USPS Self-Mailer Changes for 2012

The USPS has announced many changes to the self-mailer requirements. The post office is extending a 1 year compliance period from Jan 2012 to Jan 2013. During that period the current mail piece designs will be accepted. Starting Jan 5, 2013, you must comply with the new rules as outlined by the post office.

Here are a few of the most important changes:

• The new maximum size for a self-mailer will be 6 x 10.5.
• The maximum weight will be 3 ounces.
• No perforated tabs.
• Tabs must be made out of paper, no plastic.
• No loose pieces inside of self-mailers, they must be attached with a glue dot or folded over an inside mailer flap.
• The tab sizes will vary between 1 inch, 1.5 inch and 2 inch tabs depending on the paper stock and folding.
• Minimum paper stock thickness will be 70# up to 1 ounce, once you go over 1 ounce the minimum is 80#.
• The maximum number of mailer panels is 12.
• The final folded edge will only be acceptable below the mail panel or to the right of the mail panel.

Here is a link with detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new requirements. Due to the complexity of the new regulations, if you are planning a self-mailer, call us to discuss the most cost-effective options. We can help you with what paper stock to use as well as the best layout to save you money.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Make The Most Of QR Codes In Your Direct Mail

QR Codes can increase the effectiveness of your direct mail in a many ways. The most important is by telling the recipient to scan the QR Code as there is an instant call to action when they are most responsive to your message. The QR Code also allows you to provide more details about your product or service and offer exclusive discounts. The best part about QR Codes is you can track your results to see what is working and what is not in real time.

So, how do you use QR Codes in your direct mail to get the best results? Here are a few ideas:

1. Create a drawing for free products or services and have the recipient scan the code to be entered. Use this opportunity to ask them some questions that will further help your marketing.
2. Create an event calendar, which when the QR Code is scanned, is auto updated into the recipients phone calendar.
3. Create a QR Code that links to details about the product or service you want them to know about on a mobile friendly page.
4. Create a QR Code that will automatically dial your number when scanned for the recipient to get questions answered immediately.
5. Create a QR Code that links to a mobile website with a virtual tour.
6. Create a QR Code that allows people to register for your event and pay for it at the same time.
7. Create a QR Code that links to your inventory for your customers to know how many items you have available. Make sure they have a way to order from that site too.
8. Create a QR Code that links to customer reviews so they can see what others are saying about you.
9. Create a QR Code that gives a special offer to only those who have scanned the code.
10. Create a QR Code that links to nutritional information or online menu ordering.

There are so many ways QR Codes and be used so be creative and fun with it. You can add pictures and themes to your QR Codes to make them interesting. Make sure that all your linked sites are mobile friendly and easy to navigate. No one wants dead links and hard to push buttons.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Design Your Direct Mail Campaigns With Social Media In Mind

These days the key to your direct mail campaign is integration with social media. So how can you design your direct mail pieces to easily incorporate social media?  We have some ideas for you.

Here are 4 easy ways to design a direct mail piece with social media in mind.

1. Include social media information for your recipients to connect with you
   Take advantage of social media by letting your customers know that they can find you on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and on your blog by adding the buttons and contact information to your direct mail piece.
2. Personalize your direct mail with variable data printing
   Variable data printing allows you to personalize each direct mail piece with text and images that are directly related to the recipient. This personal touch lets customers know you know them and care enough to make it personal. By using intelligent customer data, you can provide them with relevant products or services. By creating that 1to1 marketing you will beat a generic message every time. You can also incorporate their social media information for a true social connection.
3. Use PURLs as a way to drive the online connection
   By using PURLs, you provide the recipient with a personalized landing page where they will be able to engage, interact and respond to your direct mail. This online connection allows you to provide the recipient with more information as well as your social media connection and sharing links. Another benefit is that you can track exactly who has responded to your piece as they do so and see what social media information they were clicking on.
4. Use QR Codes for a faster response
   QR Codes on your direct mail piece give recipients the option to respond to your direct mail piece using their cell phone, no matter where they are. Since they don’t need to memorize a URL or punch in a long URL code into their browser to access more information or respond to your offer, it makes is so much easier for them to respond. All they need to do is snap a quick photo with their phones. This allows for a quicker response and still drives them online to your content and social connections.

By integrating social media into your direct mail, you can give your pieces a boost.  Give your recipients the chance to interact with you on many levels. The more options they have the better your response rate is going to be.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Create Powerful Email Marketing Subject Lines

The first thing your readers see is your subject line. You need it to be powerful. The best email subject lines are short, descriptive and give the reader a reason to read more. Stay away from using cheesy phrases. They will be ignored. The best thing is to keep your subject lines simple and to the point.

There are 3 words you need to avoid using in your subject lines. They are:

• Help
• Percent off
• Reminder

Avoid using ALL CAPS or exclamation marks in your subject lines. Subject lines created as questions can often perform better. Personalization of a recipient’s first name or last name does not improve open rates, however providing a city name, does. When creating email newsletters make sure to continue to change the subject line with each issue. Pick an important article and use information from that in your subject line. As a general rule in email marketing, keep your subject line to 50 characters or less. The from information can be as important as the subject line. It needs to work together with the subject line. The from line should communicate who you are as the sender and not change. Save any humorous ideas for the subject line.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

 

Direct Mail Design With Symbolism In Mind

In direct mail the design of your piece must be eye catching to get the attention of the reader. So with that in mind symbolism is the key component of your design. The definition of a symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially: a visible sign of something invisible. So why use symbols in your design?  When done right, symbols can be used to exploit the most unconscious human desire. Therefore when incorporated into the design, symbols gracefully create associations between a company and what the company wants to represent without the viewer even realizing it.

Tips on Using Symbols

1. Tell a story. Remember, not all symbols are created equal. Do your research and make sure the symbols incorporated in your design convey clear and concise meanings.

2. Check for conflicts of interest. Do not use multiple symbols in one design that could possibly represent conflicting ideas. It is ok to combine ideas, but be careful to not overload on symbols, or group symbols that cause conflict. You want the design to convey a united message.

3. Examine symbols from multiple perspectives to avoid misinterpretations. What a symbol represents in one culture may not be what it represents in another. This is extremely important for companies who seek to create international identities.

4. Make sure your communication is clear. Each design should clearly communicate something. That something is left up to the viewer to determine. Symbols are very powerful communication when used correctly.

A symbol is usually a picture that tells a story or a combination of graphic elements that represent something to the viewer. Therefore, you must avoid misinterpretations of your symbols. The last thing you want to do is use a symbol incorrectly and as a result make the company look bad. Today people and companies are more readily recognized for what they represent than for who they are. Symbols have become very important, and the use of them increasingly complex.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

USPS Postage Rate Increase and Self-Mailer Design Changes for 2012

If only postage was still $0.24 like these old stamps! Alas that is not the case, the USPS has formally announced their intent to increase postage rates on January 22, 20112. Click here for a price chart. Overall the average price increase is 2.1%.

They have also announced changes to the self-mailer requirements. There are many changes for self-mailers. Here is a link with detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new requirements. The post office is extending a 1 year compliance period from Jan 2012 to Jan 2013. During that period the current mail piece designs will be accepted. After that, you must comply with the new rules as outlined by the post office. Here are a few of the most important changes:

• The new maximum size for a self-mailer will be 6 x 10.5.
• The maximum weight will be 3 ounces.
• Tabs will no longer be able to be perfed.
• Tabs must be made out of paper, no plastic.
• No loose pieces inside of self-mailers, they must be attached with a glue dot or folded over an inside mailer flap.
• The tab sizes will vary between 1 inch, 1.5 inch and 2 inch tabs depending on the paper stock and folding.
• Minimum paper stock thickness will be 70#.

Due to the complexity of the new regulations, if you are planning a self-mailer, call us to discuss the most cost-effective options. We can help you with what paper stock to use as well as the best layout to save you money.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Best and Worst Words to Use in Marketing!

 

Words have the power to inspire, empower and create desire. In marketing, the words you choose are extremely important. Some words will bring you a great response and others can kill it.  With that in mind, here is a short list of the best words to use in your marketing campaign as well as the worst ones. Sometimes knowing what not to say is more valuable than knowing what to say.

Best Marketing words to use:

• Free
• Amazing
• Discover
• Easy
• You
• Yes
• Guarantee
• Because
• Health
• How To
• Sale
• Benefits
• Save
• Money
• New
• Now
• Proven
• Results
• Safety
• Announcing
• Fast
• Power
• Secrets
• Solution
• Why

Avoid these! Worst marketing words to use:

• Expensive
• Charge
• Price
• Cost
• Sign
• Loose
• Buy
• Risk
• Deal
• Obligation
• Complicated
• Sold
• Try
• Bad

Of course there are many more in each category but these are the best of the best and worst of the worst. When creating the copy for your campaign make sure to consider how each word builds toward or away from your message. Keep in mind that you need to use words that drive the action of the recipient toward your call to action, such as call, email, visit a website. Wonderful words will mean nothing if they are not driving the correct response.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

How To Successfully Combine Social Media With Your Direct Mail

 

These days it literally pays to add social media to your direct mail campaigns. Direct mail is a great way to reach prospects without being intrusive. Social media can help get the focus onto your direct mail campaign. Use social media to create the interest and direct mail to get the sale. So, how do you do that successfully? Here are a few ideas:

1. Start including your social sites on all marketing materials. This will get customers and prospects used to visiting these site for information.
2. Make sure that you are updating the sites and letting them know when to expect the next direct mail offer.
3. Highlight the rewards of getting the offer and encourage them to sign up to get direct mail from you if they are not already.
4. Build suspense around your campaign. Get people excited and talking about it. Write clearly and highlight the benefits.
5. Remember in your social media to be consistent with the brand message and on target with the current campaign.

Social media can be used to increase your brand awareness and build your direct mail list at the same time. Instead of focusing on your website, turn that focus to social media and your marketing campaigns. Get creative and have fun with it. The more engaged you get your customers and prospects the better results you will see.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Spark Better Direct Mail Designs

Generating ideas for your direct mail campaign designs can be difficult. One easy way to spark ideas is to pay attention to the direct mail that you receive both at home and at work. Save the pieces that caught your attention either in a good or a bad way, then analyze them to see what made you react. Compare the pieces to determine what prompted you to open or discard them.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Were you drawn to (or put off by) the size, shape, color or feel of the mail piece?
• Did teaser copy catch your attention or arouse your curiosity?
• Was the mail piece addressed in a way that made you curious?
• Were you drawn to the marketer’s message or offer? How did they do that?
• Were the important points organized, clear, and compelling? How was this accomplished?
• Did the mail piece ask for the order or a response in a way that moved you to take action?
• How long did you spend reading the mail piece?

Direct mail is an outreach to consumers, donors, or businesses designed to generate a response: a donation, a request for further information, a purchase, or a visit to a website. Direct mail is effective because it can be targeted at a specific audience; it arouses interest; and its results can be measured. When done properly, direct mail creates a relationship with an existing or potential customer.

When designing your mail piece are you taking all of these factors into consideration? Have you looked at your piece through the eyes of your recipient?

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Adding Social Media To Your Marketing

The most important factor is understanding the role of social media in your marketing. What do we mean by social media? Well social media is an online form of social interaction. The most common platforms are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. With these platforms social media allows brands to become more personalized. Marketers can communicate in a conversational way with customers and potential customers.

Marketing is a tool we use to inform consumers about our services or products, who we are and what we offer, social media does that well. It allows businesses to create a personal identity based on the brand, humanize it. Social media must be a part of your everyday marketing in order to keep the momentum and attention you need for it to be successful. Social media marketing not only works for small businesses, but large ones as well, what role should it play in your marketing?

The best part about social media, is that it allows businesses to build relationships with customers. By building these relationships, businesses increase the brand awareness and referrals. Social media marketing should be personal and fun. Relate to others as your peers and engage them in conversations. Don’t just talk about product news, get ideas and feedback from them. If you have a question, use your followers as your target market. Create fun interactive campaigns that can be shared by followers.

It is important to do social media right! Social media is not the be all end all of marketing. You need to incorporate it into your other marketing efforts. The role of social media in your marketing is to be accessible to those interested in your product or service and visible to those that don’t know your product or service. This way you create not only repeat-buyers, but customer loyalty.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Top 10 Direct Mail Guidelines

There are many things to consider in direct mail. Avoid those “oops” moments by following our top 10 guidelines. Save postage and ensure a better response!

1. Most important is to have a specific call to action. What do you want the recipient to do? Make sure you tell them that.
2. Give your recipient multiple ways to respond, a phone number, email, QR Code, website and any other method you can offer.
3. Make sure you target your list to people who will respond to your offer.
4. In your design make sure your aspect ratio, the length divided by the height, is between 1.3 and 2.5 for letter size pieces.
5. When choosing your paper, make sure the thickness is .009 or greater for letter size pieces.
6. When designing your mail panel, make sure that you have enough room for addressing and a barcode. We recommend a 4 x 2 area.
7. Be colorful, but choose your colors wisely. Here is information on colors.
8. Make sure to use white space, creating an open airy feel. When copy and art is too crowded together it can be intimidating and not be read.
9. If you are considering die cutting your mail piece, keep in mind that letter size pieces have to be rectangular, so you will be required to put it in an envelope if you cut off the corners.
10. Use personalization beyond just the name and address, use information about the individual to have a more one to one feel.

There are many more tips we can give you. If you have a specific question please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Improve Your Direct Marketing With Color

If you think colors don’t have anything to do with your marketing here is a great example. McDonald’s changed their colors by converting to red and yellow after a university published findings that they were the most agitating colors.  McDonald’s doesn’t want you to miss their signs when driving. You may have noticed that Wendy’s, Pizza Hut and many others have since copied them. But, McDonald’s continues testing every  detail so they continue to beat competitors! Do you know why fire trucks are red and taxi cabs are yellow? Studies have shown the first two colors processed by the eye and sent to the brain are red and yellow.

