Whether you’re an owner of a direct mail service business or you also provide printing for your mail customers, or you own a specialty marketing firm and provide campaign consultation from concept to response measurement, our industry is constantly changing.  Your ability to adapt to these changes depends on your ability to evolve, offer new products and services, and deliver these services faster.

Often I read articles and blog posts that refer to “our time” as one that is different than yesterday or tomorrow.  Many writers speak of “our time” in a way that suggests the challenges we face are somehow more difficult than they were at a “different time”.  Technology is different today.  It’s changing faster and faster.  Customers demand more than they once did.  Competition has gotten more competitive.  But has it really?  Aren’t things always changing?  Isn’t everything temporary?  And don’t business leaders have to plan for change….all the time?

Direct mail and related businesses do face different challenges than they did yesterday.  And they will face new challenges tomorrow.  Politics, the economy, demand for internet advertising, etc. all impact how we run our businesses, what we offer our customers, and the demand for the products and services to said customers.  Running a business and not planning for change in the marketplace is a dangerous way to go out selling your wares.  Direct mail service providers are in no different a business than any other.  Like so many other industries, the direct marketing industry is evolving and so must the businesses within it.

To recession proof your direct mail business, consider any and all of the follow:

1.       Add new products and services to your existing business such as mailing lists, email lists, database hygiene, enhancement, pay per click Advertising, Social Media management, web banner advertising, SEO services, and website creation.

2.      Outsource certain services so that you’re focused on the relationship development of your existing and new customers while the existing and new services can be completed by your partners.

3.      Do your research so that you’re adding products and services to your menu that have growth trajectory.

4.      Consider your client groups and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.  Instead, add new, small customers rather than focusing on that one “big one”.

5.      Develop your online self-serve services such that your customers can access your products and services anytime and from anywhere.

6.      Evaluate your competition and learn about the various new products and services they are offering.  Try to better understand the changes within the marketplace by what others are anticipating.

7.      Ask your existing customers where their direct mail budget is being spent if they are buying less services with you.  Consider “re-connecting” with past clients and introduce these new products.

8.      Reposition your “brand image” so that you’re viewed as progress and “up-to-date” with marketing.

The direct mail industry is going through a mountain of advancements.  Many that once offered simple direct mail marketing are now becoming media buyers for their customers.  This is valuable to the marketplace and valuable to your customers.  Consider how you can evolve to meet the new challenges of our time.  And remember, our time is only for today.  Tomorrow will be today very soon.

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Direct mailers today want accurate data, but for those who mail often, they also want easy access. Buying leads online is easy if you’re familiar with the database, the functionality of the online system, and comfortable with the update schedule of that database. For the novice lead buyer, using an online system can be difficult at best, and at worst, buying your list online, without proper guidance, can be financially disastrous.

This is one of the reasons BB Direct provides online and over the phone support for all its online customers. When using www.bbdirectleads.com, you are accessing the most up-to-date mailing list sales leads available anywhere. But what makes this online tool a success is that it comes with unlimited support at no charge. BB Direct will walk its customers through the basic and advance functionality as many times as you need to be assured you’re getting it and getting it right.

Everyone has different speeds of learning when it comes to using online services. And thought BBDirectLeads.com isn’t difficult, the amount of advanced functionality is underutilized for many customers who are just starting out.

In addition to phone support, at anytime, you can visit our free access YouTube Video Tutorial Library at www.bbdirect.com/video-tutorial-library. Currently, there are over 19 video’s available, from simple walk-thru’s, to advanced high-level functionality. The video’s are all between 2 to 5 minutes in length which make them easy to follow and get you back to working on your counts and orders. Having this kind of support allows both beginners and advanced users to get quick “how-to” answers to all kinds of questions.

All our phone support personnel are List Experts. They understand both our online count & order system, but they also understand mailing list data and direct mail. All BB Direct List Experts go through continual database training on all the files they represent. When you talk with one of BB Direct’s support personnel, you’re talking with someone who has years of experience in the direct marketing data business. Combining this advantage with cost effective pricing and friendly people and you can bet on a rewarding partnership from the start.

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Working at the speed of data, BB Direct is sprinting to add new relevant services that help their customers do their job better.  Need to talk?  Call us.  We’ll answer the phone.

Each and every day, news about the direct mail marketing industry spells out how technological advances are improving the way we work.  But not all services and products are actually improving our performance and bottom line.  Many products and services take time and money to evaluate and test.  That’s why BB Direct evaluates those new databases, tests new technologies, and keeps a “finger on the pulse” of the changes in demands from our clients.

