Talon Mailing & Marketing

561 Acorn Street
Deer Park, NY 11729

(631) 667-5500

www.talon-mailing.com

Welcome to the Talon Mailing & Marketing August 2017 Newsletter.

To view this newsletter using your Internet browser click here:

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Ways To Increase Sales With Direct Mail

By Debbie Cole, Weeklypostnc.com

Choosing the best package and following these simple suggestions can help you increase response rates and sales.

Let's look at various direct mail formats and their benefits. Using the right one for the type of prospect you're trying to reach can pay huge dividends.

Postcards

Postcards come in a variety of sizes and are very economical to print and have a lower postage rate. Postcards are very effective attention getters because there is no envelope to open and your message is easy to read. Postcards are a good way to put a coupon or special promotion in the hands of potential customers. People tend to keep coupons for future use.

Oversized postcards create a stronger visual impact than traditional sizes and are more likely to grab the recipients attention.

Letter Packages

This is the most traditional and common form of direct mail. The package typically consists of a letter, a flyer, brochure or lift note, an order form or reply card, and an outer envelope. The letter is the most important part of your direct mail package.

A very personal letter (e.g., “Dear Mrs. Compton”) has a better chance of connecting with the recipient. The content of the letter typically spells out the benefits of the offer in detail. The outer envelope is a very important part of the package. It has one job – to get itself opened. This is your first, and maybe your last, chance to get the attention of the mail recipient.

You can design the envelope to look personal or official depending on the market you are trying to reach. Typically, the more you make the envelope look like a personal correspondence from a friend or family the better. Handwritten text, actual postage stamps, applied return address labels, blue or red ink, invitation style envelopes, or colored envelopes all help to make things look more personal.

The strategy of creating an envelope to look official is to make it look like it contains something important or official such as something from the bank or IRS.

Self-Mailer Flyers

A self-mailer flyer is a single sheet of paper (of any size) that is folded one or more times to create a multi-panel flyer. The term self-mailer means they stand alone in the mail and are NOT inserted into an envelope.

By eliminating the envelope, you are reducing costs (for both printing and mail inserting). When you need a little more space for to show your product or need to include more copy than you can on a postcard, a self-mailer is a good choice. This type of direct mail is best used when photos, illustrations and other graphics can contribute to communicating your message.

Catalogs

Catalogs are perfect for companies that offer multiple products or services. Catalogs can be custom-designed and vary in size and pages to fit your businesses needs. A good practice is to place your popular items in the front pages to entice the recipient to keep flipping through the catalog. It’s also a good idea to include a coupon(s) or special offer to encourage them to buy.

Three-Dimensional Mailers

If you want to send something that’s really going to stand out in the mailbox, then this is your best option. Three-dimensional mailers could be a box, a tube, or a bag and include an object such as a gift or product sample. A mail package with something lumpy inside will get the attention of the person receiving it and most likely will be opened out of curiosity.

These types of mailings can be effective in reaching business executives whose mail is screened by a secretary, and they are practically guaranteed to be opened by consumers at home. This type of direct mail is expensive and should be used when you have a relatively small, well-defined audience of otherwise difficult-to-reach prospects.

Why Direct Mail Gets Opened More Than Email

Marketingtango.com

According to the U.S. Postal Service, 98 percent of people check their mail daily, which means your direct mail message is far more likely to get read and less likely to get buried than email.

Do friends and relatives still send your holiday card by mail? Or do they instead dash off an email, or post a message on Facebook to everyone at once?

Only one of those greetings offers the more personal touch and is most likely to be opened and read. We’ve previously discussed why direct mail still matters in the age of social media.

Here are a few more reasons why you should consider direct mail as part of your next integrated marketing campaign, as highlighted by Entrepreneur.

Get Personal

Direct marketing doesn’t get much more personal than direct mail. A compelling message allows you to gain direct access into someone’s residence or workplace. Your mail gets a spot at their kitchen table or desk, where you can present your product or service in the comfort of your prospect’s own home, without hiring a door-to-door sales team.

On the other hand, email messages are competing with a variety of digital distractions. In this era of multitasking, the competition is fierce for attention from smart phone users and computer users.

Be Trustworthy

Traditional mail has a better chance of getting opened than most emails. Many people don’t fully trust electronic communications. Email phishing scams are widespread and unsolicited emails with links or attachments are viewed as suspicious.

Your email may inadvertently end up flagged as “junk” or have images blocked by the filter. Certain words (think “Free!”) that might work in a direct mail letter will get you flagged as spam in email.

Direct mail doesn’t have the same problems. Attach all you want to your mailer. Fancy, bulky packages are a sign of something special inside when they arrive.

Special Delivery

Remember “You’ve got mail?” Emails used to be something special way back in the ‘90s.

These days, direct mail feels special because there simply aren’t as many people doing it. The difference can be as simple as a different colored envelope, or a font that makes the address look handwritten. Even a traditional physical stamp (versus a postage meter) can add a special touch.

Other proven direct mail gimmicks such as bulky or unusual shapes also help generate interest. You can also include free promotional items with your mailer as a small gift. Of course, it’s not so easy to send a keychain or a pen with an email.

