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Talon Mailing & Marketing
561 Acorn Street |
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Welcome to the Talon Mailing & Marketing August 2017 Newsletter. To view this newsletter using your Internet browser click here: ![]() 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. 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. M
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?
Here are a few more reasons why you should consider direct
mail as part of your next integrated marketing campaign, as highlighted by
Entrepreneur.
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.
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.
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. 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. 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. ![]() 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!
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. If you do not wish to receive the Talon Mailing & Marketing Newsletter please click here:
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In this Issue: Ways To Increase Sales With Direct Mail Why Direct Mail Gets Opened More Than Email Four Fatal Grammar Errors That Can Tank Your Direct Marketing (And How To Fix Them) Mike Borkan's Apps & Links - Apps & Web sites you probably haven't seen New Clients: ![]() ![]()
Mike's Favorite Apps & Links: Some interesting things to check out...
Work Samples: Did you know Talon offers the following services? Click on the links below to see samples. Newsletter Archives: Click here if you wish to see past newsletters. Click on These Links to Learn More About Talon: If you do not wish to receive the Talon Mailing & Marketing Newsletter please click here:
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