BB Direct is dedicated to sifting through the rubble, evaluating the changes, listening to the challenges and needs of our customers, and delivering applicable and relevant information to those who need it most.  Why?  So you can spend more of your valuable time doing what you do best.

As an example, BB Direct will soon be providing a “track your mail” type service that allows the mailer to upload their bar coded mailing list data, and monitor in real-time, where exactly the mail is at any given moment.  With features like Google maps, you can zero-in on the physical postal plant that the mail is currently being stored.  But will this service bring value to an already very busy postal mail professional?  We believe so.  But before we launch this new service, we’ll ask many of our clients who currently use this service to give us feedback on how they use it, it helps their job, and its overall “value”.

Like so many products and services offered by BB Direct, the clients will get the product AND the education on when and how to use it.  This has always been a “value” that BB Direct brings to their clients.

BB Direct understands the need for speed.  We have 2 hour count and order turn-arounds on most files.  This enables our clients to take actionable information to their customers faster.  You’ll always get a live person when calling BB Direct.  BB Direct prides itself on always being available when you need us.  Need to talk?  Just pick up the phone.

As always, we can be reached in all the traditional ways, but if you need to talk, simply give us a call at (866) 501-6273.

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Not all mailing list quotes are the same.  When getting a quote for a mailing list, you should include more than a brief explanation of what you need.  Such a quote provides you with the right information to budget your campaign and estimate the marketing cost.

To be sure you’re getting the best quote, be sure you’re including the following:

Market Territory with all Mailing List Quotes

What is your true market territory?  How far will your clients want to drive to get to your store location?  Can it be described as a radius around your store location, or is it better identified by a list of surrounding zip codes?  Identifying your market territory is only the first step in getting a proper quote, but it’s essential that you select the geography that can be duplicated within a mailing list count and order system.

Mailing List Quotes Criteria Set

No quote is can help you estimate your cost without complete details of who you are wanting to target.  Target your direct mail audience by evaluating your existing best customers, and using this information in an attempt to find more.  Whether you’re targeting by demographic selects or behavioral interest categories, filtering a database to select the best possible target audience will help you reduce your mail size and cost, while increase your response rate and return on investment.

Using Your Quote to Estimate Your Campaign Investment

Taking the time to run a count with all the possible selects within your criteria will do more than just tell you how much the list will cost, but it will also tell you how many potential prospects there are within a given market.  Consider for a moment that your competition will also be soliciting the same or similar market as you.  Knowing that at any given time there’s only a select few potential prospects “in the market” for a given product or service.  Do you have the right price point with the right offer to capture the attention of these few folks?  It all starts with the right folks.  Your mailing list is the starting point for a successful campaign and your mailing list quote is the beginning of any good list budget.

If you’d like a quote on your next direct mail marketing campaign, call BB Direct at (866) 501-6273 or visit BB Direct’s direct mail list quote page by clicking here.  We’ll be happy to help.

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Mailer Service Providers often do more than just the mailing.  Many design, print, fold, insert, ink-jet, and deliver to the post office, and then help in measuring the response.  When you are planning your campaign needs, you’ll likely find that the price for the entire project will be less than if you “piece meal” the parts together.

But price alone is not the only reason to go with a full service provider.  Aside from saving money by using a full service provide, you’ll spend far less time on organizing all parties involved.  As with most things, time is money.  The less time you spend on talking with multiple providers, the more you’ll have doing other things….like taking orders.

There’s also no shipping cost involved when you’re having your printed mail shipped across town to the letter-shop.  Sure, you could go get the boxes of post cards yourself, but again, time is money.

Full service providers do direct mail day in and day out.  They anticipate potential issues, and have organized their projects to flow nicely through their facilities.  Because they are responsible for the full package, the level of quality and accuracy is higher because there’s no one they can point their finger at if a mistake occurs.  And if there is an issue or problem that arises, the one-stop company can handle the re-printing, mailing and postage of the job quickly and efficiently.  It’s what they do.

BB Direct is an advocate of shopping around to make smarter business and marketing decisions.  We also believe in asking for testimonials and references.  You’ll likely find that businesses who’ve taken the time to assemble a list of good references has also taken the time to service their customers in a way that’s worthy of a testimonial.

Direct mail marketing is an important investment for any business.  If you have questions about an upcoming direct marketing campaign, please feel free to talk with our consultants.  We’ll be happy to help you make smarter decisions that will hopefully save you both time and money.