So what does each color represent? Here are some of the associations:

• Red:
  stimulates appetite, commands attention, alerts us, creates sense of urgency, considered sexiest, symbolizes heat, fire, blood, love, warmth, power, excitement, energy, strength, passion, vitality, risk, danger and aggressiveness, associated with debt
• Orange:
  associated with vibrancy, tropics, warmth, contentment, instills sense of fun and excitement, implies health, suggests pleasure, cheer, endurance, generosity and ambition, makes product seem more affordable, appeals to a wide range of people, both male and female
• Yellow:
  sunshine hue, spiritual color, represents warning, happiness, warmth, creamy and warm shades most preferred, bright shades can be irritable to the eye in large quantities, speeds metabolism, often used to highlight or draw attention
• Green:
  money, nature, olive shades with health and freshness, environmental concerns, suggests fertility, freedom, healing and tranquility, represents jealousy, businesses use to communicate status and wealth, is calming, refreshing, easy on the eyes
• Blue:
  favorite color of businesses, suggests sanctuary and fiscal responsibility, inspires confidence, most popular and second most powerful
  color, darker shades are authoritative, dark and bright shades represent trust, security, faithfulness and dignity, paler shades imply freshness and cleanliness, although they can imply weakness
• Purple:
  represents royalty and luxury, darker shades wealthy, suggests spirituality and sophistication, paler shades, such as lavender, feminine
  and romantic
• Pink:
  very feminine, represents gentleness, romance, well-being and innocence
• White:
  associated with innocence, purity, peace and contentment, considered clean and sterile, cool and refreshing, can have a calming, stabilizing influence
• Black:
  ultimate power color, suggests strength, potency, authority, boldness, seriousness, stability and elegance, distinguished and classic, great for creating drama, more weight than other colors, too much can be ominous
• Gold:
  suggests wealth, considered very classy
• Gray or Silver:
  associated with conservative qualities and considered traditional, business-wise symbolizes high-tech and suggests authority, practicality, earnestness and creativity
• Brown:
  associated with nature and the earth, dark shades represent wood or leather, associated with warmth and coziness, suggests richness,
  politeness, helpfulness and effectiveness, solid, credible, mature and reliable, light shades imply genuineness

As you can see, there are many ways to look at colors. Keep these in mind when designing your campaigns and have fun with it!

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

USPS Postage Rates to Increase January 2012

 

On October 18th, the post office filed for a postage rate increase with the PRC. They want to increase postage rates approximately 2.1% starting January 22, 2012. The PRC should make a final ruling next month and we expect that the rate increase will be approved.

Click here for a postage rate chart.

This postage increase along with structural changes are helping the post office cut into their deficit. Taxpayers do not fund the USPS, postage does. However, it is an agency that is closely linked to the government and needs special approvals prior to making many business decisions, including job cuts and price increases. Due to these restrictions, the post office cannot operate like other private businesses are able to, and this impacts both profitability and efficiency. For more information on postal reform check out this blog post.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

 

Social Media and Direct Mail, A Winning Combination

Social Media is the new kid on the block for marketers. With some statistics indicating that 65% of adults who use the internet are using social media, marketers need to use it too. However, by using both direct mail and social media you can increase your reach and retention. So how can you incorporate your marketing with social media into your direct mail? Well, here are a few ideas.

• Add a QR Code to your mailing. Make sure the link you are sending them to is mobile friendly and relevant to your campaign. Videos are both fun and interesting to viewers. Do not send them to your home page. Create special landing pages for your campaign.
• Add social media logos on your mailings and website. Seeing Twitter, Facebook and other logos on your mailing will make recipients aware of the channels they can find you on. This will increase your social presence.
• Make sure to incorporate your social sharing options on the landing page of your website and any other pages where information is available, such as blogs and white papers. The easier you make it for people to share your information the quicker your social engagement increases.
• Incorporate your social media sites into your PURL pages and thank you emails to drive people into your social media sites.
• Use your social media sites to link back to your campaign landing pages. Allowing people to respond via mail, and online will only increase your responses.

As always make sure to track your responses. Know how many people respond  in each way. That way you can better target your next campaign.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

5 Marketing Tips to Create Buzz

 

Marketing to create buzz, helps spread information about your product or service through word of mouth. Hopefully it’s positive buzz. Here we will discuss 5 ways your marketing can help you generate positive buzz for your organization.  How powerful can buzz marketing can be for your company? Extremely! Consumers trust people around them to provide them with good references. You want to be one of the referrals.

1. Identify key individuals who are major influencers for your industry or product. Woo them and get them talking about you.
2. Be sure to include in your electronic marketing, ways for the information to be passed onto others, through social media share buttons or email.
3. Create contests that are fun and exciting. Make sure the prize ties in with your branding and is something your target audience will want.
4. Create suspense around what you are trying to market. Give only few details. People love to talk about what they don’t know and what that could be.
5. When possible create a “scarcity complex”. People jump all over each other to get to do something for a limited time or only so many have been produced.

When used correctly marketing with buzz can be very powerful. Who knows better than your mother, sister, or best friend what will work best for you. We listen to  the people closest to us as well as people we see as knowledgable about a subject. By harnessing that with buzz about your product or service you can drastically increase your referrals and therefore your profits.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-611 or email us at info@eyecomm.org We are glad to help!

Direct Mail Builds Better Customer Relationships

These days marketing campaigns consist of many channels. Companies want to build long-term customer relationships. Can a company market too  much? Can you actually drive customers away instead of increase their interaction with you? Yes you can!

A research study on the ideal volume of email, direct mail and telephone communications found that 3 phone calls, 3 or 4 emails and 9 to 10 direct mailings were the best. Whenever it went over these amounts the negative reactions increased.

Do you know which channel has the most effective communication method? That would be direct mail.  Consumers view the mail they receive as less intrusive than phone calls and emails. Direct mail can be viewed at one’s leisure.

Contrary to what some people believe, direct mail is not considered “junk mail” by the individuals receiving it. They pay attention to the advertising they receive. Nearly 90% of consumers say they want to receive sales and promotions via direct mail.

When consumers are provided with a direct mail piece its sparks an interest that does one of two things, drives them to the store to purchase or drives them online to get more information. Direct mail is essential for converting desire and intention into action.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

2011 Postal Reform

The USPS is in need of reform. The success of our industry which not only includes mail providers and the post office, but printers, paper vendors, software providers, publishers, equipment manufacturers, greeting card providers and millions of businesses that rely on the post office for distributing communications, depends on a successful post office. We are very concerned about the harm that could be done to our company and the economy if Congress fails to address the problems facing the USPS.

Congress must pass postal reform legislation in 2011. This legislation is critical to the health of our company and millions like it in the U.S. We are part of a mailing industry that contributes nearly one trillion dollars to the economy and employs over nine million people. Over one million of those jobs are in California.

While the Postal Service is an important part of our industry, it is crucial for businesses and individuals who rely on USPS to deliver a wide range of products including bills statements, invoices, insurance information, periodicals, greeting cards, prescriptions and advertising for large and small businesses.

The Postal Service is a user fee based system, funded almost entirely by postage and 90 percent of that postage comes from commercial sources. Action is needed to insure the viability of the Postal Service.

Key elements to consider in any postal legislation include:

• In 2006 congress mandated that the USPS pre-fund its retiree medical system on an accelerated schedule. Those payments exceed $5 billion per year for a ten year period that began in 2007. In the severe recession we have faced, these payments have assured the USPS incurs annual deficits.
• In 2010, two independent actuarial studies showed that the portion of federal retirement attributed to postal employees is over funded by between $50 and $75 billion.
• The USPS will not be able to make its scheduled retiree medical payment this year and will literally run out of cash before the end of the year if no action is taken.
• If the USPS collapses, the impact on the mailing industry will be severe. This industry includes paper, printing, mail service, equipment manufacturers, software developers, internet sales, publishers, greeting card manufactures and the millions of businesses that rely on mail to communicate with customers and potential customers.
• If Congress takes no action and the USPS collapses, the taxpayer will be obligated for the entire failure of the system since previous Congresses guaranteed all of the retirement benefits of postal employees.
• Congress created the Postal Service as an independent federal service forty years ago. At the same time, it created an arbitration system that compromises the ability of the USPS to reduce labor costs, limits the ability of the USPS to close and consolidate facilities while requiring universal service six days per week.

Key Provisions necessary for effective postal reform:

• Allow 5 day delivery service, which is estimated to save the USPS $3 billion per year.
• Enable the USPS to close or consolidate facilities and relocate money-losing post offices into existing retail businesses, saving millions of dollars.
• Allow USPS leadership to make crucial cost cutting business decisions, including downsizing the workforce and exploring alternative ways to administer benefits.
• Equitable retiree health care funding including credit for overfunding of CSRS and FERS.
• Avoid large postage increases which will discourage businesses from using the mail and result in further erosion of mail volumes. Any postal reform should achieve USPS solvency by cost cutting, not by postage increases over and above the CPI cap now in place.

Legislation is pending in the House and Senate to address many of these critical issues. PIA/SD is currently working on a strategy to mobilize the print, mail and communication industries.

PIA/SD members and staff recently met with Congressman’s Issa’s office on this important issue. We need your help to bring this issue to the attention of our elected leaders. We need you to urge your customers, and urge your employees to write about preserving jobs in this industry by cutting costs rather than raising postal rates.

The quickest and easiest way is to go to www.capwiz.com/printing where you can simply input your zip code and the district contact match for both federal and state elected officials will display. Simply copy the letters at the bottom of the linked page here and paste into the body of the form. Hit send and your email will be sent. We also encourage you to copy the letters at the bottom of the page liked Here on your letterhead, sign and send in the mail.

Stay tuned for the next steps you can take to impact postal reform.

If you have any questions or concerns call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

5 Direct Mail Ideas to Help You Stand Out

These days we need a way to reach our customers and get noticed. Direct mail is a very effective tool to do just that. Here are 5 ideas to get your direct mail campaign to stand out and get noticed.

1. Use color envelopes. Color is inviting and not used often enough. Your envelope will get opened because it is unique. There are many standard colors available that do not drastically increase your costs. Keep in mind some colors are not USPS approved.
2. Use stamps. There is a stamp for each postage class, use them.
3. Use larger pieces. You can use up to a 6.125 x 11.5 piece and still pay the lower postage rate. Take advantage of that. Larger pieces get noticed.
4. Add fun taglines to your envelopes, get your recipients excited about what they are going to find in the envelope.
5. Target your message to the individual. The better targeted the message the more likely they are to respond.

Remember to change only one thing at a time so that when you are analyzing your results you will be able to see if the change you made has increased your response. It would be best to have a control group of what you always have done and then split off a segment to try the new piece with. This will give you the most accurate results.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Social Media Marketing, Are You Doing It Right?

Social media marketing centers on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it. A corporate message spreads from user to user and amplifies because it is coming from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself. Is this how you are using social media? You should be.

Social Media has become a platform that is easily accessible to anyone. Increased communication for organizations increases brand awareness and improves customer service. Additionally, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns. With emergence of channels like Twitter, the barrier to entry in social media is greatly reduced.

So the key factors that ensure social media success are:

1. Relevance to the customer
2. Value it provides customers with
3. Listening to what customers are saying
4. Strength of the foundation

A strong foundation provides a platform which the organization can centralize its information and direct customers on its recent developments via other social media channels, such as article and press releases. Oftentimes, corporate social media platforms are used to offer unique incentives to customers who are willing to engage with the organization. 

Do not use social media marketing to only send out information that is boring or already known. You must supply information that is relevant and of value. Make sure you are listening to the feedback you get from customers with each campaign. With that valuable information you can build better and more effective campaigns.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

5 Easy Ways to Lower Your Direct Mail Costs

Done right, direct mail can be a very cost-effective way to reach targeted prospects and customers. Return on investment typically exceeds most other forms of advertising; however, inefficient list targeting and poor mail piece design can cost you money.

Tough economic times can put a real strain on your marketing budget. Here are 5 ideas that will save you money now.

1. Mail to the right people by targeting your lists to reach only those people most likely to be interested in your product or service. Many tools are available to profile your mailing lists utilizing the amazing amount of information accessible today on households and businesses. Ask us about enhancing your data  to target the right audience. You can mail fewer pieces and get better results.

2. Clean In-House lists. Avoid undeliverable mail by updating your lists at least four times a year. There are several ways to get address updates for people who have moved and to eliminate invalid or incomplete addresses. Mail that does not get delivered or is sent to the wrong address wastes your money.

3. Size matters. For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size, no larger than 6 1/8” high by 11 ½” long. Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate. Flats can cost more than twice as much per piece than letters.

4. Location, location, location. Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area. If it doesn’t fit, you pay for it with additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you.

5. An ounce of prevention. Send a mock-up or pdf file to Eye/Comm, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility, or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid costly delays.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

5 Marketing “Outside The Box” Tips

Ok, so we have all heard the term “outside of the box”. Here we want to relate that to marketing. Sometimes we are at our wits end when trying to come up with marketing ideas. So here we have 5 ways to help you find that “outside the box” idea.

1. Talk to other people in your organization that have nothing to do with your marketing. Ask them to contribute an idea or perspective on an idea you already have. 9 times out of 10 they will look at something from a perspective you never thought of. This can help you to take your marketing in a different direction.
2. Go boldly where you have never gone before. In other words try something completely new. Do not be afraid to make a mistake. Think big, bold and fresh, nothing is off limits.
3. Question all of your previous ideas. Do not limit yourself to your common notions, pull yourself out of the common and ask why. It is best to not do this alone. Put together a team and question each others ideas.
4. Take a look at how your competition is marketing. Can you go bigger and bolder than them? Can you do the opposite? What is the next big thing waiting around the corner?
5. Ask a child what they think about your product or service. The child’s perspective is literal, innocent and can truly inspire great ideas.

Generally you want to stand out, be remembered and make a great impression with your prospects and customers. The way you go about doing that will be different for everyone. Just remember to be open to the ideas of others and to really consider all options.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

 

Direct Mail Marketing With Emotion

Now is the time for innovative ideas in direct mail marketing! The best way to get a great response to your campaign is to generate an emotional response in the recipient. The fastest way to reach our emotions is thru our senses. People use 80% emotion and 20% reason to make decisions. Adding layers of senses to your direct mail can drastically improve your results.

1. Sight – this is the most used sense in direct mail. We use color, pictures, logos and words to appeal to the sense of sight.
2. Touch – Direct mail is very tactile. The texture and shape of a direct mail piece can be designed in such a way that it is fun to touch. There are many coatings that can be added for a soft or rough feel, increasing the recipients involvement with the piece.
3. Hear – It is common these days to see cards with sounds. Have you thought of adding sound to your direct mail? A sound can help set the mood of emotion you are trying to reach.
4. Smell – This sence is directly linked in the brain to emotion and memory. Adding smell to your direct mail can greatly increase your message being remembered and acted upon.
5. Taste – This is closely linked with smell. Not everyone will be able to offer taste as an option in their direct mail, but if you can, wow what a difference it will make.

