Size Matters

Yes it does dear Reader. In many ways.

First of all, if you look at postage rates, you are charged more for large sizes, same weight, than for small sizes. Check with your PO to be sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck.

From a Direct Mail perspective, you will make a larger impact with a larger peice. The trick is to go to the maximum size at the lowest rate.

A 6 x 9 envelope has 54 sq, inches of "real estate"; a #10 envelope has less than 40. That is definitely some extra room in which to state your case, front and back.

Let's face it, a lot of people, although they have to look at their mail, just look at the covers...they are judging your book by your cover. And deciding quickly - stay or go.

Take advantage of that; tease the offer, entice them with beauty, money, reward right on the cover. Get them to go inside; that's where the action is. Make that space work for you and grow your ROI.

Go big, or go home.

Michael

resourcemail.ca

To Really Mail or Not

Dear Reader,

A few e-mail tales have come to my attention recently.

The first was a million name e-mail blast that drew a total of 8 orders...

The second was an e-mailing of 5000 well targetted solicitations that drew neery a response...

The third was an important newsletter that was only opened by 12% of the recipients.

E-mail is so plentiful, so screened and often surprisingly inefficacious.

Now, I'm not one to say the world is flat, but the point is there are flatlands on the planet and regular mail is much better for many applications: it is real, it gets seen, it gets read if you send it to the right people.

Not so for e-mail; many have just too much of it and don't actually have time to read anything but the most important that gets onto the screen.

Keep all of that in mind when you are planning your next campaign. For your best prospects, it makes sense to send them something real.

Really.

Michael

www.resourcemail.ca

The Golden Silence of Mail

When I’m at the cottage, there are many wonderful elements to enjoy:

Fresh air, wildlife, the brilliant starscape and, the ineffable, beautiful silence.

To those of living in the city, the noise is endless and a serious impediment to a high quality of life.

Mail is silent – there are no sound distractions. You and your mail. Golden.

Remember to take advantage of this the next time you compose and mail out your mail piece.

You and your mail. Silence. Golden.

Michael Hofmann
www.resourcemail.ca

What's in That?

Dear Reader,

Y'know, I'm not very excited about most mail that I receive; are you?

There is an exception though, and that is bulky mail or mail with some "thing" in it.

Those I find irresistable; it's a bit like Christmas, isn't it?

3D mail packages are exciting to the addressee, and are vastly underplayed. Somethings to consider:

Hone your target down to definite prospects; users of your service(s) and/or product(s);

Get your name on the thingy you are enclosing, and keep it relevant to what you offer; make your company memorable by it;

Avail more if they wish upon a visit or what have you;

Test against a non 3D mailing; you will be stunned at the difference in response*
(*Keep in mind that creative contributes about 20% to the overall response, the balance coming from the list and the offer.)

So give it a try and let me know the results.

Michael Hofmann
www.resourcemail.ca

Going Global

Dear Reader,

The question is: should you sell your products internationally?

You know the answer to that; it's a resounding yes. The international marketplace is any where from 6 to 6000 times the size of your own, depending on where you live, of course. Would you rather just sell to millions or billions of folks.

Why wouldn't you; you've got free global advertising courtesy the internet, people will find you from outside of your own country and want to buy what you have. So, why not?

You'd be surprised at how many companies decline this opportunity.

Why? Several reasons including too expensive to ship there, customs and just plain old fear of going somewhere uncharted.

Quickly, here are some rebuttals: there are many options and you may be surprised at how affordable it is; customs will take you a couple of hours to figure out and get around that obstacle and the best way to overcome fear is to deal with whatever is fearing(?) you..

There you have it; happy postings!

Michael Hofmann

www.resourcemail.ca

International Mail Terminal Dues

Dear Reader,

As a primer on international mail, terminal dues are the system
by which countries compensate each other for handling one another's mail.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU for short;www.upu.int) established the current system for payment between countries in 1991.

Essentially thee are three types of member country dues: Reims (primarily European), Industrial (US, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) and Developing Countries (the rest).

The separate postal rates types are roughly established by the UPU but often renegotiated between the countries themselves.

What does this have to do with you? Well, if youre thinking about mailing internationally,and we'll dwell more on that in future blogs, then it means by using different postal administrations' international rates, you can get some great savings on postage internationally.

Off tarifff rates can sometimes be less than half of your own country's tariff rates.

So, long story short >>>mailing internationally can make good sense for a lot of companies, and can posssibly work for you.

Michael Hofmann
Resource Mail Services
www.resourcemail.ca

Data Basics: From PC to Direct Mail

Dear Reader,

The most common complaint that I hear from the Direct Mail community is that there is a dearth of names and lists out there.

Well, hello, this is where the virtual world really (chuckle) comes into play, because building a relevant database has never been easier, has never been cheaper. Many companies can easily do this on their own, using just their own site.

"We'll send you something free in the mail, just fill this out!" There you go, your own database complete with privacy issues addressed, and with a request for your information. Does it get much better than that?

That's what I'm talking about. There's no reason why you can't harness the power of your own web site to spin your own current and qualified database. A database that you can well use for mail of all ilk, and that can be the cornerstone for your successful direct marketing.

Build it, and they will come (or be mailed to).

Michael Hofmann