Although there are some key differences between direct mail and e-mail, sometimes old direct mail tricks can work wonders in the relatively new e-mail channel. Case in point: in a recent test I did with a client, we added a Johnson Box to its e-mail control. It generated a 220 percent lift in response rate! Here's a brief overview of the results,  More...
In his book, The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Coming Demographic Storm, Kenneth W. Gronbach tells a story about stopping at the top of his driveway to retrieve the mail, getting back in the car and hearing his two daughters—aged 13 and 16—excitedly ask what came for them. Both, it turned out, received direct-mail offers from their favorite cl  More...
Excellent audio interview and practical free or low-cost business growth ideas that work  More...
Despite the fact this plugs a neat postal service (UK only), it makes some good points on complacency - i.e. marketing spend on new clients can be a waste if you gain 10% more clients a year, yet lose 10% of existing clients by ignoring them.  More...
Denny Hatch, direct marketing guru, describes his unpleasant Kindle moment. "My Kindle arrived last week, and, in a word, Amazon’s fulfillment stinks."  More...
Email marketing analytics have led Dela Quist, CEO of London shop Alchemy Worx, to discover a sweet spot for how long subject lines should be. He says open rates climb when the subject lines are in the 50-character range or 80-character range. But, perhaps counterintuitively, they fall in the middle when the length is 60 or 70.  More...
When working on the promotion of your website, one thing you need to consider is that the traffic you receive and your presence on the major search engines is not the whole story! You need to ensure that all that extra traffic is converting to sales for you. There is no benefit to your business if you're not making the sales/generating the busine  More...
Multichannel trigger marketing uses customer behaviors (internal triggers) and outside factors, such as seasons and life-cycle data (external triggers), to develop timely, relevant, one-to-one communications. Trigger marketing campaigns take advantage of both print and online vehicles to encourage a specific consumer response. As 100% variable  More...
From the page: " Trendspottings does it right. By emulating their approach you can improve your eNewsletter results."

I've got to admit, the visual for this newsletter is really, really, really good.  More...
Premiums are known to boost open rates, response, cash with order and other kinds of consumer behavior. Read on for a few good tricks to using these gifts well in direct mail packages.  More...
While there is no single element or component that accounts for a mailing’s long-term chances, analysis of long-term controls received by the Who’s Mailing What! Archive—a direct mail library and competitive tracking service—reveals one common messaging tactic: a strong emotional appeal. Here are three examples of long-standing control packages an  More...
Need a little help writing your next direct mail letter or web copy? This is a great summary of the steps needed for effective copywriting. Includes solid examples.  More...
In his DMA 07 Conference and Exhibition presentation, “Running Red Lights: The Keys To Creating Dazzling Direct Mail,” Steve Penn, CEO and executive creative director of Penn Garritano Direct Response Marketing, said he likes to think of the direct mail package as a touchpoint for the entire brand experience. Copywriters always should “tell a stor  More...


I was podcasted on Small Business Trends Radio

Alltop, all the top stories