You want to create an experience your recipient will remember by incorporating more sensory stimulation. When you use more than one sense in your campaign you increase the likelihood of greater emotion. That greater emotion translates into a stronger connection with your brand, building loyalty, which ultimately drives more purchasing. Just adding one other sense to the direct mail piece can really help.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

5 Tips to Boost Your Direct Mail Marketing Results

With a slower economy these days we can all use a little help to boost our results. Here are 5 tips to get you started on increasing your direct mail results:

1. Look closely at your offer. Consider sweetening the deal or at least appearing to do so with some creative wording. Remember to highlight the benefits to the recipient, not the features. People want to know “what’s in it for me”. Motivating the recipients to respond is key to increasing your results.
2. Look closely at your list. Is the list targeted well for the offer you are making? Sometimes it makes more sense to mail fewer pieces to better qualified recipients. If you need to supplement your list with a purchased list, contact your provider to help you determine who is best for your offer.
3. Make it personal. Appear to speak directly to your recipients. They want to feel special. Variable digital printing provides a tool for customizing every mail piece with personalized messages and images. This can dramatically increase your response.
4. Increase the number of ways your recipients can respond. Include a phone number, email, QR Code, mail address and website. Make them easy to find. Consider including a business reply card. Even in this day when people may respond by telephone and internet, business reply cards improve response rates. Their very presence communicates that a response is requested.
5. Clearly state how you want the recipient to respond and set a designated respond by date to encourage quick response. This will enable you to capture them while the “iron is hot”.

Lastly, in order to know how well these tips have helped you, there must be a tracking method. Here are a few options you could use for tracking:

1. Direct recipients to a special website landing page rather than your company’s home page. You can easily do that with a QR code, or by creating personalized URLs for each individual.
2. Use a code on all reply devices and ask for a code for online orders.
3. Ask a recipient to bring the piece into your location for a gift or discount.
4. Use a special email address created for the campaign.
5. Ask recipients to mention a promotion code when they call your company.

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

Social Media Marketing, 5 Important Tips

Here are the most important tips for social media marketing:

1. Social media is networking. It takes time. You can easily spend your whole day on social media sites. It is important to set time limits for yourself and not take on all sites at once. Start with the three big players, Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. Then as you become more comfortable, add more.
2. Use online tools to help you manage your social media time. There are many software tools out there to help you manage, track and update across multiple social media platforms.
3. Make sure that the information you are providing is useful to your customers and prospects. If all you throw out there are messages about how great you are and they should use you, you will not have any followers. Provide useful tips, ideas and information to create a sence of value to following you. Make sure to listen as people respond to you.
4. Make it easy for people to share your content by adding share buttons to your website and online documents. If you have a blog, make sure to add them there too.
5. Don’t forget that this is networking. Treat your contacts like you would a person at a networking event. Continue to nurture the relationship and build trust. Most important, be personable. People enjoy interacting with real genuine people.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Design Unique QR Codes For Your Next Campaign

You can create very unique QR Codes for your marketing pieces. Get your designers excited about QR Codes! The more they stand out the better chance you have that someone will scan your code. It is very important to provide instructions on how to scan and a reason for the recipient to scan the code. Keep the instructions and reason short and sweet.

Here are some things to keep in mind when designing a unique QR Code:

1. Keep the 3 squares (two upper corners and one bottom corner) clear and discernible. They are the most important part of the barcode.
2. Keep your logo or other art in the center of the barcode.
3. You will need to keep at least a 1/16 white space around your barcode, in order for the barcode to scan.
4. Test your design on multiple phone types and scanners. What works on one may not work on another.

Another key element with QR Codes is to design landing pages with mobile in mind. Using a unique design to increase your scan rates is only the first step. Your landing page must be easy to navigate with a mobile phone. Use large buttons and only key information that the user needs.

If you have any questions, call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Email Marketing and Direct Mail, A Winning Combination

Email marketing can enhance your direct mail marketing with a lift on average of 11%. The emails can be timed based on your direct mail in home dates, allowing for a double punch of your message. You can also easily add a follow-up email one week later to grab the attention of those who put the mail piece aside for later and have forgotten about it. There are a couple of good things to note about follow-up emails:

• You can send multiple email reminders without being overbearing, but don’t get too carried away
• You are more likely to receive a prompt response to your follow-up emails, than single emails with no tie to another campaign
• The recipients feel part of your business and more involved when multi-channels are used

Direct mail still represents 17% of the overall marketing budget, which is larger than the share held by any other media. Second is email. Direct mail has the most targeted messages at 29% followed by email at 22%. So when your campaign incorporates both you have a much larger impact. This will increase your ROI. One important fact to remember when planning your campaigns, is to keep the message and branding consistent between the direct mail and email. You want the recipient to associate them.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Why Direct Mail is Important in an Online World

Recently the focus of marketing has been with online tools such as email, web and social media. Instead of incorporating a mix of on and offline marketing, the focus shifted to the easier option of  online. Today more than ever, direct mail reaches people in ways that online cannot. When the physical piece lands in the mail box the recipient touches and looks at the piece. Giving ample opportunity for your offer to be viewed. Email can be deleted without ever being opened and search ads may not even be noticed on the cluttered web page. That said, it’s still important to use multi-channel marketing. The more ways you reach your prospects the greater your ROI will be. A full campaign should include elements of email, web, social media and direct mail.

So lets outline the benefits of direct mail:

• Direct Mail touches people every day.
• Many people look forward to receiving their daily mail. In fact, 98 percent of consumers bring in their mail the day it’s delivered, and 77 percent sort through it immediately. In addition to that kind of exposure, Direct Mail offers these benefits:

1. It’s targeted.
   Mass advertising (TV, print, radio, etc.) can be expensive and isn’t always an option for small businesses. But Direct Mail can focus on a smaller group of individuals who are more likely to respond to your offer, giving you more bang for your buck.
2. It’s personal.
   With Direct Mail, you can address your customers by name, speak to them individually, and appeal to their interests. And when customers feel that you understand their needs, they’re more likely to respond.
3. It’s flexible.
   From letters to postcards to brochures, there is a large variety of inexpensive and easy formats you can use to create your direct mail campaign. You can add impact by including a special offer or free sample in the envelope.
4. It’s tangible.
   Direct Mail allows you to physically place your message in your customers’ hands and encourage interaction. Along with an engaging message, you can make an unforgettable impression by incorporating elements that actively involve the customer, like stickers, and coupons. You can also include QR codes to tie in with your online marketing.
5. It’s measurable.
   Direct Mail is one of the few media channels that gives you the ability to track the success of your campaign. It’s as simple as counting the inquiries you received or counting the number of coupons redeemed. By tracking and analyzing your results, you’ll see what’s working and can make adjustments to future mailings if needed.
6. It’s easy and cost-effective.
   On average your ROI is 1% to 2%. The better the offer, more targeted the list the more likely you are to increase that ROI %.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

 

Getting The Right Marketing Mix

Getting your marketing mix right is the key to growing your business. Here are some ideas that can help you get on your way to better marketing.

Choose one goal: Build your campaign around this goal. Decide what method will work best toward your goal and create a plan of action.  By starting with only one goal you can stay focused and monitor the effectiveness.

Monitor results: It is important to track your results. That way you can tell if your marketing is working. You will also want to test new things to see what has the best results. By sticking with one goal to start out, you will have the time to make sure you are getting the results you want and when you are not, then make changes.

Multi-Channel: Integrating your campaign across many channels helps broaden your reach. Your website, emails, direct mail and social media should all be based on your single goal. Keeping your branding the same will help people see a cohesive message across all channels.

Before you add another goal to your overall strategy, make sure it can be integrated with your existing methods. This integration can help you get the best results for your efforts. As you integrate each new method into your marketing strategy, make sure to test and track. Testing and tracking is the key to the best marketing mix.

Retain your company values: Make sure as you are creating strategies that you remain true to your company’s core values. When we choose to deviate from them it will be noticed and your ultimate branding message will be diluted.

Keep within your budget: Probably the most important factor is your budget. Make sure your strategies fit your budget and long-term plans.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Are You Saving 3% On Your Postage?

The USPS summer sale on direct mail with QR codes is in full swing! Are you saving 3% on your postage by using a QR code on your direct mail? You should be. The sale only lasts until August 31st 2011. Add those QR Codes now! Not sure what a QR Code is? QR codes, or quick response codes were created by the Japanese in 1994.

In order to read QR codes you will need to download a barcode reader application. Then point your smart phone camera at the code,  the QR code will instantly decode and take you to a website, video or more. They can be scanned upside down or side ways and still work.

Scan the code above and see our website. Codes can be many sizes from a billboard to a 1.5 inch square so you can place them anywhere. Why do people scan QR codes? Well, they are curious, to get discounts or other offers, and to learn more. How do you get started with QR codes? Well there are many free sites available to generate your code. It is also recommended to include a way for people to sign up for your emails, twitter and any other information your company provides.

Click here, to check out our post for details of the sale. You can use the QR code to link to your website, video or whatever is currently relevant to your offer. 

Call us today to start your next direct mail campaign with QR Codes! 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org

Issa Proposed Postal Reform Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Seeking to prevent another taxpayer bailout, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, introduced legislation to implement sweeping, structural reforms of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The legislation represents the most fundamental reform of the postal service that has been proposed since USPS was first created from the old Post Office Department.

“The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year. It is going to lose, at least, $8.3 billion this year. And it is projected to lose $8.5 billion the year after that,” Issa said. “Congress can’t keep kicking the can down the road on out of control labor costs and excess infrastructure of USPS and needs to implement reforms that aren’t a multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded bailout.”

Highlights of the Postal Reform Act include:

• Postal BRAC: Creates the Commission on Postal Reorganization to eliminate costly excess capacity and facilities. Over its first year the CPR will recommend closures worth $1 billion/year for post offices. Over the second, it will recommend $1 billion/year closures for mail processing and a 30% reduction in management facilities.
• Solvency Authority: Creates an Authority modeled on and named after the DC Control Board with a mandate to cut costs, protect universal service, and return USPS to financial solvency. The Authority is triggered into existence when USPS goes into default on any obligation to the federal government for more than 30 days. It has the authority to require renegotiation of existing collective bargaining agreements and the power to unilaterally modify those agreements if renegotiation fails. To accomplish its mission, the Authority may use a supplemental borrowing authority of $10 billion, backed by USPS property as collateral.
• 5-Day Delivery: Allows USPS to move to 5-day delivery of mail.
• Pay Comparability: Clarifies existing law to include wages and benefits in determining total compensation comparability with the entire private sector.
• Health and Life Insurance: Requires USPS employees to pay the same health and life insurance premium percentage as other federal workers. This provision is phased in to apply to union employees after their current bargaining agreements expire.
• Mediation Arbitration: Modifies the collective bargaining process to the 2003 Presidential Commission recommended mediation-arbitration process. Also requires arbitrators to take into account total compensation comparability and the financial situation of the Postal Service in any decision.
• Cost Coverage: Requires all market-dominant products to cover costs, while maintaining the CPI price cap.
• Underwater Products: For classes below 90% cost coverage, rates are increased by 5% annually above the price cap.
• Non-Profit Discount: The non-profit advertising discount is reduced by 5% a year from 40% to 10% of the most closely corresponding class.
• Political Committees: Ends the rate preferences for national and state political committees.
• Advertising: Authorizes USPS to sell advertising space on USPS facilities and vehicles. All advertising must maintain at least 200% cost coverage and be consistent with USPS’s integrity.
• State Government Services: Authorizes USPS to provide services for state governments that enhances USPS’s value to the public. Such services must not interfere with or detract from the value of postal services.
• Contracting accountability and transparency: Reaffirms accountability for delegations of contracting authority and requires their disclosure when outside the functional contracting unit. Requires disclosure of most non-competitive purchase requests above $250,000.
• Contracting ethics: Requires USPS to establish regulations to prevent conflicts of interest in the contracting area, with ethics officials reviewing any ethics issues that arise.

If you would like to read the bill click here.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Print Media Versus Digital Media’s Environmental Impact

Every company wants to go green, but what does that really mean? Is email greener than direct mail? You may be surprised by the real comparison between print media and digital media’s impact on the environment. Both forms of communication have impacts. Lets take a closer look at what is really happening, not including the renewable resources.

Starting with Digital Media we find:

• Intense Infrastructure Energy Usage
• Manufacturing of infrastructure materials such as computers, routers and so on.
• Disposal of infrastructure materials with heavy metals and chemicals
• CO2 emissions from data centers

Now for Print Media:

• Energy Usage
• Disposal of Chemicals
• Manufacturing of equipment
• Disposal of materials used to create equipment

The goal in being environmentally friendly is to take into account every aspect of what you are doing and to be most efficient at it. The choice between digital and print media today needs to be based on reaching your customers most efficiently. The best way is the multi-channel approach. Using both digital and print to reach your customers in a way they will most respond to.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email us info@eyecomm.org. We are happy to help.

Why You Need Multi-Channel Marketing!

You need more customer engagement and interactivity with your brand. In order to do that, you need multi-channel marketing. What is multi-channel marketing? Well, it is the integration of multiple marketing channels for a single campaign. In other words, your marketing campaign includes, print ads, direct mail, TV/Radio, and social media. The reward for multi-channel marketing is a higher level of customer interaction with your brand. This builds trust and translates into an increase in your results.

Most multi-channel campaigns include an offer and a deadline. They will also include triggered actions based on the customers interactions with you. There are important things to remember in your multi-channel campaign:

1. One clear focused concept
2. Consistent look across all channels
3. A single voice across all channels
4. All channels must work together as a team, building up the entire campaign
5. Use each channel within its strengths 

Personal messaging is a powerful motivator for your customers. The more you know about them, the better your offer will be. Engaging customers can help you create a powerful database with unique customer preferences. This can enhance all future campaigns to each individual by allowing you to get more personal. The better you are able to tailor your offer to each individual person, the larger you increase your ROI.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org, we are glad to help.

QR Codes Enhance Your Direct Mail

QR Codes and direct mail are a great fit! Now that the USPS has a summer sale on direct mail with QR codes, you can test this out and save 3% on your postage! Click here, to check out our post for details of the sale. You can use the QR code to link to whatever is currently relevant to your offer and then continue to update it. The ongoing updates allow you to keep your content fresh as people continue to scan and engage with your company online.

By linking your QR code to a video you can visually and audibly explain your promotion. They are great on a postcard since you have very limited room for copy. By linking your QR code to more detailed information on your website you can enhance the effectiveness of your postcard.

A QR code will allow you to have more creative on your piece, you need less room for copy. You can also personalize the QR codes so that each person gets a different offer based on what they are most likely to respond to. The best part about QR codes is that they are easily trackable. You can see who scanned the code, how often and so much more.

Call us today to start your next direct mail campaign with QR Codes! 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org

Aquiring The Right List Makes All The Difference

Your list is very important, if you mail to the wrong people you wasted your money. The best lists are prospects who are exactly like your current customers. They are most likely going to buy your product or service.
 
How do you find out who and where your best prospects are? Start by knowing who your current customers are. Eye/Comm can profile your customer list to find out what your best customers have in common.  Then, using demographic data, survey results, and US census data, we help you identify and reach your brand’s most promising prospects. List profiling and analysis enables you to improve relationships with your customers that will drive profit.

