Prior to striking
out on my own and opening Plumtree Marketing,
I was a Marketing Executive at a small
marketing agency that, among other things,
specialized in high-end direct mail. The
work I did there helped me gain an appreciation
for the possibilities of this medium.
While many small businesses think that
"direct mail" means large-scale
mailings to thousands of recipients, this
certainly isn't the only option!
Need someone to help you do a little brainstorming
on how direct mail might fit into your
marketing plans? Give me a call. I'm here
for you.
Linda Coss
949-699-2749
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The Case for Direct Mail |
Today's
Low Mail Volume = Opportunity
With the overall economy still down, and
with so many companies moving their marketing
efforts online, mail volume has dropped
tremendously. The resulting empty mailboxes
present a unique opportunity. While competition
to get noticed in email in-boxes just keeps
growing, a well-crafted direct mail package
is now far more likely to garner attention
than before.
The Advantages
of Direct Mail
While both "snail mail" and email
allow for targeted marketing, direct mail
has some distinct advantages:
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High
Delivery Rates - If your mailing list
is current, nearly all of your direct
mail will get delivered. Email, on the
other hand, must get past spam filters,
service provider issues, and more.
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High
Readership Rates - While many people
review their email inboxes with their
fingers on the "delete" button,
studies show that 81% of consumers will
at least scan the direct mail they receive.
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Nearly
Limitless Format Options - Direct
mail offers virtually unlimited formatting
options, from postcards and envelopes
(of all sizes and colors) to mailing tubes
and boxes.
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Much
More Space - With direct mail you
have as much space as necessary to tell
your story and deliver a compelling message
in one package. You can include letters,
brochures, coupons, photos, DVDs, product
samples, small promotional items, and
more.
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Extreme
Personalization - It is now possible
to personalize every element of a direct
mail package, without the expense of multiple
print runs. For example, direct mail provider
MMi showed me a college alumni fundraising
piece in which everything from the text
to the photos was personalized based on
the year in which the recipient graduated.
The bottom
line: with so much less competition, in
some cases direct mail may now offer a higher
return on investment than email marketing,
even after factoring in its higher cost
structure.
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| Customer
Spotlight: Mellano & Company |
Mellano &
Company is one of the major players in the
U.S. cut flower industry. From growing (their
Southern California farms are really something
to see) to imports, wholesale sales and
mass marketing, theirs is a fully vertically-integrated
operation.
Mellano & Company often uses direct
mail to keep in touch with their wholesale
customers. Click
here to see one of the mailers which
I wrote for them.
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2010 Linda Marienhoff Coss |
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About Linda
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Linda
Coss is a freelance marketing writer who helps
businesses become more profitable by writing
persuasive, targeted and effective messages
for their brochures, websites, letters, ads,
fliers, press releases, newsletters and other
written materials.
Whether
you need something written "from scratch"
or want a professional to edit what you've
created, Linda is your on-call marketing writer.
For
more information
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