marketer Ernan Roman has some compelling news for brands: Recipients actually want your traditional mail.

Roman says that prospects and customers have been so overwhelmed with e-mails in recent years that the deluge has turned off many of them.  It has also made them more receptive to mail.

“This started four years ago, and it has reached a crescendo over the last three years,” says Roman, a 35-year marketing veteran who heads Ernan Roman Direct Marketing in Douglas Manner, N.Y.

Of course, despite the good news that customers are asking for your mail, you still have to persuade them to open your envelope. To help you do this Deliver turned to Roman and fellow direct marketing legend Herschell Gordon Lewis, who started his career making gory films like “Blood Feast” and “2000 Maniacs” before turning to ad copy-writing.  Not surprisingly, both men know how to get attention.  Here are a few tips they have for those trying to capture mail recipients’ eye:

Understand What Mail is Good For.  Make sure recipients are expecting something they can use. Customers of Roman’s clients tend to prefer direct mail for important communications “that are relevant to the pre-existing relationship,” says Roman.  He adds that “the customer is going to get cranky if you start chopping down trees for a message that doesn’t have substantial value.”

Fulfill Personal Requests. Use preference information from opt-in campaigns to your advantage on the outside of the envelope. For instance, Roman’s company recently completed a campaign that encouraged viewers to name their favorite TV programs during the opt-in registration process.  Using the consumer-provided information, Roman segmented the company’s list and sent personalized promotions to the fans of various shows.

Keep the Envelope Clean. Generally, when sending high-level business information, keep your envelope simple –an address, a restrained logo and a personalized return address are all you need.  Don’t muck up the envelope with extra text, big logos or artwork.

Help Recipients Make Quick Decisions. If the product is relevant, but a commodity, says Roman, informational graphics and copy can help recipients prioritize the mailing’s importance: “We’re saving them time by letting them know about the product or offer on the outside of the envelope.”

Use The Right Words. Many overused words insult recipients’ intelligence. Lewis eschews the word “free” and “personal,” which at best, have little meaning – and at worst, incite consumers cynicism and even anger.

Avoid The “Bulk-Mail” Effect. Lewis recommends doing whatever you can to ensure that your envelope doesn’t look like one of millions, whether it’s an unconventional font or an eye-catching color. In this age of consumer-driven marketing, there’s no one size-fits all strategy that always will or won’t work.  You have to know your consumer well before you splash the envelope with promotional copy – or not.

Thanks to Deliver® Magazine a publication of the United States Postal Service for allowing the use of this article. Consumers don’t want to be duped or receive mail that insults their intelligence. If you care to check out the DMA’s ethical guidelines go to www. dmaresponsibility.org/guidelines/.

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