• Identify your most valuable customers
• Optimize your marketing mix and prioritize your spending – limiting waste and increasing efficiency
• Target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time
• Build loyalty programs that increase lifetime value

Power Targeting finds your best prospects

• Identify and target new prospects most like your best customers
• Reach out to customers and prospects using the methods they prefer
• Boost response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions)
• Dramatically improve your advertising ROI

If you have any questions please call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

10 Tips On What Not To Do In Direct Mail Marketing!

Now here are some things to stay away from that can cost you more money on your direct mail marketing! Designers love to get crazy and mail something that will really stand out without thinking about the post office requirements. So here is a list of some common design problems we see that will cost you extra postage:

1. Your shape must be rectangular and maintain an aspect ratio between 1.3 and 2.5.
2. Don’t print your return address in the OCR read area which is from the bottom of the mail panel up 3.5 inches.
3. Do not have round corners.
4. Do not use a dark color on the mail panel, the postal machines will not be able to read the address.
5. Leave enough room on the mail panel for the address and barcode, we recommend  a 2 x 4 space.
6. In order to mail at Nonprofit rates, you must have been authorized by the USPS with an authorization number.
7. If you want the barcode in the bottom right corner instead of the address block, you need to leave the bottom 5/8 of the mail panel blank.
8. If you want only 1 tab, you need the final fold below the mail panel.
9. If you have stitching on your mailer, you are required to have three 1.5 inch tabs.
10. The mail piece must be uniform in thickness to mail at automation rates.

If you have a pdf file we are more than happy to take a look at it for you and let you know if there are any problems. Call us at 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

PRC Approved The QR Code Discount Thru USPS, Summer 2011

Have you heard the news? The PRC has approved the 3% postage discount known as the summer sale.  Click here for the ruling. 

Well, in a nut shell, here is what they are going to do:

A special 3% discount July 1st thru August 31st for letters or flats if they include QR Codes that can be read by consumer smartphones.

The requirements are:

1. All mailpieces in the mailing must include a mobile two-dimensional barcode on the outside of the mailpiece or within the mailpiece.
2. The mobile barcode must be used for marketing purposes and must be relevant to the contents of the mailpiece. The objective of the two-dimensional mobile barcode on eligible mail pieces must be to initiate interaction with consumers via mobile smartphones to market, promote, or educate.
3. Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters and flats must be sent with postage paid entirely using a permit imprint and submitted electronically using Postal Wizard, Mail.dat, or Mail.XML to qualify for the discount. (Mailings submitted via Postal Wizard claiming IMb postage rates cannot exceed 9,999 pieces.)
4. The Mobile Barcode Promotion must be affirmatively claimed on the “Incentive Claimed” line in the certification section of the postage statement.
5. Mail must be tendered for acceptance during the promotion period, July 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011.

 Click here for Frequently asked questions.

If you have questions calls us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Key Ideas For Sucessful Fundraising

In our current economy fundraising is extremely tough. So we put together some key ideas to make you more successful.

1. Your current donors are your bread and butter, keep them engaged and active.
2. When trying to acquire new donors, use list profiling to find more donors like your current ones.
3. Use both email and direct mail to reach donors with information as well as solicitations.
4. Make sure to keep your donor list up to date, there are many ways to do that now.
5. When writing your letter copy, be conversational one friend telling another a story.
6. Personalize your reply piece, make it as easy as possible for them to respond.
7. Mail often, tests have shown that a second mailing of the same piece to the same list usually generates 50% of the response of the first mailing.
8. Make sure to test on alternate mailings the offers, lists, and creative. Only test one at a time in order to get accurate results.
9. Track, track, track. Know your results. Code your reply devices, this will help with tracking.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Direct Mail, An Oldie But Goodie!

Direct mail is not the new kid on the block. However, it is very effective. Direct mail is seen as a non-intrusive form of marketing. When the piece arrives in the mail box, the consumer gets to decide when they want to read it. Mail is engaging. Consumers spend on average 10 minutes reading direct mail.

Of the 1000+ B2B marketing professionals surveyed by Marketing Sherpa, 79% found direct mail to be either effective or very effective. 72% of adults said they have replied to direct mail pieces that contained a “buy one, get one free” offer. This indicates that direct mail pieces with an irresistible offer will get results. It also indicates that the word “free” is more appealing to people than a discount.

Direct mail is a tangible form of advertising. It gives you a physical presence in your customer’s home or office, and can literally put your product in their hands. Mail can be targeted to reach very specific audiences – almost every individual, household and business can be reached by mail. Including direct mail in your marketing mix will yield a larger ROI.

The Green aspect of mail:

• Direct mail is a green way to shop. If Americans replaced two trips to the mall each year with shopping by catalog, we’d reduce our number of miles driven by 3.3 billion—a 3 billion pound reduction in carbon dioxide and a savings of $650 million on gas alone.
• Mail represents only 2.4% of America’s municipal waste stream.
• The production of household advertising mail consumes only 0.19% of the energy used in the United States.
• Mail is made from a renewable resource. The vast majority of paper produced in America today comes from trees grown for that specific purpose. The forest industry ensures that the number of trees each year is increasing, so trees are not a depleting resource. In fact, forest land in the United States has increased by 5.3 million acres in the past three decades.
• Direct mail is critical to the economic well-being of communities, businesses and charities throughout the United States. Last year it represented more than $686 billion in sales, supporting jobs at more than 300,000 small businesses across the country.

So, as you can see, Direct Mail is an excellent marketing channel as well as a green process.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Marketing For Today and Tomorrow

Marketing in these challenging times is hard. We need to get better results with less money. We need to reach out to people on many different channels and get their attention. The average American is exposed to 5000 messages per day. They notice about 52 of them and only remember 4. So our challenge is to be 1 of the 4.

The most common marketing mistake is we forget that only 15% of our short term results are from today’s marketing initiatives. Today’s marketing will be responsible for 85% of our long term results. So, knowing that, we need to plan accordingly. To start on the path to better future results we need to analyze what we are currently doing. Rather than focusing on doing something different, first try to tweak what you do currently.

• Start by changing your messaging. To do this effectively you need a good understanding of your customers motivations. Once you understand them better, your messaging will be remembered and drive a greater response.
• You should also integrate your marketing across multiple channels to improve your results. You want to make the competition be forgotten and irrelevant.

The single most important concept to remember is to continually evaluate your marketing and change things as you need to. Marketing must be continuous and grow with you.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

QR Code Discount Thru USPS, Summer 2011

UPDATE PRC HAS APPROVED! See lastest post, click here!

Have you heard the new proposal from the post office? Well, in a nut shell, here is what they are asking the PRC to approve:

A special 3% discount in July and August for letters or flats if they include QR Codes that can be read by consumer smartphones. The 3% discount will apply to both First Class Mail and Standard Class Mail, sent using a permit imprint payment methods. Nonprofit mail is excluded from this promotion. To qualify for the lower postage rate, mailers must display the QR Codes either outside or within all mail pieces in a mailing, using the barcodes to “market, promote or educate” mail recipients – rather than for internal tracking purposes.

Already in use with other forms of print advertising, the barcodes allow a person to scan items with their smart phones in order to get more information, coupons,videos or special offers. The USPS hopes its summer sale will help to highlight the potential of combining online and offline marketing to offer better response rates for direct marketing campaigns.

Thomas Foti, the Postal Service manager of marketing mail, told Post&Parcel yesterday: “We firmly believe that mobile barcodes add significant value to mail – they help increase response rates and they help establish relationships with those that don’t have necessarily already have a relationship with mail – for instance those in younger generations.”

The USPS filed for Postal Regulatory Commission approval for the Mobile Barcode Promotion on April 12, with plans for the discount to run from July 1 through to August 31. The Commission is now seeking comments from interested parties on the program until May 2.

If you have questions calls us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

What Do Your Customers Think Of You?

Why does it matter what your customers think of you? If you are like most marketers, you know why it matters, especially now. Your customers can make or break your brand. Their voices are louder now than ever before. So before you have the next bad viral branding incident, lets take time to prepare.

1. Use surveys, they are an excellent source of information. (You may need to use incentives to increase response).
2. Include questions on your facebook posts.
3. Tweet relevant information, fun stuff and questions.
4. Listen to the answers and continue the conversation.
5. Monitor what is being said about your brand.
6. Respond to posts and questions.
7. Build campaigns that address the weaknesses your customers have identified and transform them into strengths. 

When you are aware of what your customers like and dislike about your brand, you can be prepared for responding to both the positive and negative remarks that get posted. Always stop and consider how your responses will appear to your customers. Put yourself in their shoes and respond in a way that addresses their needs. Happy customers generate more business for you!

If you have any questions, call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help!

The New Rules of Customer Engagement

Now more than ever, it is extremely important to realize that your customers have power over your brand. There are many platforms for them to post comments about your company. Are you listening to what they are saying about your company? Not only is it important to listen to what they are saying, you must also be measuring your online sources, from your website to all the social media outlets.

The benefit of social media is it allows companies a greater insight into customers. Your customers themselves will tell you what they like and don’t like. You must keep track of this valuable information to use in your marketing later. You must also make sure to respond to both the good and the bad comments or else the bad will turn into the ugly. The good old-fashioned I’m sorry goes a long way. Oh, and did we mention, that the speed at which you respond must be quick. Customers demand instant information and quick responses.

Happy customers tell others and gather more customers for your company. You want the good information about you passed on to others. You have to be responsible for what is out there as well as responsive to it. Have conversations on the social platforms with your customers. Engage them in conversations not just about your company but with information they would find interesting. Remember to say thank you when people say good or bad comments.

The rules are:

1. Listen
2. Engage
3. Respond as quickly as you can
4. Record the information provided for future use

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email us info@eyecomm.org. We are always glad to help.

How Can You Increase Your Direct Mail Response?

Target your list!

How would you like to find out who and where your best prospects are? Start by knowing who your current customers are. Eye/Comm can profile your customer list to find out what your best customers have in common. Then, using demographic data, survey results, and US census data, we help you identify and reach your brand’s most promising prospects. The better the prospects the better your results.

List profiling and analysis enables you to improve relationships with your customers that will drive profit.

• Identify your most valuable consumers
• Optimize your marketing mix and prioritize your spending – limiting waste and increasing efficiency
• Target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time
• Build loyalty programs that increase lifetime value

Power Targeting finds your best prospects.

• Identify and target new prospects most like your best customers
• Reach out to customers and prospects using the methods they prefer
• Boost response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions)
• Dramatically improve your advertising ROI

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Can QR Codes Help Your Direct Mail?

QR codes, or quick response codes were created by the Japanese in 1994. We are now seeing increased use of QR Codes. In order to read QR codes you will need to download a barcode reader application, then point your smart phone camera at the code, snap a picture, the QR code will instantly decode and take you to a website. They can be scanned upside down or side ways and still work. Scan the code above and see our website. Codes can be many sizes from a billboard to a 1.5 inch square so you can place them anywhere. Why do people scan QR codes? Well, they are curious, to get discounts or other offers, and to learn and more.

How do you get started with QR codes? Well there are many free sites available to generate your code. You will need to design your landing page with what ever information you want to provide. It is also recommend to include a way for people to sign up for your emails, twitter and any other information your company provides.

QR codes help make direct mail interactive by connecting to websites videos and more. Your direct mail becomes an integrated campaign. The best thing about adding QR codes to your direct mail is that it gives you online tractability for visits to your landing page. You can offer more information on the page as well as extras for the people who were interested and scanned the code.

It is possible to have unique QR codes so that each person is directed to their own personalized site. This can help you tailor your message directly to them and increase your response rate. Another benefit is that you can have the recipient keep the mail piece to use multiple times. You have the ability to change the landing page offers as often as you want. This can be coupons, discounts or specials once a month or in what ever increment you desire. That turns your direct mail piece into a useful item for the long-term. It also keeps the recipient engaged with your company.

If you have any questions please call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We will be glad to help you.

Social Media Marketing

What is social media marketing and how can it help you? Social media is an engagement channel. It can be used just like any other channel for your marketing. You increase your ROI when your marketing is across multiple channels creating an integrated marketing campaign. It is important to be consistent in your overall  branding message but the offers and methods can vary between channels and should depending on your audience.

To begin in social media, you need to keep in mind that you will have to seek out friends and fans, get them engaged with you and pass you on to their other friends. You cannot sit idle and wait for people to come to you. It won’t work. Be sure to share information that is related to your brand but is also interesting to your followers. Do not keep saying the same things over and over. Mix up your branding with some fun tips or pictures and links that are helpful.

Most important and really the KEY to social media is listening. Pay attention to what others are saying about you and respond to that. Engage everyone not just the people saying good things about you. The quickest way to change a negative into a positive is to respond. Do what you can to fix the issue, the effort you make to correct a situation goes a long way with everyone following you.

In social media you must humanize your brand. People want to see interactions with your company as human interactions. They will connect better with you and respond more when you do. You build relationships with people and they will continue to engage with you and spread your message to others. Ask questions, keep conversations going, don’t be a heavy and only push out information, be the company that others want to follow for good information and some fun facts.

If you have questions or need help, call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are happy to help.

The Bathtub Theory of Marketing

Every business is a bathtub that has cracks and leaks. Your acquisition programs are the faucets that fill the tub with water (new customers). Some stay put and refuse to leak out, some just don’t need you very often, and then some leak out and move on. Now here are the interesting ones, they like other tubs better or feel like they were mistreated or they could not afford to stay in your tub anymore. The trick is to keep the bathtub filled by spending your marketing money in the most efficient way. When you can plug the leaks that CAN be fixed (you can’t plug them all, remember that!) then you are succeeding.

Direct mail is very efficient at all points of the selling cycle. From prospecting thru follow-up after a purchase. That constant flow of information keeps helping to fill your tub. Whether you are a B2B company or a B2C company you need to continue to market yourselves effectively. The tactile nature of direct mail helps to increase awareness within the recipient’s brain about your product or service. Even when they set it aside now, it will still be there later for reference.

Now you can’t fill your tub with just anyone. You need to find the right people who need your business to help them. The right people are the ones who need what you offer, can afford what you offer and have a history of using businesses such as yours. Direct mail lists are targetable. You can direct your message to the right people. The more right people you have the less leak out.

If you need help filling your tub, call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

13 Proven Direct Mail Tactics for Success

Here are direct mail tactics for success:

1. Generate Traffic – to a location, a website or event
2. Generate sales leads
3. Counter a competitive offer – without them knowing about it right away
4. Customer loyalty
5. Customer acquisition or referrals
6. Improve customer service – send a thank you note
7. Cross sell or upsell
8. Announcements
9. Augmenting other media efforts – email, web, social media, print ads…
10. Improving sales efficiency
11. Catalog, custom publications or newsletters
12. Combining mailings with other companies – value added or coupons
13. Building brand awareness

The tactics above are not all the options but the most common. If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

Keys To Direct Mail Success part 3

Design is the 3rd  key to successful direct mail. You have many options, but I will list a few for you to consider.

