Historically, the United States Postal Service has survived the rising cost of its services by hedging on the ever increasing number of postal delivery points.  Though more and more delivery stops mean higher overall costs, more businesses can mail to this universe audience.  Theoretically, this controls costs. The USPS managed this way for the years with success, but in the most recent years, this fiscal strategy has been a challenge.  With 2010 first quarter losses at over $2.5 billion, the USPS must take aggressive steps to change in cutting costs and improving efficiencies, and teach mailers how to mail smarter.

In a struggling economy, it’s easy to blame the internet. Many small businesses will test new advertising mediums to promote their business, especially...

I just read an article in my very own local newspaper about a contest promoted by the USPS that is simply ingenious.  Whether we’re a test market for the idea, or a Postal Manager decided it would be good for business, this idea is fantastic.  Basically, it’s a contest to give your mail box a make over, take before and after pictures and submit them for judging.  To read the article, click here.

With the post office struggling for new customers, it only makes sense to draw attention to the mail box, take pride in it’s presence, and of course, everything that get’s stuffed into it.  What if people approached their mail...

As I’ve been asking around about the future holds for direct mail service providers and have been getting the general consensus that business is good.  This week a slump in retail sales and the USPS considering shorting their delivery days to 5 per week, it’s no wonder many are concerned.  But in conversations I’ve had this week, I mostly hear about the ice, snow, and blistering cold.  I do hear that acquisition mail (those campaigns to cold prospects) are down, but listening to the voice of mail service providers throughout the country, business is maintaining and businesses are continuing their direct mail campaigns.

I’ve been also polling the data providers.  With this group I’ve been hearing a mixed bag of response.  For some, thos...

Too often I’m asked of the difference between the two mailing list count and order systems; CAS turbo-marketing.net and bbdirectleads.com.  The first thing that comes to mind is that if you’re using FireFox, you’ll never reach CAS turbo-marketing.net.  It simply won’t open.  This may not seem like a big deal but with Google Analytics, I’ve discovered that over 26% of the users of BBDirectleads.com reach our site via the FireFox browser.

Of course the two sites are completely different in functionality, and only by trying them out can one decide their preference.  CAS has built their own proprietary user interface and hosts a wide range of database files, from compiled consumer and the business database to more niche files like the lice...

The AMA Database contains names and addresses of licensed health professionals.  This is a great database for recruitment by hospitals seeking new employee’s.  However, there are some misconceptions on who’s on this file, what it contains, and how it differs from state registration data.

For starters, many assume that the AMA Database is a mailing list of the American Medical Association members.  The truth is that in contains both members and non-members.  Further, the AMA who owns this information refuse to provide a way to select just those who are members from those who are not.  To assume that the records on this file are only members is a falsehood.  There is currently no source that offers AMA members only.

Secondly, some believe that the ...

Seems there’s a lot of finger pointing going on with who’s responsible for the mess on Wall Street and Main Street.  Yesterday I watched on CNN how the over site committee interrogated previous CEO’s of both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.  Given only 5 minutes per chairperson, there was little these gentlemen were able to accomplish other than ask sound bite questions and get sound bite answers.  Not to mention that these former CEO’s are frankly pretty sharp men.  With salaries in excess of $4 million per year, there’s little room for the duller, less fortunate….like some of those doing the interrogating.  Ultimately, the committee members resulted to asking them what must be done.  And in 5 minute sound bites, these former CEO’s ea...