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1. Put yourself in the perspective of the reader – This may seem obvious but consider that your prospects are very different than you. They may not be as intimately familiar with your products and services or appreciate the “extra’s” you put into customer service. They may also be more familiar with your competition than with you. Take a step back for a moment and put yourself in their shoes. What can you say to grab their attention? How can you frame your offer that will position you in your best light?
2. Choose an attention getting subject line – The job of a subject line is to get the recipient to open the email. That’s it. Test subject lines and measure which campaign has the most “opens”. Your subject line should get them moving to the email body. Once there, they won’t be coming back, so make it compelling.
3. Pay attention to the body of the email – Again, be sure you’re putting yourself in the recipients’ frame of mind. The email should resonate with the reader. Consider those emails you’ve received that seemed to be far more relevant than everything else you’ve received. The subject line spoke to you, the email body made perfect sense, and the offer was irresistible. This was because the mailer used the right list, or said the right thing for you. Chances are, they did both. As rare as this is, most email marketers can make improvements to their campaigning.
4. Segment your message – As with tip # 3, saying the right thing is about saying the right thing to the right people. Can you sub-divide your email list into common segments? And email a different version of your message to each segment.
5. Point to your website and beyond – If you’re not pointing to a landing page that’s custom designed for your campaign, you naturally point them to your website. Be sure your website points them to section or offer that’s also within the email that originally got them there. Don’t talk about a great offer and then require them to hunt for it. You’ll lose creditability and customers quickly.
6. Use a good list – Here’s the pitch. Talk to BB Direct about your list. Can you make improvements to your in-house list? Can you purchase a list broadcast that will perform better than what you’ve used before? BB Direct can help. But if you’re not mailing to an acquisition list, your own database is your best database.  Also consider “partnering” with non-competitor businesses or organizations.  Can you strike a win-win deal with business that may have similar prospects to your business?  Name swamp arrangements work for non-competitive businesses.
7. Multi-flight campaign strategy – Be sure you’ve got a series of emails that reach your prospects. It’s been proven that the more you pulse your audience, the greater your response will be.
8. Make a good offer – An informational or benefit-driven email is usually not enough: A good offer will entice the reader to act – especially if it is a limited time offer. This creates urgency which drives buying behavior. Typically “limited time only offers” include a dollar-value savings, or giving something away free that is inexpensive for you but a value to your prospects. If your offer is “a percentage off” remember to include the original price – these types of offers aren’t as effective unless the reader knows what the initial cost is so they know how much they are saving.
9. Include a learning component as well as a buying component – Not everyone is in the market for your products/services today. But, they may be ramping up to make a purchase soon. Offer something in the way of learning. They may be in the research mode. Without something they can learn, you’re possibility losing a customer down the road.
10. Use proper sending solutions – If you’re emailing to your own customer list, you can use any number of solutions such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. But, for any acquired email list, leave it to the professionals. Do not attempt to deploy a purchased email list from your own server platform. Acquisition list data typically comes with the deployment. You’ll have much more success with delivering your emails if you allow someone else to handle this. It’s a tricky process that, if not executed properly, your emails will end up as spam.

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Direct Mail Marketing in a Post-PC era is becoming a reality. Marketing ‘apps’ are making it easier to check-in, do work, and check-out. ‘iPhone friendly’ news domains are not only easier to access and read, more and more, useful content is provided in updated more frequently and in bite size chucks. Unlike many online mailing list tools, BB Direct’s online mailing list count & order system www.bbdirectleads.com is accessible via an iPad.

So, what does this mean to the direct mail marketer? Though we’re tethered to the digital world, our world is becoming easier. To stay current with valuable information on changes within our industry, we have up-to-the-minute access to from our smart-phones to websites, blogs, new reports, email, twitter, LinkedIn, etc. The beauty of these newer devices is both their mobility and we don’t have to wait for them to boot up.

Yesterday, CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, described how the ‘Post-PC era will change our lives, “Over the years, “Post-PC” has meant different things to different people….increasingly, you will be using devices like the iPhone and iPad as your personal computer. And the gravitation to those high-mobility products will be facilitated by technologies like the iCloud which, in effect, serves as a common hard drive, accessible by—and automatically syncing—all of our devises.

Though many tools we direct marketers use to still cumbersome enough to require a PC, doing more of our daily activities has become mobile. It’s difficult to imagine a phone app that will allow a graphic designer to easily edit a mail piece, or a database hygiene specialist needing to sift through a 100,000 records within an Excel spreadsheet their tablet, but the day is nearly here where our PC, Mac, and phone all wirelessly synch.