There are 7 common package choices:

1. Traditional: letter, lift note, brochure, reply device in #10 envelope
2. Self-mailers folded in various ways with a tear off reply.
3. Snap-Paks: computer generated with 3 tear off perfed edges (only cost effective in large volume)
4. Closed-Faced Kits: generally a 9 x 12 envelope with personalized feel and all inserts personalized.
5. Postcards
6. Double postcards: this is a folded over card with a tear off reply device
7. Emerging creative tactics: CD’s, shapes, fold outs, pop outs, stand ups, repositional notes

Here are the most popular choices:

1. Letter in envelope
2. Flyer or self-mailer
3. Catalogs
4. Large Envelopes
5. Snap packs
6. Postcards

Which ever format you choose there are some common elements to keep in mind:

• Keep it visually appealing
• Keep with your branding
• Integrate the call to action into the design
• Be unique
• Keep your audience in mind, what would they like to see
• Make sure the design plays into the “whats in it for me” demand that the recipient has
• What will work best with your budget

If you have any questions about a design you are considering please give us a call 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are glad to help.

Keys To Direct Mail Success part 2

The second key to direct mail success is the offer. You need a clear defined message with an offer that requires the recipient to respond within a determined time frame. Without a time limit there is no reason to respond now.  Keep the offer simple and easy to find. If the offer is clear, the recipient may not even need to read the entire message. There are some key words that people respond to most. 

Here is a list of a few of them:

• Free
• Samples
• Discount
• Guarantee
• Special
• Buy one get one
• Volume discount
• Exclusive
• Upgrade

Make sure as part of the clear offer you provide multiple ways for the recipient to respond, such as by phone, email, website, or in person. A good clear offer will increase your ROI.

The 3rd key is design. We will talk about that in the next post.

If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

Keys To Direct Mail Success

Ok lets look at the first key to direct mail success. That is the list of people you are sending to. The list makes up about 50% of the requirement in direct mail success. You must send to the right people in order to get a response.

So, with that being the case lets take a look at the types of lists:

1. House Lists (your clients)
2. Responder Lists (people who have responded to like offers before)
3. Compiled Lists (purchased list based on whatever specs you choose)

Your most valuable list is your house list. It is important to keep it clean and up to date. There are many methods to do this. You can remove duplicates and bad addresses to clean it up and then run NCOA to make sure the addresses are current. If you need any help in these areas let us know. Along with names and addresses in your house list you should be capturing other client information such as what they purchase or donate and any other information that can help you target an offer to them.

The 2nd most valuable list is responders. These are people who have made inquiries with you in the past, but have not become clients yet. It is important to keep track of who these people are and what they have responded to in the past. You can help tailor your message to them if you track this information.

Lastly, we have the compiled list. There are way to many list options out there for me to come even close to being able to list them all. So lets just say you can  buy pretty much any type of list you are looking for. If you have specific questions please give us a call and we can help. One very valuable option is to try to get a list of people who are like your current customers. This is done based on running an analysis of your current customer database, coding people into groups and then gathering a list of people who are just like them.

The next key is offer. We will discuss this in the next blog post.

Call us 619-448-6111 or email us info@eyecomm.org with any questions, we are glad to help.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done right, Part 2

2. Clean In House lists. Reduce undeliverable mail by updating your lists at least every three months. There are many data hygiene resources available to keep your list up‐to‐date.

• Delivery Point Validation to eliminate invalid or incomplete addresses.
• National Change of Address (NCOA) to get updated addresses for people who move.
• “Do not mail” purging to eliminate those who prefer not to receive mail.
• Deceased recipient purging.
• Apartment number appending to increase deliverability.

Benefits of Data Hygiene:

1. Control mailing waste and save on postage and printing.
2. Reduced lost sales by continuing to reach customers who have moved.
3. Increase customer loyalty.

Stay tuned for part 3…

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 3

Mail Piece Design: Postage is like airline tickets. Some people pay more than others. The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers significant postage discounts to mail pieces that are designed and addressed properly for processing on automated equipment. The following tips will help you safely navigate the complex postal regulations to insure your mail qualifies for the lowest postage rates.

3. Size matters: For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size.

 

• Minimum 3 ½” high by 5″ long.
• Maximum 6 1/8″ high by 11 ½” long.

Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate. The maximum allowed is 12″ high by 15″ long. Flats can cost more than twice as much per piece as letters.

 

 

 

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done right, Part 4

4. Watch your Aspect Ratio: Letter size automation mail must be rectangular

• The aspect ratio (length divided by height) has to be from 1.3 to 2.5.

Mail pieces that fall outside those ratios could cost twice as much.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 5

5. Thin is not in: Mail pieces that are too thin will cost more postage.

• Keep your piece at least 0.009″ thick and you can save 25 cents or more per piece.

Maximum thickness for letter size mail is ¼” and for flat size is ¾”.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 6

6. Extra room:

Allow a large enough open area for the address and barcode. We recommend a 4″ x 2″ clear area.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 7

7. Location, location, location: Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area. If it doesn’t fit, you pay for it with additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 8

8. Stay horizontal:

The delivery address on letter size mail must be parallel to the longer dimension of the mail piece or, you guessed it, more postage.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 9

9. No coats please:

Avoid heavy ink, varnish or UV coating on the address area. The inks used for addressing do not adhere well to these surfaces. Coated stock or satin aqueous coatings are OK.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 10

10. Image is everything:

Avoid printed images in the address area, or make sure they are light enough to meet USPS reflectance standards. Postal address reader machines must be able to discern the barcode against the background or you pay more postage.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 11

11. Don’t be rough: Avoid using heavily textured stock. The surface can affect barcode readability. If the Post Office can’t properly read the barcode, you pay more.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 12

12. Go on a tab diet:

Folded letter size self‐mailers require tab closures to get the lowest postage. Whenever practical, design the mail piece with the final fold below the address so the piece requires only 1 tab. Tabbing requirements are outlined in USPS regulation 201.3. We can provide you with a copy (translated from the original Postalese).

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 13

13. Don’t wrap it: 

 

Letter size mail enclosed in polywrap, polybag, shrinkwrap or any plastic material will get a surcharge. Most wraps are OK for flats, but must be USPS approved.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 14

14. Smooth out the bumps: Automation compatible mail must be regular in shape and thickness. Avoid protrusions or enclosures such as pens, pencils, or loose keys or coins that cause the thickness of the mail piece to be uneven. Clasps, strings, staples, buttons, or similar closing devices are also prohibited.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 15

15. An ounce of prevention:

Send a mock‐up or pdf file to Eye/Comm, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility, or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid costly delays.

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 16

16. Don’t forget the postage: Postage can be affixed in three ways. 

• Permit imprint (indicia) printed on the mail piece.
• Postage meter imprinted when the mail is processed.
• Stamp.

If you are going to print an indicia onto the mail piece, make sure it is positioned correctly and is worded right. Leave enough room in the upper right corner if you want a postage meter or stamp. Send us a mock-up or pdf file of the addressing side before your mail piece is printed. It can save you money.

 

 

Cost Effective Direct Mail Done Right, Part 17

17. Keep it consistent: All mail pieces within a single mailing must be uniform in size and weight.

Use the same paper stock for all pieces in a mailing to avoid postal weight verification problems. The Post Office weighs a sample batch from each mailing to verify the number of pieces in the mailing. If their sample batch weighs more, they will charge you for more pieces. That means additional postage.

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 1

There are three basic elements that determine the success of a direct mail campaign: the list, the offer and the creative.

Target your list: 

There is no factor more important to the success of your mailing than the list. The quality of the mailing list represents at least 40% of your campaign’s success.

• Target recipients to match your offer.
• Apply predictive list models to target a smaller, more specific audience.
• Keep your list up to date.
• See Eye/Comm’s publication “Creating a Successful Mailing List” for more ideas. Ask us for a free copy.

 

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 2

Make a compelling offer It’s the basic driver of response.

• Offer a discount, free gift or rebate.
• If your offer is powerful, consider including it in your headline.
• Put a time limit on the offer to motivate the reader to respond quickly.
• Use the word “free.”

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 3

Emphasize benefits, not features

People want to know “What’s in it for me?”, not what’s in your product or service. Features are what your product has. Benefits are how it improves your life. SPF 50 is a feature of sunscreen. Helps prevent skin cancer is the benefit. As an old ad man once said, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 4

Make it personal

Speak directly to your customer with a relevant message. A florist sends birthday and anniversary reminders to its customers. A shoe retailer notifies a customer about a new model of running shoe, an upgrade to what she has purchased before. These efforts turn the mail into a customer service tool. And your customers want service. Variable digital printing provides a tool for customizing every mail piece with personalized messages and images.

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 5

Add a P.S. to a letter

Readers often read the P.S. before the body of a letter. This makes the P.S. a good place to reiterate the offer or main benefit.

 

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 6

Give the reader multiple ways to respond

Include a phone number, email and website. Make them easy to find. Consider including a business reply card. Even in this day when people may respond by telephone and internet, business reply cards improve response rates. Their very presence communicates that a response is requested.

 

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 7

Tell people what you want them to do

Make it clear how you want the reader to respond. Prompt them to call, come in, visit your website, send in a reply card, or whatever your objective is.

 

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 8

Change the size

If you’ve always had reasonable success with a 5 ½ x 8 ½ postcard, test a 6 x 11 card and see if it catches more attention. What it cost you in dollars, you may get back in response.

 

Secrets to Getting More Response From Your Mail part 9

Mail frequently

If you are mailing four times a year, test a series of six mailings. It keeps you in front of customers more often and gives you more opportunities to get a response. Tests have shown that a second mailing of the same piece to the same list usually generates 50% of the response of the first mailing.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs

Choose a cost‐effective format

There’s a reason you rarely see an 8 x 8 mail piece. It doesn’t fit into most standard envelopes and it requires more postage to mail. Work with standard paper sizes whenever possible.

• Use the lightest weight paper possible.
• Choose a format that requires less paper.
• Print on both sides wherever possible.
• Pick a size that fits efficiently on a press sheet.
• Make sure the final size meets USPS automation requirements.
• Avoid plastic envelopes.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 2

Use color sensibly: 

Everyone wants to create a showpiece full of color, but it’s not always necessary.

• If black and white fits your message and your product, use it.
• Highlight color is a cost effective way to help your mail piece stand out.
• Use full color if it helps your message to showcase products, scenery or your facility.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 3

Use the right paper:

Paper cost can often be 40% or more of the total printing cost.

• Choose the least expensive paper that supports your message and image.
• Use uncoated paper whenever possible. It’s generally less expensive than coated.
• Choose a paper color that allows adequate contrast for addressing.
• Make sure the sheet you choose is thick enough to meet USPS automation rules.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 4

Proofread before printing:

You don’t want to go to the expense of printing a mail piece you can’t use because of a typo. And you don’t want to print a piece that costs extra postage because of poor design.

• Proofread everything.
• Proofread everything again.
• Have at least one other person proofread it.
• Send a pdf to Eye/Comm to make sure the design meets USPS requirements.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 5

 Clean your mailing list:

Keep your in‐house mailing lists clean and up‐to‐date. Eliminate bad addresses, update old addresses and drop uninterested recipients to save money by eliminating paper, ink and energy used to produce undeliverable pieces.

 

Eye/Comm provides numerous resources to refine your lists and reduce waste:  

• Address standardization corrects address errors.
• Move update provides correct addresses.
• Deduping eliminates duplicate addresses.
• Predictive list modeling targets your best prospects.
• Personalized messaging increases relevance and can boost response.

Here are some things you can do to keep your lists clean:

• Provide opportunities for recipients to easily opt‐in or opt‐out.
• Maintain a do‐not‐mail list of those who choose to opt‐out.
• Provide ways for customers to notify you of mailing preferences or incorrect address information.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 6

Streamline production:

Take advantage of available technology to reduce waste.

• Apply predictive list models to target a smaller, more specific audience.
• Utilize production methods that reduce print overruns, waste allowances and in‐process waste.
• Take advantage of print‐on‐demand technology instead of printing large quantities and storing them until needed.

Tactics to Trim Printing and Mailing Costs part 7

Take advantage of USPS postage discounts:

Postage is often the most expensive part of your direct mail campaign. Using standard sizes and adhering to USPS automation rules can save you lots of money.

• For First Class mail, keep the weight under 1 ounce.
• For Standard mail, keep the weight under 3 ounces.
• Follow the guidelines in Eye/Comm’s publication “15 Ways to Reduce Mailing and Postage Costs.” Ask us for a free copy.

Creating a Successful Mailing List

Picture your ideal customer

Who do you imagine responding to your offer? A great way to start is by studying your current customers. New customers will likely be similar to the people who currently do business with you.

Creating a Successful Mailing List part 2

Identify your best customers

Look at your own records—sales slips, invoices, delivery information. These tell you who your customers are, what they buy, how often they shop, and how much they spend. Look for the people who bought from you most recently, most often, and who spent the most money. This is called RFM: Recency, Frequency and Monetary Value.

Creating a Successful Mailing List part 3

Understand your model customer

Find out what your best customers have in common. Pay attention to characteristics such as age, gender, income, and where they live. One easy way to do this is to through Eye/Comm’s data analysis tools. Utilizing survey research to identify consumers’ values, attitudes, andproduct preferences and combining that with U.S. Census data, we help you to:

• Profile the unique characteristics of your best and most profitable customers.
• Target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time.
• Open new channels to reach your customers and prospects using the methods they prefer.
• Boost response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, onesize‐fits‐all promotions).
• Build loyalty programs that increase lifetime value.

Creating a Successful Mailing List part 4

Find more model customers

After developing a comprehensive profile of your model customers, Eye/Comm can find more people who fit that profile, so you can tailor your message to match their needs and interests, and increase the chances that they’ll act on your offer.

• Identify and target new prospects most like your best customers.
• Boost your direct response rate.
• Increase your market penetration.
• Dramatically improve your advertising ROI.

Creating a Successful Mailing List part 5

Track and Analyze

Direct mail advertising is unique because it provides measurable results. By testing and tracking you can determine the most effective lists, offers and creative.

• Mine the best intelligence from your response.
• Update your list.
• Evaluate your ROI.
• Find response trends to improve the ROI for future campaigns.
• Improve your offers and creative to maximize response.

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less

Clean your mailing list

Keep your in‐house mailing lists clean and up‐to‐date. Eliminate bad addresses, update old addresses and drop uninterested recipients so you can mail fewer pieces to a targeted audience at valid addresses. Eye/Comm provides numerous resources to refine your lists and reduce waste:

• Address standardization corrects address errors.
• Delivery point validation verifies the address is complete and correct.
• Move update provides new addresses for people who have moved.
• Deduping eliminates duplicate addresses.

