DM News & Tips

Push response with teasers Almost all of the most successful direct mail packages include envelope teasers. In the book Million Dollar Mailings, 71 of the best direct mail envelope packages were featured. Nearly all of them included a strong teaser message on the outside of the envelope.

Marketing study identifies ad overload A marketing study showed that the average consumer is exposed to 2,904 media messages every day. Each person will only pay attention to 52 of the messages. They will only positively remember four.

USPS sticking with “sticky notes” The Repositionable Note (RPN) program has been extended. These are the 3x3 sticky notes that can be attached to the outside of cards, envelopes, catalogs and magazines. They’ve been described as “billboards for business mail.” More than 1,500 customers have used RPNs on 247 million pieces of mail since the program began in 2005.

Direct mail generates $700 billion in sales a year The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) estimates that marketers will spend $56 billion in direct mail this year. This will produce $700 million in sales. That means that every $5.60 spent on direct mail marketing will bring in $70 in sales. Not a bad return on investment (ROI).

Mail links shoppers to the web Surveys show that 41% of Americans shop online with a catalog in hand. Studies have shown that catalog recipients make up 37% of web sales, spend 16% more and are twice as likely to make a purchase online. The success of catalogs driving customers to the web prompted eBay to create a catalog in 2004. The print medium has produced a dramatic climb in sales during their holiday campaigns.

Does direct mail destroy forests? Actually, every paper company spends millions of dollars on reforestation. They plant multiple trees for every one that is cut down. The result is that the U.S. now has 20% more trees than it had 25 years ago.