Category Archives: Direct Mail

Why Direct Mail & Focus Groups Don’t Mix

Recently, a client sent us results of a focus group they had conducted, results that included an evaluation of direct mail concepts we’re developing for one of their products. As part of the research, the client interviewed a number of small business decision-makers and asked for their opinions of the… Read More

What Response Rate Should I Expect From My Campaign?

On Focus.com, Adam asks: ““What percentage success rate do people (expect from) direct mail campaigns? We (get) 7% response rate when marketing to existing customers and 2% to new customers.” My response: It’s a cop out, I know, but there is no right answer to this question or to its… Read More

Does Renting Email Lists Make Sense Any More?

I wrote recently in this space about the resurgence of direct mail as a viable outbound component to an integrated demand generation strategy. Most of that resurgence is due to the benefits of using direct mail on its own merits, but there’s another factor: the greatly diminished effectiveness of rented… Read More

5 Ways To Incorporate Direct Mail Into Your Marketing Mix

Pop Quiz! Direct Mail is: a) more expensive than email b) quaintly old-fashioned c) regaining popularity in B2B circles d) often overlooked as an effective way to reach customers and prospects. Answer: (e) all of the above. Yet many B2B marketers continue to be allergic to the idea of using… Read More

The First (Almost) Clickable Direct Mail

Marketing pundits have been proclaiming that direct mail is making a comeback ever since I first cut my teeth in direct marketing back in the late 80s. I can only report that whereas the heady days of mail are long gone, far more B2B clients are utilizing direct mail today… Read More

7 Lead Gen Techniques I Learned From My Junk Mail

Sometimes it pays to look outside your normal circle of peers for inspiration. Here’s a postcard I received recently from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. What do fishing licenses have to do with B2B demand generation? Not much. But the very fundamental direct marketing principles on display… Read More

A New "Spin" on Dimensional Mail

Forwarded to me by a client (thanks Tim) … I’ve never been a big fan of dimensional mail, but this campaign is simply brilliant. Now that’s what I call thinking “outside the box.”