Here are some other things you can do to keep your lists clean:

• Provide opportunities for recipients to easily opt‐in or opt‐out.
• Maintain a do‐not‐mail list of those who choose to opt‐out.
• Provide ways for customers to notify you of mailing preferences or incorrect address information.
• Use ACS Address Correction Service to get updated addresses.
• Most Important: Don’t forget to update your list with the information you receive from these resources. If you need help, we’re there for you.

 

 

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 2

Enhance your mailing list 

 

Profile your best customers. Predictive list modeling provides valuable insights into consumer behaviors. Utilizing survey research to identify consumers’ values, attitudes, and product preferences and combining that with U.S. Census data, Eye/Comm helps you to: 

• Profile the unique characteristics of your best and most profitable customers.
•  Overlay demographic and psychographic intelligence onto your customer data.
•  Open new channels to reach your customers and prospects using the methods they prefer.
• Boost response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one‐size‐fits‐all promotions).

 

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 3

Target your mailing list

Eye/Comm can find more people who fit the profile of your best customers, so you can tailor your message to match their needs and interests, and increase the chances that they’ll act on your offer.

• Identify and target new prospects most like your best customers.
• Boost your direct response rate.
• Increase your market penetration.
• Dramatically improve your advertising ROI.
• Customize a list to your specific offer.

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 4

Match your offer to your recipient

Use the knowledge you have about your customers and combine it with the intelligence provided by list modeling to come up with offers that appeal to your audience.

• Target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time.
• Segment your list to customize offers to different interest groups.

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 5

Use personalized variable data printing

With variable data printing (VDP), each printed piece is “varied” to show different graphics, copy, offers or photos specifically designed to appeal to each individual recipient. It can be as simple as a personalized letter or as complex as a full‐color variable postcard or brochure. VDP has been proven to significantly boost ROI, on average achieving response rates 7 times higher than conventional direct mail.

• Personalize images, copy and graphics for higher impact.
• Customize versions for individual applications.
• Personalized messaging increases relevance and can significantly increase response.
• Mail fewer pieces to achieve a higher response than a larger conventional mailing.

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 6

Test

Conventional marketing wisdom says there are three factors that determine the success of your direct mail campaign. 40% is the list. 40% is the offer. And 20% is the creative. Test each one to find what works best.

• Test lists from different sources using the same offer to see which get the best response. Then use those for future mailings.
• Test offers such as discounts, free gifts, free samples, different prices to find out what works.
• Test creative by using different designs and different copy. Test different formats such as postcards, envelopes or self‐mailers. Stick with what generates the best response.

Remember to test only one thing at a time. If you test a new list and new offer at the same time you won’t know which was responsible for the result.

 

How to Increase Your Response by Actually Mailing Less part 7

Track and analyze

Direct mail advertising is unique because it provides measurable results. By testing and tracking you can determine the most effective lists, offers and creative.

• Mine the best intelligence from your response.
• Evaluate your ROI.
• Find response trends to improve the ROI for future campaigns.
• Improve your offers and creative to maximize response.

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell

Your creative is an essential factor in the success of your direct mail campaign. It’s how you present yourself to your customer. The design of your mail piece has two jobs to do. First, it has to draw attention to your primary offer. Second, it has to help the reader to absorb the information provided. The following graphic design features can help you get these two jobs done.

Provide a focal point

A well‐designed page usually has one dominant feature that catches your eye. It could be a headline, a picture, a design element, but it must be one focal point. One thing has to dominate. When you emphasize too much, you emphasize nothing.

 

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell part 2

Use white space

Don’t make the mistake of filling every empty space with type or pictures. A page full of copy and pictures can intimidate the reader. An open and airy design invites the reader in.

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell part 3

Minimize typeface variety

The best designers use only one or two fonts. Use large, bold type for the headline and a smaller, easy‐to‐read font for the text. Use bold type for a compelling offer or particular good prices.

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell part 4

Make your text easy to read

Design text in specific, easy‐to‐read blocks. If the type covers a large area, if the font is too small or condensed, if the paragraphs are too long, the copy becomes too much work to read and people won’t. For letters, break up the page by interspersing short paragraphs with long, indented paragraphs and use bullet points and bold subheads to keep the eye engaged.

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell part 5

Use relevant illustrations

Illustrations, photos and graphic elements help draw attention to your message. Use illustrations that dramatize, support and help convey your message.

 

Features of Graphic Design That Really Sell part 6

Make your logo and call-to-action clear and visible. 

You got the reader’s attention and guided them through your information. Your design and copy have aroused their interest. Now you have to show them how to buy. Provide a clear, visible call‐to‐action. It doesn’t have to be a big, oversize name, address and phone number. Just make sure the reader can see these elements without having to look for them.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising

Without a doubt, fundraising is the biggest challenge non profit organizations face. But there are tried and true fundamentals that are essential to the success of a campaign.

1. Current donors, keep them involved and generous

Current donors have already invested in your organization. They want to continue to support you.

• Respond promptly. As soon as you receive a donation, you must respond to each gift promptly and with as much personalization as appropriate. Let them know specifically what their gift will provide. Consider a thank you phone call. Encourage an additional gift when you do.
• Send newsletters. Show your donors how their donation makes a difference. Invite them to participate in your activities.
• Communicate regularly. Connect with your donors several times a year, at least four. Always ask for a donation and make it easy for them to respond.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 2

2. Acquiring new donors

Soliciting new donors is the most difficult part of fundraising.

• Expect to lose money initially. At this stage you are looking for new donors more than the donation itself. Focus on the lifetime value of a new donor.
• Make your value proposition compelling. Remember you are competing for their support with other worthwhile nonprofits.
• Use list profiling to find more prospects.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 3

3. Email vs Direct Mail

There are pros and cons to both email and direct mail. Consider a combination of both.

• Email is less expensive than direct mail.
• Email is flexible. You can change your message quickly and respond to events.
• Email may not get through. You are competing with a deluge of other electronic messages.
• Nearly everyone has a spam filter and your message may not be read or may be deleted.
• E mail addresses are often not available.
• Direct mail is more costly due to printing, mailing and postage costs.
• Mail is not delivered immediately and it’s more difficult to change.
• Direct mail is more targetable than email. Unlike most other media you can select your target audience and deliver your message directly to their home or office. Your offer can be customized to the recipient’s known behaviors.
• Direct mail is more personal. Most people perceive mail as more personal and important than other media.
• Mail is tangible and includes a response device. All direct mail is dimensional and the recipient interacts with it in both a visual and a tactile way. Unlike email, the recipient can’t just hit delete to make your message disappear.
• Mail is flexible. You can easily customize your message to your target audience. Your donors and prospects respond to different types of media. Many will prefer the personal touch of mail.
• Results are measurable.
• Mail is more private and secure. According to recent USPS research: Two‐thirds of Americans view traditional mail as more personal than internet communications and say mail is more private than email. 68% of Americans say mail is more secure than internet communications.
• Lists are more available. Addresses and behavioral and demographic information are readily available.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 4

4. Lists

The mailing list is the single most important component of your appeal. Obviously, the best list is your list of current donors. But don’t forget to occasionally solicit lapsed donors. Consider telemarketing to those audiences in addition to mail.

Keep your donor mailing lists up to date. Obsolete data not only costs you money spent on undeliverable or misdirected mail, but can cause lost donations and can impact donor goodwill. Studies have found that on average, up to 20% of records within a typical house file are undeliverable. By keeping your data current, you will save on printing, mailing and postage costs. And the US Postal Service now requires you to comply with their Move Update regulations by updating your lists every 95 days.

There are several important list hygiene tools available to keep your data clean and accurate:

• National Change of Address (NCOA) for new addresses of people who have moved
• Deduping
• “Do not mail” purging
• Deceased recipient purging
• Apartment number appending to increase deliverability.

The benefits of keeping your lists up to date include:

• Control mailing waste to save on postage and printing
• Reduce lost donations
• Increase donor loyalty.

Eye/Comm can help you keep your lists clean and up‐to‐date.

Finding lists of prospective donors can be daunting. However there are several guidelines.

Test lists. Your list is not as exclusive as you think. Test lists to insure maximum results for your ongoing campaigns.

Target your lists. When searching for prospect lists, look for individuals who are sympathetic to your mission, are mail responsive, and have the capacity to give. By utilizing available list targeting tools it is possible to find prospects that most closely resemble your best donors. You can customize a list to your specific cause and overlay demographic and psychographic intelligence onto your donor data.

Profile you donor list. Sophisticated list profiling is now a reality. Through a powerful array of new market segmentation tools you can profile the unique characteristics of your best donors and identify and target new prospects most like them. This allows you to open new channels to reach your donors and prospects using the methods they prefer. You can send more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one‐size‐fits‐all appeals). The results can boost your direct response rate, increase your market penetration, and dramatically improve your fundraising ROI. Eye/Comm can show you how.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 5

5. Copy

Letters are used almost exclusively in direct mail appeals.

• Use a conversational tone. When writing copy, think of two friends having a cup of coffee in the kitchen on a Saturday morning. One friend tells the story. Your reader isn’t really interested in statistics; “How many people we served”, “Numbers of scholarships”, “Concerts performed”. They want to know about one person or a small number of people they can relate to.
• Add a headline and a PS. You may wish to have a headline above the salutation. Almost always include at least one PS. Sometimes the only things your reader looks at are the headline and the PS. Tie the two together so the reader gets the message even if that’s all she reads.
• Tailor your copy to your audience. An audience of ex patients is different than an audience of music lovers. Education level is not important. Discuss the consequences if you don’t raise the money, but be cautious.
• Don’t be afraid of a long letter. The letter should be long enough to tell your story and not one word longer. End a page in the middle of a sentence to force the reader to continue.
• Edit ruthlessly. Don’t start your appeal with “I’m writing to you because…” Every word should have a purpose. The words “the” and “that” are usually unnecessary.
• Ask for the money!
• Consider copy on the envelope. What you say must compel the reader to open it.
• Use a live stamp. It adds legitimacy to the mail piece.
• Consider a lift note. It can reinforce your story and boost response.
• Make it easy for the reader to respond. Include a return envelope, with prepaid postage if you have the budget. Include a toll‐free phone number and a web site address where the reader can make a donation now.
• Keep your message consistent. Tie all elements of the package together.
• See what’s working. Look at the mail you get from other non profits and use the ideas you like in your own appeals.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 6

6. Production

You have your lists and your copy. Now it’s time to produce the package and mail it.

• Cost is not as important as the response. It’s easy to think the less money you spend on production the greater the potential for success. But if a more expensive package gets twice the response, your ROI is better. Test different formats to see which works the best.
• Use a reputable graphic designer with experience in fundraising appeals. Design the package using standard sizes like a #10 envelope to keep cost down.
• Personalize or not? Generic letters cost less, but personalized letters can boost response. The most effective personalization goes beyond a name. Use whatever information you have about a donor to add a personal touch, such as what their last donation bought, programs in their area made possible by your organization, or the number of years they have supported you.
• Allow enough time. In general, design and art will take 1 to 2 weeks, printing about a week, mailing services about 3 days.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 7

7. Timing and drop dates

Decide when you want the mail to be in homes.

• Mail in the Fall. Donors may be motivated by year‐end tax breaks for charitable giving. In 2008, September had the best non profit response rate. January has also shown good response rates, possibly because people are still in the holiday spirit and may have passed on Fall giving opportunities. A bad time is mid summer. If there is an event relevant to your cause, mail around that time.
• Mail often. Tests have shown that a second mailing of the same piece to the same list usually generates 50% of the response of the first mailing.
• Back‐time your mail date from the date you want the mail in homes. The San Diego Post Office generally delivers in one to two days for local addresses. The average delivery for standard mail nationwide is 13.6 days, but can take longer to the east coast.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 8

8. Non profit mailing permit

Non profit postage rates are about 45% less than regular standard mail rates.

• Nonprofit authorization from the USPS. To mail at these reduced rates you must have authorization from the Postal Service. Most 501c3 organizations qualify. The fee for a non profit mailing permit is $185 per year. The permit is only good at the Post Office where it is issued, but you can get authorization to mail from another post office at no additional cost. Mail entered at the San Diego Main Post Office delivering to San Diego County addresses receives a $0.043 discount per piece.
• Non profit compliance. Some restrictions apply to what can be mailed at non profit rates. For instance you cannot list an insurance company as a cosponsor. The mail piece must be about fundraising, like an event, golf tournament, or asking for money. Sponsors and their logos can be shown as long as they are not sharing in any donations. Eye/Comm can supply you with the complete regulations.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 9

9. Testing

Direct mail advertising is unique because it provides measurable results. By testing and tracking you can determine the most effective lists, offers and creative.

There are three factors that determine the success of your direct mail campaign. 40% is the list. 40% is the offer or cause. And 20% is the creative. Test each one to find what works best.

• Test lists from different sources using the same offer to see which get the best response. Then use those for future mailings.
• Test offers such as premiums, different suggested donation amounts, or beneficiaries to find out what works.
• Test creative by using different designs and different copy. Test different formats such as postcards, envelopes or self‐mailers. Stick with what generates the best response.

Remember to test only one thing at a time. If you test a new list and new offer at the same time you won’t know which was responsible for the result.

The 10 Essentials of Successful Non Profit Fundraising part 10

10. Backend analysis

Track responses to determine your return on investment and see what worked and what didn’t. Code your response device for each list or each version. For phone or web response use different phone numbers or web addresses for each list. Analyze the responses:

• Mine the best intelligence from your response.
• Update your donor list.
• Drop lists that don’t perform and add to those that do.
• Evaluate your ROI.
• Find response trends to improve the ROI for future campaigns.
• Improve your offers and creative to maximize response.

Confused About Tabbing Requirements?

Lets start with  letter size booklets:

The Postal Service redefined letter‐size booklets last year. New size and tabbing requirements took effect on September 8, 2009.

A booklet consists of multiple sheets or pages that are bound by saddle‐stitching, perfect binding, pressed glue or other binging method that creates a nearly uniformly thick mail piece. The requirements apply only to letter‐size booklets, not larger booklets or unbound folded self‐mailers.

The following regulations apply to all letter‐size booklets:

• Size: Maximum height = 6 inches
• Size: Maximum length = 10 ½ inches
• Paper: Minimum paper weight for cover = 40# to 80# book depending on the design
• Tabs: 3 tabs required, minimum 1 ½ inch diameter, non perforated

Confused About Tabbing Requirements? part 2

Now lets address letter size folded mailers.