Avoid Inbox Clutter

Do you get more emails each day than you actually open and read? You’re not alone.

A report by Epsilon revealed that 77 percent of consumers sort through their physical mail as soon as they get it.

According to the U.S. Postal Service, 98 percent of people check their mail daily, which means your direct mail message is far more likely to get read and less likely to get buried than email.

Email might sound more environmentally friendly and cost effective, but that also means there’s a lot more competition for attention. Meanwhile, direct mail offers a greater chance for you to stand out from the competition. To help boost your response rates in the year ahead, ask your creative services provider about the latest direct mail trends and list-management practices.

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Four Fatal Grammar Errors That Can Tank Your Direct Marketing (And How to Fix Them)

Marketingtango.com

Even with a killer list and great creative, your direct marketing doesn’t stand a chance if it’s riddled with more glaring grammar errors than your kid’s 2nd grade English homework.

Grammar errors effect affect your credibility, which is bad for integrated marketers’ brands…and their bottom lines, too. Here are four common snafus and their easy fixes.

1. Random Quotation Marks “Around” a Word.

See what just happened there? Quotation marks should be used to indicate a quote, or convey irony, inauthenticity, or slang. Take a look at how unintentionally hilarious misused quotation marks can be.

The fix: only use quotation marks when you are actually quoting speech.

2. Run-On Sentences.

You, as an integrated marketer, probably have a lot to say: so much so that, as a seasoned professional—who wants to get more bang for the buck—you may find yourself writing sentences that go on for as long as paragraph. STOP. Simple is better and long sentences fatigue your readers’ eyes.

The fix: Break long, complex sentences down. Usually, you can break one longer sentence in two by simply replacing semi-colons (;) or em dashes (–) with periods.

3. Overreliance on Spellcheck.

Spellcheck is essential, but it won’t catch common errors, like improper use of its/it’s or there/their/they’re; it can’t save you from autocorrect fails; and spellcheck won’t know if you transpose a number or miss a decimal on a price.

The fix: get another set of eyes on your project.

4. Random Capitalization.

Even though Many People do it, random Capitalization is Not a thing. At least, not a thing that is appropriate for business and marketing communications. Capitalization is used at the beginning of a sentence or to indicate a proper noun/name, or title—e.g., it would be Nivea Essentially Enriched Body Lotion, but if you’re not talking about a specific brand name or product, it’s “our lotion” not “our Lotion.”

The fix: Get a subscription to the AP Stylebook for as little as $25 a year. It’s the go-to resource for grammar, punctuation and usage issues, including correct capitalization.

Make Your Direct Marketing Efforts Air-Tight

Now that you know how to say it, integrated marketers should think about what you’re saying to your customers, when and how.

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Win Yankee Tickets!  

Enjoy a great day at Yankee Stadium!

We are giving away two tickets to see the New York Yankees. 

All you have to do to win is be the first telephone caller (please don’t hit reply or send an email). Voice mail messages count so it's fine to leave a message.  Call Michael Borkan at (631) 667-5500 x 11.  These tickets are great seats and close to the field! 

• Monday August 28th, 2017.  Yankees vs. Indians 7:05 PM.

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Do you know of anyone else who would be interested in receiving our newsletter?  Please let us know by email:  mb@talon-mailing.com

To learn more about our company, please visit our Web site: www.talon-mailing.com or contact Michael Borkan at (631) 667-5500 x 11.

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In this Issue:

Ways To Increase Sales With Direct Mail

Talon welcomes the following new clients this month to our growing roster of customers:

• Kwik Kopy

• Bradley Communications

• 4 New Lists From Statlistics

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Mike's Favorite Apps & Links:

Some interesting things to check out...

Packwire.com - Create your own Custom Box for your products. Bring your ideas to life & Make your brand stand out.

Punchbowl.com - Send Beautiful Online Invitations and eCards for Free!

Reelgood.com - If you use more than one streaming source, than you need Reelgood. Reelgood is the complete guide to online streaming content, with the ability to track and play content across 250+ streaming source.

Sticky-ai.com - Convert Selfies into Stickers and emojis. Sticky helps you create your own selfie-stickers incredibly fast! Create still and animated stickers, save them to the sticker pack and share easily to your conversations. Make your chats even more expressive and funnier!

Packpnt.com - PackPoint will organize what you need to pack based on length of travel, weather at your destination and any activities planned during your trip.

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Work Samples:

Did you know Talon offers the following services? 

Click on the links below to see samples.

• Color Laser Personalization
   

• Bulk Email Blasts
   

• HP High Quality Inkjet (near laser quality)
  
  

• Insert and Postcard Mailings
  
  

• Catalog Mailings
   

• Data Entry (from 100 to 100,000 names and addresses)
   

• Polybag and Shrinkwrap Services
   

• Merge/Purge services with comprehensive reports that can instantly be retrieved from the Internet

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Direct Mail Humor!

Click on image below to enlarge.

Do you need help marketing to your clients?   Talon can help!  Call Michael Borkan at 631-667-5500 x 11 to learn how to increase revenue.

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