Test bells and whistles, gadgets, and gizmos

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At a time when the corporate world seems increasingly obsessed with digital solutions, legendary direct marketer Ernan Roman has some compelling news for brands: Recipients actually want your traditional mail. Roman says that prospects and customers have been so overwhelmed with e-mails in recent years that the deluge has turned off many of them. It has also made them more receptive to mail.

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1. Ask customers for referrals. Customer-referred prospects generally convert at a much higher rate than other prospects. Request referrals on your order form, a blow-in response card, bounce-back package insert, or anywhere else it’s appropriate. Referral programs work well for both B-to-B and B-to-C marketers. 2. Use dot-whacks. Dot-whacks are problem-solvers and inexpensive creative tools used to…

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Here’s a very cool example of variable data printing that we received in the mail. I particularly like the coffee stain.

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With all the interactive and newly emerging media that’s available to direct marketers, many of you may wonder if and when you should still use direct mail. While media choices continue to grow, when used appropriately, direct mail remains a direct marketing workhorse for carrying your message to your targeted audience. Here are suggestions for how, when and why to use it.

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If you want to improve results for your promotions, your offer is one of the first places you should look to make changes. Offers are central to direct marketing. Strip away the techniques, formats and tactics, and you’re left with people accepting or rejecting offers.

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The phrase “online integration” has been bandied about for years, but it appears that few companies really understand and implement it successfully. In fact, many don’t have a clear definition of what integration actually entails.

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WASHINGTON – Coming soon to your mailbox, advertising shaped like a sports car or a stop sign, a hula doll or hamburger. Indeed, almost anything an artist can conceive.

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Since the inception of e-mail marketing, countless businesses have tried to make this communications platform harmonize with direct mail. Bringing the two together certainly made sense, but as many companies have discovered over the years, combining them is easier said than done.

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Among all the bad news for print markets, direct mail remains one bright spot. Annual spending on U.S. direct mail advertising is approximately $60 billion a year, and it’s growing at a healthy clip: seven to eight percent a year. In 2005, companies and other groups sent out 100 billion pieces of direct mail, up 16 percent from 86 billion pieces in 1999, according to the United States Postal Service.

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