If your mailer is between 4.25 x 6 and 6.125 x 11 then you fall in the letter rate catagory. This requires you to tab your mailer. Here are some basic tabbing options:

• folded edge below mail panel, requires 1 tab at the top
• folded edge to the right of mail panel requires 3 tabs, top bottom and left.
• folded edge above mail panel requires 2 tabs on the bottom.

If you have a mailer you would like to do, please email us a pdf to check and we will let you know the best setup with the least amount of tabs.

What are the size requirements for mailers?

So,  you want to know the best size for your mailer without increasing your postage? Well first, lets break this down into two categories, first class and standard class.

For first class:

• To qualify as a postcard you need to fall between: 3.5 x 5 to 4.25 x 6.
• To qualify as a letter you need to fall between: 3.5 x 5 to 6.125 x 11.5.

For standard:

• There is no postcard rate.
• To qualify as a letter you need to fall between: 3.5 x 5 to 6.125 x 11.5.

If your mailer is larger than 6.125 x 11.5 you will mail at flat rate which is a lot more expensive than a letter rate. If you have questions about your mailer call us 619-448-6111 or email us a pdf sample info@eyecomm.org. We are happy to check it for you.

A Few Simple Things You Can Do To Get A Better Resonce From Your Direct Mail

There are a few simple changes you can make to get a better responce from your direct mail:

1. Use a stamp.
2. Have a clear offer.
3. Have a respond by deadline.

If you need more tips or just want to check your design, call us, we can help. 619-448-6111.

Email Marketing Tips part 1

What makes a successful email marketing plan?

Here we will discuss over the next few posts 10 quick tips to consider when launching yours:

Experiment and adapt. Like most things, email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. So start with a basic plan, apply your philosophy and style and adapt as you go. Sending to people who want to hear from you is the best way to remain legally compliant, maintain a solid reputation, and generate great results.

Email Marketing Tips part 2

2.	Get into the address book. Remind your audience members to add you to their address book (or white list or senders list) so you are more likely to bypass any filters and show up just the way you want to.

Email Marketing Tips part 3

3.	Give your emails style and substance. With the visual possibilities of HTML it’s easier than ever to create attractive and enticing emails. Just make sure you also give your emails enough substance to warrant sending them in the first place.

Email Marketing Tips part 4

4.	Send with delivery in mind. Before your emails can be read and responded to, they have to be seen. That’s why we make sure your emails are sent in a way that’s designed to ensure high delivery rates, through personalized delivery, sophisticated delivery policies and ISP relationships.

Email Marketing Tips part 5

5.	Use (really use) the subject line. Arguably the most important single line of any email, the subject line is your two-second opportunity to catch someone’s eye and convince them to stop and look. So craft your subject line with care.

Email Marketing Tips part 6

6.	Know your audience. Use your signup screens and database to collect information about who your recipients are, where they live, and what they like, and enlist them to keep that information fresh and up-to-date.

Email Marketing Tips part 7

7.	Tailor your message. Successful campaigns are about creating smaller, more targeted mailings based on your recipients’ demographics, preferences and interests. The more timely, relevant and personal you can make it, the better.

Email Marketing Tips part 8

8.	Handle opt-outs immediately. Legally you have 10 days to handle opt-out requests, but in the world of email 10 days is an eternity. That’s why our opt-out feature handles requests instantly and remembers those requests to prevent accidental abuse.

Email Marketing Tips part 9

9.

Understand (and use) your results. Tracking metrics like receipts, bounces, opens, clicks, forwards and signups is the first step to understanding what’s happening to your emails. But those numbers are more than just metrics – they’re your audience talking to you. Listen to what they’re saying and then apply it to your future emails.

Email Marketing Tips part 10

Ok so, we made it to our final tip:

10.	Experiment and adapt. Like most things, email marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. So start with a basic plan, apply your philosophy and style and adapt as you go.

Effectiveness of Email Marketing

Today, lets talk about the effectiveness of email marketing. Here are some things you need to know:

• High ROI – $45 per every $1 spent (according to a recent DMA survey)
• Customers like it – 3 out of 4 customers choose email as their preferred way of receiving communication from businesses (according to a recent DMA survey)
• It’s conversational
• Good branding
• Response tracking

In combination with a direct mail campaign, email marketing can be extremely effective. Remember, the more ways you contact people the better response rate you will get.  If you have any questions, call us today 619-448-6111.

Greener Direct Mail

Greener Direct Mail

Your customers are asking for more environmentally responsible practices. There are many things you can do to make your direct marketing greener. Here are a few to consider.

1. List Hygiene. Keep your in-house mailing lists clean and up-to-date. Eliminate bad addresses, update old addresses and drop uninterested recipients to help reduce your environmental impact by eliminating paper, ink and energy used to produce undeliverable pieces. It saves you money too. Eye/Comm provides numerous resources to refine your lists and reduce waste:

• Address standardization corrects address errors.
• Move update provides correct addresses.
• Deduping eliminates duplicate addresses.
• Predictive list modeling targets your best prospects.
• Personalized messaging increases relevance and can boost response.

Here are some things you can do to keep your lists clean:

• Provide opportunities for recipients to easily opt-in or opt-out.
• Maintain a do-not-mail list of those who choose to opt-out.
• Provide ways for customers to notify you of mailing preferences or incorrect address information.

2. Design with Green in mind. Design your mail piece to minimize the environmental impact.

• Choose recycled paper with high post-consumer content.
• Select papers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or other sustainability organization.
• Use the lightest weight paper possible.
• Choose a format that requires less paper.
• Print on both sides wherever possible.
• Pick a size that fits efficiently on a press sheet.
• Avoid plastic envelopes.

3. Streamline production. Take advantage of available technology to reduce waste.

• Apply predictive list models to target a smaller, more specific audience.
• Utilize production methods that reduce print overruns, waste allowances and in-process waste.
• Take advantage of print-on-demand technology instead of printing large quantities and storing them until needed.

4. Encourage recycling. Although direct mail generates only 2 percent of all U.S. municipal waste, consumers generally view unsolicited mail as wasteful. Those same consumers view recycling of mail more positively.

• Encourage recipients to recycle by including a “please recycle” logo.
• Make it easier for them to recycle. Consider including recycling instructions or directions to the nearest recycling center.
• Let customers know what you are doing to recycle and be more eco-friendly.

What is Direct Mail, How Can I Use It?

Direct Mail

Here are the top 7 ways marketing professionals are using Direct Mail to grow their businesses:

• Generate Awareness.
• Generate Sales Leads.
• Qualify Sales Leads.
• Generate Store Traffic.
• Sell Directly.
• Service Customers.
• Create Loyalty.

Why use Direct Mail?

With so many media choices today, why choose direct mail? Here are several compelling reasons:

• Direct Mail is Targetable Unlike most other media you can select your target audience and deliver your message directly to their home or office. Your offer can be customized to the recipient’s known behaviors. Direct mail is perceived to be more personal and important than other media.
• Results are Measurable You can easily calculate your return on investment. You know how many pieces you mailed, what each piece cost, and how many responses you received. Most other media send your message to a less defined audience, including many people you don’t want to reach.
• Mail is Flexible You can include product samples, send a simple postcard, mail a catalog, send a letter in an envelope…mail whatever you need to meet your marketing goal. All direct mail is dimensional and the recipient interacts with it in both a visual and a tactile way. Unlike email or TV, the recipient can’t just hit delete or a button on a remote to make your message disappear.
• Direct Mail is Versatile You can easily customize your message to your target audience. Use it to drive traffic to your website, generate store traffic, identify qualified leads, gather information on your customers, make a direct sale, or support concurrent web, broadcast or print advertising.
• Direct Mail is an integral part of your advertising mix. Direct mail is a critical part of your business advertising. Your customers and prospects respond to different types of media. Many will prefer the personal touch of mail. Use it as a vital part of your multimedia marketing.

 More Direct Mail Facts

According to recent USPS research:

• Two-thirds of Americans view traditional mail as more personal than internet communications.
• The same number say mail is more private than email.
• 68% of Americans say mail is more secure than internet communications.
• Among the age groups known as Gen X (born 1965-1976) and Gen Y (born 1977-1994), 70% say they sort their mail immediately and 66% say they read it regularly.

Direct Marketing Success

The Keys to Direct Marketing Success

• Personalization: Interact 1 to 1.
• Variable Data: An unprecedented level of personalization.
• Production: View our capabilities.
• Applications: Find the right Direct Mail package for you.

 Personalization:People respond when you talk directly to them on a personal level. We help you add intelligence to your data so you can tailor your offers to appeal to individuals.

Personalize your mailings in a number of ways:

• Inkjet addressing.
• Adding personalized messaging near the address area.
• Variable black and white laser printing such as personalized letters, coupons, forms, reply devices.
• Variable digital color printing. Each mail piece can be unique with personalized information, variable graphics and variable photos for each recipient.

Variable Data: Achieve true 1 to 1 personalized marketing with our variable digital printing. Variable printing has been proven to significantly boost ROI, on average achieving response rates 7 times higher than conventional direct mail.  With variable digital printing, each printed piece is “varied” to show different graphics, copy, offers or photos specifically designed to appeal to each individual recipient.  It can be as simple as a personalized letter or as complex as a full-color variable brochure. 

 Production: Eye/Comm provides you with a wide array of Direct Mail options.

• Data segmentation for versioning
• Laser, inkjet, and digital personalization.
• Variable digital printing
• Automated inserting
• Poly bags or shrink wrap
• Postage via permit, stamp or meter
• Packaging
• Warehousing

Applications: Drive higher response by choosing the right direct mail package for your application. Utilizing industry analysis of various direct mail results Eye/Comm helps you develop a mail piece designed for optimum response. Some examples include:

• Postcards. A cost-effective choice suitable for many applications.
• Self-mailers. Room for more copy at a cost only slightly more than a postcard.
• Envelopes. A professional look with impact.
• Polybags or shrink wrap. Contents are visible so your message stands out.
• Packages. It’s hard to resist opening a box or package.
• Irregular pieces. Odd shapes stand out in the mail.

How can you get a better mailing list?

Who are the people in your database?

Eye/Comm provides complete data analysis to enhance your direct marketing.

Take advantage of our powerful array of new market segmentation tools that draw on continually updated data and industry expertise. Data Enhancement segmentation provides valuable insights into consumer behaviors. By utilizing survey research to identify consumers’ values, attitudes, and product preferences and combining that with U.S. Census data, our segmentation tools allow you to:

• Target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time.
• Open new channels to reach your customers and prospects using the methods they prefer.
• Boost response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions).
• Build loyalty programs that increase lifetime value.
• More profitable prospecting, through modeling and forecasting.

Benefits of Data Enhancement:

• Profile the unique characteristics of your best and most profitable customers.
• Identify and target new prospects most like your best customers.
• Boost your direct response rate.
• Increase your market penetration.
• Dramatically improve your advertising ROI.

5 Easy Ways to Lower Your Direct Mail Costs

Done right, direct mail can be a very cost effective way to reach targeted prospects and customers. Return on investment typically exceeds most other forms of advertising. However, inefficient list targeting and poor mail piece design can cost you money.

Tough economic times can put a real strain on your marketing budget. Here are 5 ideas that will save you money now.

1. Mail to the right people by targeting your lists to reach only those people most likely to be interested in your product or service. Many tools are available to profile your mailing lists utilizing the amazing amount of information accessible today on households and businesses. Ask us about enhancing your data to target the right audience. You can mail fewer pieces and get better results.

2. Clean In-House lists. Avoid undeliverable mail by updating your lists at least four times a year. There are several ways to get address updates for people who have moved and to eliminate invalid or incomplete addresses. Mail that does not get delivered or is sent to the wrong address wastes your money.

3. Size matters. For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size, no larger than 6 1/8” high by 11 ½” long. Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate. Flats can cost more than twice as much per piece as letters.

4. Location, location, location. Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area. If it doesn’t fit, you pay for it with additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you.

5. An ounce of prevention. Send a mock-up or pdf file to Eye/Comm: info@eyecomm.org, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility, or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid costly delays.

Any questions? Call us 619-448-6111.

Addressing Standards, do you know them?

 Addressing standards can be broken up into 2 catagories, letters and flats:

For letters:

• The address must be at least a 1/2 inch from the edge 
• The address must be at least 5/8 from the bottom
• The address must be no more than 4 inches from the bottom
• The return address should not fall in the above areas at all

For Flats:

• The delivery address in the upper portion
• Mailers may place the address parallel or perpendicular to the top edge, but not upside down as read in relation to the top edge.
• The standards define “upper portion” as the top half of a mail piece, but mailers are encouraged to place the address as close to the top edge as possible (while still maintaining a 1/8-inch clearance from the edge)

As always if you have questions, call us 619-448-6111 or email us a pdf to look at info@eyecomm.org.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for Mailing

Here is a list of the most commom mistakes for a mailing that will cost you more money:

• Envelopes with square flaps – these require hand inserting instead of machine
• Inserts that fit too tightly in the envelope – these require hand inserting as well
• Lists with multiple entries in a single field, such as company and address together – this requires manual fixing
• Poor perforations that tear – this requires running machines slower and additional QC
• Incorrect aspect ratio – the requirement (length divided by height) is between 1.3 and 2.5
• Paper stock that is too thin – the requirement is a minimum of .009 for letter size mail
• A mailer with round corners – the peice must go in an envelope

As always, if you have any questions email info@eyecomm.org or call us 619-448-6111.

Top 10 Direct Mail Mistakes That Cost You Money

Here are the top 10 mistakes that will cost you money:

10. Trying to mail nonprofit without a valid nonprofit permit with the post office. The IRS approval does not allow you to mail nonprofit. You must apply for nonprofit status with the post office.

9. An invalid permit printed on the mail piece. This must be covered up with a correct indicia.

8. The number of pieces received is the same quantity as the mail list. We need a few overs for machine spoilage. Your mailing will mail short if you give us the exact number of pieces.

7. The color in the addressing area is too dark. This will require us to label instead of inkjet the addresses.

6. Different stocks of paper for the same mailer. The post office weight verifies the mail. So when you use two different paper stocks the post office cannot get an accurate piece count. This means you may pay postage for more pieces than you actually have.

5. UV coating or varnish on the mail panel. These types of coatings do not allow ink to dry, therefore the mailing would have to be labeled. (You can use a satin aqueous coating on the mail panel)

4. Return address near the mail address. If the return address is near the mail address there is a very good chance that the post office will deliver the entire mailing to the return address instead of the mail address. You can change the format of the return address to read all on one line or keep it up high on the mail panel.

3. Flat size mailer with the mail panel in the bottom portion. The USPS requires the address block on flat size mailers to be in the top portion, so this piece would now have to be placed in an envelope in order to mail.