The mail service provider sales team can close deals faster by having their tablet with them on the face-to-face call. Printers can share the digital art without making sample prints, approve art, send in orders, and virtually have all communication from customer to print-floor at their fingertips. List brokers can run counts and place orders, edit lists, perform data hygiene processes away from the office and away from their home.

The trend for our industry is in the synchronization of all our devices. They all will synch wirelessly with the iCloud to access everything from everywhere. Access to everything, everywhere is the beauty of this new era. The technology isn’t just coming folks…it’s already here. The best news of all, it that adapting to this new technology will be easier than managing what we do today. In order for the technology investment to be adopted, it will have to be easy. We don’t have to learn Linux programing or learn more passwords. The number of login’s and passwords will be greatly reduced. Programs we use today will have tablet and smart-phone versions so we’ll be able to easily see the information that’s valuable for us.

Already, more companies are incorporating digital advertising with their mainstay direct mail marketing efforts. But the challenge with most small businesses is the measurement of comparing results from one medium to the next. When the phone rings, businesses are busy taking orders and less concerned with what make the phone ring. With technology advancement, even the smallest business testing integrated direct marketing will be able to track-back their advertising investments, make small adjustments, and measure again.

The ‘Post-PC’ era will take shape as developers build the right apps for all industries and the direct mail marketing industry stands to experience considerable gains in the years ahead.

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We just received a mail piece with a pretty strong offer from Facebook. The offer includes an opportunity to test-drive Facebook advertising with a potential value of up to $500.00. They seemed to have gotten it right. They’ve included a personalized letter, included a strong offer of $500.00, and a call-to-action in the form of an expiration date.

But did they really get it right? BB Direct is a provider of mailing list data to other businesses. So, in essence, we’re a b2b type marketer. The question that comes to my mind is; were they really trying to include me in their direct mail campaign? Do they really know me? They get most things right. They’ve been pretty good at amassing a fortune by giving people the ability to share their random useless thoughts, upload photos of their dog, and play Farmville. Now, Farmville can be addictive for some, but it isn’t PlayStation is it folks? But Facebook marketing has worked hasn’t it? We’ve all bought in and drank the Kool-Aid, and the largest online community is here to stay (maybe it should be renamed Faceville?). So, maybe they did get it right? I mean, after all, business decision makers are people too.

Or, did Facebook get it half right? Direct mail marketing professionals preach that any good direct mail campaign must include a strong offer, a call to action, good creative and copy, and a good mailing list. In this case, did they miss their target? Should they be targeting B2C companies only? This IS the question isn’t it?

LinkedIn tried this a while back and we took advantage of it to see what might happen. LinkedIn offered $25.00 worth of free advertising on their site but made it sufficiently difficult to shut down the campaign. We ran through a hundred dollars or so before we figured out how to pull the plug. Ultimately, no leads were actually generated from LinkedIn. Given that LinkedIn is the proverbial businessman/woman’s social media platform, we should have expected something.

The question begs, of those who test this medium, who’s having success with it? I can only assume that the lack of replies below is evidence that no one is having success, or, no one has read this deep into my blog post. I could tell share my random useless thoughts…..naw, I’ll save that for Facebook.

For those of you who recently purchased your shares of the recent LinkedIn IPO, you may want to consider selling.

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Let’s face it.  We need to “modernize” the USPS for it to become profitable again.  And this doesn’t mean just incorporating more high-technology to scan and move mail more efficiently; the “new and improved” postal service must look radically different than it does today.  With a multitude of digital communication options available today, all competing for the finite direct marketing budget of businesses, radical change is inevitable.

The current challenge the USPS is facing is twofold.  In 2007, the USPS delivered approximately 226 billion pieces of mail.  Today, they are mailing approximately 170 billion pieces of mail.  This equates to a 20% decrease in postal revenue.  Additionally, on average, they add between 1 and 1.3 million new delivery points each year.  So, while businesses are diverting their direct mail into testing other mediums such as email, social media, banner ads, SEO, PPC, etc., the USPS is continually expand their delivery service infrastructure to keep pace with a growing population, and associated delivery points.  USPS postal revenue is going down, while costs associated delivery is going up.

So yes, change is inevitable.  Whatever changes are decidedly made, those changes must include a long-term plan for continued financial viability.  Here are 5 key areas that must be addressed.

1. Variable Postage Rate

Does it make sense for the cost of a first class stamp to be the same, whether it is mailed across the street, across town, or across the county?  Albeit easier to calculate, the price of postage should adjust to reflect the delivery distance and rising cost associated for that delivery.  No matter how efficient our current system is, I think we can all agree, more energy is spent on delivering a mail piece from Florida to Alaska, than is spent mailing to the other side of town.  Even dividing stamps by delivery zones will more the price/cost issue.  So, let’s the price to deliver out of market is twice what it is today, but ½ the cost to deliver within the market.  All things being equal, local deliveries will go up and the more costly deliveries will be reduced.  Let’s not fiddle with the numbers at this point, but you get the point.

