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

Bull(dog)ish on Mail

Dear Reader,

Yes, mail is expensive and slow compared to cheap and instant e-mail.

But mail is still incredibly effective if you know what you want to achieve, who you want to reach, what you want to give and how you want to give it.

Now, if you send Clementine (pictured above) an offer for free cat food; well that would be a waste of money.

If you send her an offer for your new dog food, then that is money well spent. Lifetime value of Clemmie's dog food bill would exceed $2,000, so a share of that would be something worth achieving, no?

Why mail? It is real, tangible evidence of your interest in the consumer. It lingers around much longer than e-mail, and you can argue that it makes a very real impression on more than just one sense.

With today's technology,you can impact all 5 senses, yes, all 5 senses with your mail. That is a sensational opportunity to connect and convert prospects into clients.

Think about that and the creative potential that exists only with mail of the real kind.

Are you getting the maximum pop from your mail? Are your campaigns tired and uninspired?

Are you pulling the envelope instead of pushing it?

If you've got a good product or service, then mail continues to be an excellent and effective medium to reach and touch your audience and you deserve to benefit fully from it.

Next week, harnessing the virtual to reel in the target.

Michael Hofmann