2. Mailers folded so that extra tabs are required. Letter size mail requires tabs. The least number of tabs is 1. In order to qualify for 1 tab the final fold needs to be below the mail panel. If it is above the mail panel 2 tabs are required. If it opens to the left of the mail panel, 3 tabs are required. If it is a stitched booklet 3 tabs are required.

1. Not enough room for the address. As a general rule plan on a 4 x 2 area for addressing and barcode. If there is not enough room for the barcode you will pay more postage.

Avoid Move Update Penalties

The Postal Service is now assessing penalties for mail that fails to comply with move update standards. A penalty of seven cents per non-compliant piece will apply to any mailing where more than 30% of moves are not updated correctly.

Sample testing will be done for all First Class and Standard Mail and the USPS will provide feedback to the mailer on the effectiveness of their Move Update process. The assessment applies only to those pieces in the mailing that are found to exceed the 30% tolerance level, based on the sampling.

Example: if a mailing is found to have an error level of 50%, then 50% minus 30% (tolerance level) = 20% of the mailing that will is assessed $0.07 per piece.

So if this mailing consists of 50,000 pieces, 10,000 of the pieces would be charged $0.07 per piece, for a total assessment of $700.00.

Any mailing that has five or fewer update errors is not assessed the fee, regardless of the percentage that is not updated.    

Since November 23, 2008 the Postal Service has required Standard and Non-Profit mail to comply with Move Update standards. Presorted First Class mail has required compliance for the last 10 years. To comply you must have updated your mailing list within 95 days prior to the date of mailing using one of the following authorized methods:

• NCOA^Link processing.
• FASTforward MLOCR processing (letter mail only). 
• OneCode ACS (Address Change Service) in conjunction with an Intelligent Mail barcode and a mailer ID. 
• Address Change Service used with an ACS participant code and an appropriate on-piece ancillary service endorsement.*
• Use of an appropriate on-piece ancillary service endorsement without ACS.*

*If you use ACS or on-piece ancillary service endorsements you must incorporate the address changes received prior to subsequent mailings.

The Postal Service will use NCOA data as the standard for testing using their postage verification systems. For that reason, Eye/Comm recommends NCOA for Move Update compliance. If you need to use an alternative method, Eye/Comm can help you determine which method is best for you.

Remember, your list must be updated within 95 days of a mailing. For example, a mailing entered on January 4th must bear addresses that were updated no earlier than September 29th. 

Direct Mail Brings in 78% of Donations for Non-Profits

I am always trying to find relevant information for our nonprofit clients. I came across this study and felt it was important to share.

According to a recent study from Target Analytics, direct mail was the top revenue channel in 2009 for non-profit organizations.  Analysis determined that direct mail delivered $8 of every $10 donated.

2009 Fundraising Revenue by Source
Marketing Source	%
Direct mail	78
Internet	9
Telemarketing	3
All Other	10

The Target Analytics Index of National Fundraising Performance analyzes direct marketing giving for many of the largest non-profit organizations in the country. For the twelve months ending Q4 2009, Target Analytics evaluated transactions from 79 organizations, including over 38 million donors and more than 74 million gifts totaling over $2 billion in revenue.

Additional findings:

• The proportion of revenue coming in online has been growing steadily.  In 2005, Internet gifts made up only 4% of all revenue. In 2009, the Internet accounted for 9% of total revenue.
• Internet gifts tend to be significantly larger than mail.  For indexed organizations in 2009, the median online gift was $79, the median telemarketing gift was $45, and the median mail gift was $40.
• In 2009, 87% of all new donors for the non-profits studied were acquired via direct mail.   While the proportion of donors acquired online is growing steadily, only 12% of new donors were acquired online in 2009. 

Source:  Target Analytics, Index of National Fundraising Performance 2009 Fourth Calendar Quarter Results.

Non Profit Raffle Alert

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is strictly enforcing regulations on mailing raffle tickets. If you plan to mail raffle tickets for a fundraiser, you must meet certain requirements or USPS could legally refuse to accept your mail. While it is legal to include advertising for a raffle, including a raffle or lottery ticket in a mailing is strictly prohibited unless you follow USPS guidelines.

Raffles are considered lotteries if they incorporate three elements: prize, chance and consideration (fee to enter). Tickets for such raffles are considered unlawful mail matter and are nonmailable. However, when one or more of those three elements are eliminated from a raffle, it no longer constitutes a lottery for postal purposes. For instance, consideration can be eliminated if persons may enter without payment of a fee. Thus, a non profit organization that designs a ticket for a raffle where it is clear that a donation is not required to enter may use the mail to distribute the tickets.

To avoid potential problems USPS requires the ticket makes clear that no payment is required to enter a raffle. The following elements should appear on each ticket in a mailing:

1. Use the wording “suggested donation” before the price of the ticket.

2. Use the wording “no donation required to enter” or add a check box “□Please enter my name in the drawing. I do not wish to make a donation at this time.”

An alternative is to not include a ticket in the mailing. It is legal to advertise a raffle by mail, but you should still use the phrase “suggested donation” if you list the price of a ticket on the advertisement.

Send us a pdf or sample of any raffle ticket before you print and we will alert you to any potential problems. info@eyecomm.org or call 619-448-6111

The Best Direct Mail

The best direct mail is unique and interesting. The first hurdle in direct mail is to get the recipient to open the mail piece. The more interesting the piece the more likely the person is to take time to look at it. This does not mean you cannot use envelopes, it only means, if you do use an envelope, use interesting graphics to grab attention. You need them to open the envelope to get to your message.  There are many options with envelopes now using full color graphics. There is no reason to use the standard white envelope. Be unique!

Yes, copy and message matter too. But you have to get their attention first. The best copy and message out there will not be effective if no one reads it. You can try a test to see if the unique interesting version works for you. We think you will find this method to be extremely helpful in increasing your ROI.

Best of luck! As always if you have questions about your design call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org, we will be glad to take a look and give you suggestions.

Holiday Mail

Ok, so this time of year I get asked, should I use a Christmas stamp. This can be a tricky question depending on who you are mailing to. These days, we as businesses, want to be politically correct so we do not want to send a Christmas stamp to a client who is Jewish for instance. The two stamp pictures shown above are the most common we will send out this year.

Now if you are like most of our clients, you do not know who on your list is affiliated with what religion. So, your best choice is to use the evergreen. These are non-denominational and therefore appropriate for all. Not really quite a holiday theme, but still unique.

We have some clients that want a snowman, so in those cases we purchase the holiday stamps and use only the snowman on each sheet, then provide the unused stamps back to the client to use as they wish. Everyone has their own idea of what works for them, so we try to accommodate each request as much as we can.

Questions? Call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

Intelligent Mail Barcodes, The Real Deal

Most people at this point have heard of the Intelligent Mail Barcode, here is the scoop about what it means to you:

1. The Postal Service will require all mailings qualifying for automation discounts to have an Intelligent Mail Barcode starting in May 2011.
2. There are 2 types of Intelligent Mail Barcodes:

Basic: Performs just like the current Postnet barcode

• No additional benefits
• Will be required on all automation mailings in May 2011
• Mail pieces larger than that fall into the flats category and have a significantly higher postage rate. The maximum allowed is 12″ high by 15″ long. Flats can cost more than twice as much per piece as letters. For lower postage rates, keep your mail piece at letter size.

Or Full Service: Provides additional services and benefits

• Start the clock info: Tells you when your mail entered the mail stream
• Delivery confirmation: You can also track your mail with IMB for an additional charge.
• Free ACS: Get address updates free. Currently 5 cents without full service IMB.
• Postage discounts:
• First class = 0.3 cent ($30 on a 10,000 piece mailing)
• Standard = 0.1 cent ($10 on a 10,000 piece mailing)

Eye/Comm is certified by the US Postal Service to provide Full Service IMB. Ask us how we can help you take advantage of the benefits of IMB. info@eyecomm.org or call us 619-448-6111.

Direct Mail in 2011

Happy New Year!

So are you ready for a fantastic 2011 direct mail year? We are!

Here are some things to keep in mind as you are planning your 2011 direct mail campaigns:

• Keep your design under 6 1/8 x 11 1/2, this is the best postage category.
• When mailing standard, keep your weight under 3 ounces.
• When mailing first class, keep your weight under 1 ounce.
• Make sure your list us up to date with NCOA. 
• Consider enhancing your customer list by analyzing your current customers and then purchasing a list of more people like them.
• Consider teaming up your direct mail with email and social media, hit them is in all areas and boost your ROI.
• Most of all, be creative, stand out, be real and people will want to do business with you.

As always, we can help you with any of these ideas and more. Just call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org. We are happy to help you with all your questions.

Direct Mail, Just The Facts

Ok, lets start off 2011 with some Direct Mail Facts:

1. A study by the Rochester Institute of Technology Printing found that 67% of respondents like getting mail about new products from companies they do business with.
2. Paper is a completely renewable resource.
3. Printed direct mail is effective! 67% of online action is driven by offline messages, and 75% of consumers use printed sheets to plan purchases.
4. The US forest products industry is responsible for more than 4 million tress being planted each day– greater than what is harvested.
5. According to a recent study from Target Analytics, direct mail was the top revenue channel in 2009 for non-profit organizations. Analysis determined that direct mail delivered $8 of every $10 donated.
6. North American consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic prefer to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers rather than online sources such as social media platforms, according to survey research from ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting.
7. According to Google’s report “2011 B2B Marketing Outlook,” traditional marketing makes up the majority (66%) of B2B marketing budgets this year, despite the growth of digital advertising. The survey, conducted for Google in fall 2010 by Ipsos OTX, in fact finds that traditional media accounts for the top three items in a B2B marketer’s average budget.

I think this sums up nicely that Direct Mail is an important element for marketing. Yes, the buzz is all around the online activities, but we need to remember to keep using Direct Mail to get the ROI while adding in the online marketing. That is going to give you the most bang for your buck.

Is Your Business Reply Mail Ready For May 2011?

 

NEW Post Office has REMOVED the May 2011 requirement for IMB!

Intelligent Mail Barcode requirements are coming, you need to start thinking about them today in order to retain your postal discounts after May 2011. Beginning on May 16, 2011, the Postal Service will no longer accept mail with a Postnet  barcode for automation discounts. You will need to use the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) on your automation mail. For your outbound mail, this is easy because Eye/Comm will do it for you.

However, in order to get automation discounts on your outbound mail, any inbound mail included – business reply mail or courtesy reply mail – in the mailing will also need to be automation compatible, and will need an IMB.

Of course many of our clients order reply envelopes in bulk months in advance, so even though the requirement doesn’t kick in until May, you really need to begin planning for your reply mail now. In order to create an inbound IMB you will need to have your own mailer ID as well as appropriate artwork created for your reply mail.

Getting a Mailer ID (MID)

Getting an MID involves an online application process with the Postal Service. It is not difficult and only takes about ten minutes, but the site is not particularly intuitive to navigate. To get started we are offering a step by step guide click here to get it.

You will start at the USPS Business Customer Gateway. The first thing you will need to do is register as a new user. You can do this by clicking the “Sign Up” button in the Login panel. From there, just follow the prompts. If you have questions, or would like us to help you through the process, just give us a call 619-448-6111.

A couple of points about the MID you need for your reply mail:

• If you already have an MID, you can use it for your reply mail, too.
• You are allowed to have more than one MID, so if you are not sure if you already have one, don’t worry about getting another one for reply mail.
• Even if you have multiple locations, it’s OK to use one MID for all of your reply mail.
• After you have created your MID for reply mail you can still use ours for outbound mail, and we prefer that you do.

Creating the your inbound IMb

Getting your MID was just your first step in making your reply mail Intelligent Mail compatible. The MID is just one component of the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) that you will need on your new reply mail pieces. Other components include: a Service Type Identifier (STID), a three digit code that tells the barcode sorter what class and type of mail you have and what services you have requested; a serial number that can uniquely identify a mail piece (but will generally be all zeros for preprinted reply mail); the ZIP+4 for the reply address (nine digits, unless a delivery point is added – don’t ask); finally, a barcode identifier, just for the sake of adding two more digits, and always “00” on reply mail.

The USPS will provide art for you once you have the MID. You can contact Eye/Comm to move this thru the post office for you, or you can contact the post office directly. Remember, you will need to contact the post office where your reply mail goes to get corrected artwork including the IMb.

Time Frames and Help

You can begin to use the IMB on your inbound mail now, but it is not required until May 2011. The best course for you to follow in getting ready is to let us walk you through the process.  Even if you are not currently an Eye/Comm client we can help you. Call us to set up an appointment with a customer service representative.

Postage Rates to Rise Again April 2011

By now you may have heard that the USPS has filed for a postage rate increase to go into effect on April 17, 2011. The postage increase for presorted 1st class is 1.741%, standard is 1.739%. What does this mean for you? We have created a comparison chart of the most common rates, feel free to check it out.

Click here for a chart comparison of the most common rates.

You may be as surprised as I was by the lower costs on nonprofit letters. This is not a bad thing but, surprising just the same. The increases to the most common rates are not too bad. The USPS really focused on areas where they are loosing money because it is so hard to process. I understand that the financial situation of the post office is really bad right now, but I don’t have  to like the postage increases. Let us know if you have any questions about your projects and the postage rates, 619-448-6111 or info@eyecomm.org.

Can Direct Mail Help Your Online Marketing?

Of course it can! Direct mail can help you reach out to your customers in targeted ways. Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

1. Reconnect with customers who have either lapsed or not purchased in a while. You can send them a discount offer that has an expiration date to encourage a quick buy.
2. Contact a customer who’s email address is no longer working. You know their history, use that to tailor your offer to them.
3. Connect your direct mail campaign to your online campaign thru QR Codes. Integrated campaigns have the best ROI.
4. Direct Mail is a good way to continue to build relationships with your customers. You can use follow-up or reminder postcards to keep you at the forefront of their thoughts.
5. Direct mail is considered to be a more trusted form of communication than online. Build trust with your customers.

It has been proven that the more ways you touch someone with an offer, the more likely they are to respond to it. If you have any questions call us 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org.

What Is Direct Mail?

Direct Mail seeks actions from its recipients. The customer response is measurable and when combined with an integrated campaign, helps to amplify the results. Generally the lift in response with an integrated campaign is 16% higher when combined with direct mail. Direct mail motivates people to online ordering.

Customers respond to direct mail because it is a more professional means of communication, gives a better impression of the company than email alone, easy to see the information provided and makes the recipient feel valued. The fact that direct mail is tactile makes it seen as more real by the brain because of the multi-sensory nature of the material. It also makes it more memorable.

There are 3 keys to direct mail:

1. List
2. Offer
3. Design

We have many ideas to help you with one or all of the above. Please call us today 619-448-6111 or email info@eyecomm.org and let us help you get a lift in response.