Entries from January 2008 ↓

If you mail flats — which is defined as a mail piece measuring 6-1/8″ x 11-1/2″ or larger — than you already know that the USPS increased the postage on this format by 40%.

In light of this postage hike, there was an article not too long ago in DM News called Creative Ways of Optimizing Flats.

In the article, 4 experts shared their advice and it was an interesting read…so we’re going to re-publish some of the content here…and also share our thoughts.

One last thing to note — on January 28th we’ll be releasing another industry report — this report will focus on what formats marketers surveyed will be testing in 2008.

We’ll be posting a link to the report on this blog so if you’re interested in reading it, please subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address in our opt-in box up top to the right.

OK, back to the DM News article…here are the pointers the 4 experts shared:

Mike Dietz’s Takeaway

“Package planning is key to making your direct mail flats a success.” Mr. Dietz recommends not building a mail piece to the maximum or minimum requirements. He also recommends developing a live paper sample and then making sure it’s in compliance with USPS limitations.

Victor Benson’s Takeway

“Effective envelope creative motivates consumers to open your piece.” Mr. Benson recommends mailing No. 9 and No. 10 envelopes (that mail out at letter rate). He also suggests that “Free gift inside” is a very effective envelope message to use…for the gift part, he’s found that free mailing labels work well.

John Cayne’s Takeaway

“Alternative formats can help you qualify for lower postage rates.” Mr. Cayne recommends taking tangible results from creative and messaging tests and applying them to alternative formats that qualify for letter rate.

Jim Stewart’s Takeaway

“Value-added postcards can help mail get attention.” Mr. Stewart recommends testing over-sized postcards for consumer mailings.  You can mail a postcard up to 6″ x 11″ and still qualify for letter rate.  He also recommends testing geo-targeting if it’s relevant to your product or service.

Ballantine’s Advice

We see a lot of clients that previously mailed flats taking their artwork and shrinking it down to letter rate. For example, one of our clients that was mailing a 9″ x 12″ envelope is now mailing the same exact artwork, but shrunken down to a 6″ x 9″ package. The piece still looks great and saves them a ton in postage dollars.

Free Format Suggestions

If you want us to take a look at your flat and suggest alternative formats that would qualify for letter rate, please email Ryan Cote: ryan (at) ballantine.com.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Tags: Direct Mail Flats, Direct Mail Formats, Flat Rate, Letter Rate, Postage, USPS

The key to effective direct response copywriting is to get the reader INVOLVED. 

You have approximately 10 seconds to hook the respondent before he tosses your piece in the trash.  What you need is a headline with immediate IMPACT. 

Something short, sweet, and utterly compelling. 

And that’s where the 13 most powerful words in direct mail come in…

1. You
2. Save
3. Money
4. New
5. Easy
6. Results
7. Health
8. Guarantee
9. Love
10. Proven
11. Discovery
12. Safety
13. Free
 
Each of these 13 words has a uniquely personal and positive association for virtually everyone.

Work these into your headline and you’ll get the reader’s attention. What you do with it after that is up to you!

Popularity: 41% [?]

Tags: Copy, Copywriting, Direct Mail Copy, Direct Response Copy

We recently joined an educational and networking group called the Postal Customer Council.

The council is made up of businesses that offer and use direct mail services, as well as representatives from the post office. The group gathers many times throughout the year to share ideas, get updates and form relationships.

The most recent meeting was the National Postal Customer Council Day.

This was a national meeting that involved 14,000 council members and postal reps. It was filled with exhibitors, presentations and an address by Postmaster General John Potter (which was also broadcasted to each local meeting via satellite).

The local presentation was “How the Postal Service Moves the Nation’s Mail” and was given by Anthony Pajunas, USPS Vice President of Network Operations.

It was a fascinating step-by-step example of how the post office moves the estimated 213 billion pieces of mail per year.

To get more information on the Postal Customer Council, or to find a chapter nearest you, visit:

http://www.usps.com/nationalpcc/

Popularity: 26% [?]

Tags: Postage, Postal Customer Council, USPS