Can Old-Fashioned Copywriting Techniques Work for Today’s New-Fashioned Media?

As we all know, there’s a brave new world of fundraising and marketing media at our disposal today: Facebook, Twitter, personalized web pages (PURLs), smart phones, blogs, and more. New media (not unlike old ones) are about creating relationships by delivering compelling content about whatever you’re selling — be it a product, service, or worthy [...]

Direct Mail Budgets Are Suffering Due to Industry Consolidation

The past several months have been a roller coaster ride for direct mail manufacturers and their clients. For years there was price stability in the marketplace, but as the economy fell into a recession, so followed the direct mail industry. The next two years became an education in basic economics, with supply being manufacturer capacity [...]

QR Codes Decoded: Everything Direct Marketers Need to Know

There is no doubt that Quick Response (QR) codes are popping up everywhere. Now that the USPS is offering a summer discount (continue reading for more details) for marketing mailings with QR codes, it seems that QR codes are more than just a fad. It’s a paradigm shift that is changing the rules, similar to [...]

Handwriting Techniques for Any Budget

Fundraisers and marketers agree: a handwriting technique applied strategically can make a positive difference in most direct mail campaigns. Recipients are more likely to open a hand-addressed note because of the “authenticity and sincerity” conveyed. Although actual handwriting is not always feasible due to its cost, there are some new alternatives to the traditional methods [...]

How We Raised the ROI 26% on a Direct Mail Package Without Changing a Word

Direct Marketers Use Linguistics and Neuroscience to Increase Response Rates As competition for the audience’s attention increases, direct marketers continue to look for ways to sustain and to increase response rates. If there is one thing that direct marketers know how to do, it is how to test. They have tested just about everything, from [...]

Tips on How to Avoid Common Production Errors

Production errors can be devastating, costing both time and money. It’s even worse to learn that the mistake could have easily been avoided if the right quality control steps were followed. Unfortunately, the potential for errors seems to lurk around every corner. By incorporating a few best practices into your process, you can greatly diminish [...]

Effective Direct Mail Formats for Planned Giving

Formats That Work By Phyllis Freedman, President of SmartGiving and PlannedGivingBlogger.net Planned giving lead generation mailings can be effective if done right. Direct mail can be a cost-effective channel to identify new planned giving prospects.  A good rule of thumb when creating planned giving lead generation mailings is to follow direct mail best practices. Below [...]

Can Direct Mail Package Costs Really be Lower Today Than 2001?

Advancements in Technology Keep Direct Mail Package Costs Low Email marketing has been challenging direct mail as a marketing channel for the past decade.  The advantage of email marketing is its cost – it’s virtually free.  Direct mail’s production and postage costs make it tough to compete with electronic marketing channels.  But direct mail is [...]

Is Now the Right Time to Consider Outsourcing Direct Mail Production?

Today’s integrated direct marketing program is not your father’s Oldsmobile.  The nation’s struggling economy has forced employers to downsize, resulting in marketing departments having to do “more with less.”  Not only has it become increasingly difficult for organizations to afford the most qualified staff, but they are also faced with adapting old ways to new [...]

Getting Noticed – Direct Mail Formats and Techniques to Test in 2011

What are the essential ingredients of an effective direct mail format? A complex mix to be sure. Each factor that shapes the average direct mail marketing campaign – message, audience, design and media – contributes an essential ingredient to the production process. It’s not surprising that many great package formats are created ‘backwards’ – first [...]

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