2. Privatize Key Links in the Chain

Of the 36,000 stand-alone post offices throughout our country, only 6,000 are actually turning a profit.  Where it makes sense, privatization of certain facilities, delivery systems, and office locations will create competition and efficiency.  Privatization will also help to encourage these private enterprises to promote more business mailers.  Privatization for various components of the delivery chain seems inevitable.  It’s just a matter of what “links” in the chain will have the greatest cost recovery impact with the lowest “collateral” damage.

3. Embrace Digital Integration

The USPS must continue to evolve as the internet does.  As will the Mobile Barcode Summer Promotion, the USPS needs to take the lead on introducing new digital technology, so as to have the opportunity to encourage direct mail marketing.  If an existing business mailer is considering alternative mediums of advertisements, the USPS should know about it and perhaps be the media buyer for that alt medium, rather than simply watch those revenue dollars go elsewhere.  The more involved the USPS is, the more they are able to influence these buying decisions.

Can the USPS profit from introducing new “online” technologies where there is an associated direct mail campaign?  Would it make sense for the USPS to purchase a technology provider, so as to have more influence into the direction of a new medium?  As an example, could the USPS purchase a company like Constant Contact?  Doing so would give the USPS an immediate profit center, as well as a lead generation system to businesses that may be ideal for direct mail testing.

4. Pronounce Those Direct Mail Attributes

No digital medium can deliver a message that can be touched, or felt, like a handwritten letter from a friend.  Direct mail is uniquely different than an email, tweet, or text message.  You can touch it, feel it, smell it, and even taste it.  Like the “slow food movement” happening in America today, there is a growing thirst to “getting back to the basics”.  To combat the “disconnect” that many families suffer because of digital handheld technology, more and more people are taking action by spending their weekends “unplugged”.  A hand written letter has become a lost art.  Should the USPS not test a campaign that highlights the benefits of a hand written letter?  By itself, this wouldn’t solve the financial woes of the postal service, but the idea of promoting the human side life has merit.

Also, the most underappreciated mail piece is the irregular parcel.  The USPS has delivery trucks passing by our homes every day, carrying less and less mail.  So few realize that they can mail a coconut, or ceiling fan blade, or flip-flop.  Effort needs to be made in the area of “out of the box” idea’s.  Why are car dealers not mailing an air-tight can of new car smell? We must celebrate these attributes and shift the mindset of the business mailer to differentiate direct mail from digital medium.

5. Home Court Advantage

The USPS must think of ways to generate more revenue from its existing infrastructure.  With its already massive fleet of delivery trucks and 31,871 brick-n-mortar office locations, what other businesses can utilize this network?  Not a new idea, but how much revenue could be had by placing ad space on the truck fleet?  What other goods and services could be sold within the Post Offices?  The trucks are already driving and the brick-n-mortar post offices are already there.  The USPS must take a step back from the carrier route polygon maps and consider the tremendous mountain of underutilized assets already in existence.

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As the saying goes, it’s not the size of the mailing list, it’s the smarter target. This holds true for not only better understanding your typical good customer by way of their demographic make-up, but also the distance and neighborhoods they drive from to get to you. And just when you thought you had it all figured out, a competitor opens a new store within your market footprint and everything changes.

For businesses doing business to the local community, its increasingly more important to understand how your customers are finding you as well as the choices they have to accessing the same products and services that you provide. Whether you’re an upscale restaurant or an automobile oil change station, you must watch your ‘flock’ of customers, understand them, and continually provide them with service that’s above and beyond the competition.

BB Direct’s online mapping tool (www.bbdirectleads.com) enables you to visually see how far your direct mail will reach. It provides insight into the community in which you are currently mailing and where you may want to make adjustments so that you’re mailing better. Are some of the current zip codes you currently mail drawing the response that other zips codes do? If they aren’t, why? Is there a competitor in that area? Is there a bridge to cross?

When you assess your market territory, consider the possibility of making changes to your mail piece for different areas. You may find that mailing a stronger offer to those who have to drive further. Or offer the acceptance of competitor coupons for those who reside closer to your competition that you do.

Better understanding your market footprint will allow you to make minor but measurable adjustments to your direct mail campaign.

If you’d like more information and one-on-one advise for mailing smarter, call us at 866-501-6273.

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