MAILWAYS
A free newsletter offering direct mail marketing tips from
Bi-County Mailing & American Mail Communications
May 2010
Copyright © 2010
888-MAIL-888
IN THIS ISSUE
- DM wins the “Gold”
- Color talks
- When the “experts” speak…
- Samples…We’ve Got Samples
- Press Box
- Our Favorite Charities
- How Are We Doing?
- Hold That Thought
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HOLD THAT THOUGHT...
Every emperor needs someone who can say, “You’re naked.”
Anonymous
Selected by Long Island Business News readers as..
Direct Mail Wins the “Gold”
From the US Olympic Team…
The US Olympic team raised more than $9 million in 2009, despite the state of the economy. According to the team’s chief development officer, $8.5 million of that was generated through direct mail pieces sent to Team USA supporters. “We used direct mail because it has historically been a really big revenue driver,” she said.
…and Kohl’s
In 2009, while Kohl’s used multichannel media — especially during the holiday selling season — executives recently reported that the company used direct mail more than other medium, which proved very successful.
Use of Color Can
Boost Response
When used properly, color can have a significant impact on direct marketing response rates when compared to black and white campaigns. Color can increase brand recognition and call attention to important information. Take risks with color to stand out from the crowd. Use exciting patterns and a unique palette.
Here are some tips about colors that will help convey your message and attract prospects:
Raspberry is associated with more expensive products.
Tomato red down plays the price.
Orange indicates affordability.
Yellow says power and optimism.
Green conveys possibility and hope.
Blue suggests confidence and safety.
Black connotes legitimacy and strength.
White implies sophistication.
Experts Say Direct Mail Remains Popular
According to the Direct Marketing Association’s most recent Quarterly Business Review, more than 40% of marketers anticipate profit improvements in 2010, and more than 50% indicated they’ll increase their marketing spending.
ZenithOptimedia’s Advertising Expenditure Forecast reported that direct mail continues to lead all direct marketing media in expenditures (39%). The report predicted that direct mail will grow 2.5% in 2010 and more than 3% next year.
The Winterberry Group stated that as the economy picks up, marketers are again looking at customer acquisition instead of focusing primarily on customer retention. The report indicated that direct mail is coming back because marketers and agencies haven’t quite figured out how to do acquisition marketing at scale online.
“While some communications have migrated to email,” said the global CMO of Digitas, “many people still want to receive those communications through the mail.”
Samples Boost Sales
Mailing a sample of your product is one of the most effective ways to make a sale because it puts the item in your prospect’s hands. “It’s hard to make an impact on consumers today,” said a Proctor & Gamble executive. “People are bombarded with messages, and when they get a product sample they can actually try, they love it.”
Here are some findings of an interesting survey by Opinion Research Corp., which surveyed 1,000 consumers regarding sampling:
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81% said they try a product after receiving a free sample.
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61% said a sample is the best way to get them to try a product.
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65% prefer to have samples mailed to them.
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84% said they’d visit a website and sign up to receive a sample, if they received a postcard introducing them to the site.
Our mission is to make your use of direct mail correct, efficient, effective and as hassle-free as possible. In every way possible, we will operate as an extension of your company or organization
with your needs and goals as our paramount responsibility.