http://www.artwoo.com Returned search results for mail piece Copyright 2008 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:47:17 +0000 http://www.artwoo.com/rss/mail+piece http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mailing-is-it-still-effective http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mailing-is-it-still-effective#comments Sun, 13 Aug 2006 00:27:16 +0000 snail mailmail piecedirect mail information serviceemailinternet based businessesinitial marketingvital marketing http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mailing-is-it-still-effective snail mail, is an oft forgotten marketing method -- after all, email is quicker, easier, and much less expensive. There are many businesses that now use email exclusively, and do not use snail mail for marketing purposes.

But I believe that these businesses are missing out on a piece of their pie. Actually, they are leaving a piece of their pie for other marketers (ones who use direct mail) to pick up.

DMIS, or the Direct Mail Information Service, reports some important statistics, showing that direct mail is indeed a vital marketing method, even in this digital age. For example, DMIS reports that 67% of direct mail is opened by the recipient, and 45% is both opened and read. Also, 32% of consumers surveyed reported that they had responded to a direct mailing in the past twelve months.

Direct mail is still an effective marketing piece that every business should use, even internet based businesses. Direct mailing has several advantages over email, such as increased delivery rates, higher readership percentages, and the fact that a physical direct mail piece will make a bigger impact than an email.

If you run an internet business, you may not want to use direct mail as an initial marketing piece. Initial contact is probably the strongest point of internet marketing. But follow-up is one of the strong points of direct mail. Use direct mail to follow up with your customers, to let them know about promotions, or to follow up with prospects who have not made a purchase yet.

For all businesses, direct mail allows you to contact precise markets with geographical and demographical targeting. For example, if you sold commercial bakery equipment, you could send your promotional mailing to a list of bakeries.

Direct mail is still an extremely viable marketing method that you don't want to miss out on. For more Direct Mailing Information, visit http://direct-global-mailing.com/home.html ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-a-direct-mail-campaign http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-a-direct-mail-campaign#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:15:01 +0000 direct mail advertisingseven times sevenmail campaignproper gaugedozen piecespurchase decisionaverage person http://www.artwoo.com/article/preparing-a-direct-mail-campaign dozen pieces of direct mail every single day and reason is that it works, at least in some situations.

There's no question direct mails is better suited to some businesses than others. In particular, any business where timing is a factor in the purchase decision is a good candidate for direct mail advertising because you need to stay in front of those prospects so they'll think of you when the timing is finally right.

This alludes to the most important point. Direct mail is only useful if you do it on a regular basis. And by saying that, I'm not talking about sending your marketing piece to different people each time. No. I'm saying you have to send your marketing piece to the exact same audience, over and over and over again. The key to a successful direct mail campaign is repetition.

Companies who do direct mail spend millions of dollars each year analyzing their campaigns and how to maximize the returns they get. In fact, this area of marketing is probably studied more than any other area. And the consensus is that an average person doesn't even realize you exist before they've seen your marketing piece at least seven times.

This is an amazing reality and many would argue it's a function of being over-marketed in our daily lives. Let me say it again.

The average person doesn't even realize you exist before they've seen your marketing piece at least seven times. Seven times! And there are some who estimate that number is actually much higher than that.

As a result of this reality, there's absolutely no point in doing a direct mail campaign unless you can afford to run the mailer at least seven times before expecting any results. Seriously. If you can't afford to send your marketing piece to the same audience at least seven times, don't even bother because you won't get a proper gauge of whether the campaign will work or not.

You also want to consider a two-step approach. That means the initial marketing piece invites recipients to get more information by taking some predetermined step. They might be invited to call an 800-number and hear some pre-recorded information. They might be invited to request a free information booklet or they might be invited to visit a website with additional details.

Two-step marketing is a great way to pull prospects into your sales funnel. By giving them an opportunity to get more information for free, you invite them to take action. You also have a way of getting their contact information so you can follow-up afterwards. And lastly, you give yourself a second opportunity to earn their trust by providing valuable information. All three dramatically increase the odds of making a sale.

In order to implement a program like this effectively, you'll need to decide on a value item before you get started. What additional information will you be providing? Whatever it is, it should be something your ideal customer would really appreciate. Think about what information your target market really wants. Think about what would make their lives easier. Then put it together before you even design the direct mail piece. Doing it this way will add focus to your marketing piece and save you time along the way.

Direct mail is still an effective way of touching new customers but it won't deliver any results unless you send your mailer to the same audience consistently. You'll get better results if you use a two-step approach, giving recipients a way of getting more information painlessly and the best way to prepare for the campaign is to create the information piece first. Give it a try and let me know how it works out. Tactical Execution with Patrick Schwerdtfeger (http://www.tacticalexecution.com) is a strategic company focused on growth marketing and program implementation across business markets. Visit the website for more specific tips to start generating revenue today. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-success-some-tips-to-getting-your-mail-pieces-open http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-success-some-tips-to-getting-your-mail-pieces-open#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:27:07 +0000 direct mail successjunk mailmail piecetargetpostage stampsbasicallystamp show http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-success-some-tips-to-getting-your-mail-pieces-open Direct mail success, it's easier than you think...

When you send out mail to clients or potential clients, you can make your mail piece stand out from the junk mail that they receive. Here are a few ways to get their attention and achieve direct mail success.

You can start by hand addressing the envelope. Or find a "hand writing" style font to print on to the envelope. The typical preprinted labels basically scream that it's a mass mailing. Addressing the envelopes by hand will really portray that personal touch and is one of the first keys to direct mail success in my experience.

Next, you can use a bright post card or envelope, something that will catch their attention and make them see who it's from.

Use a live stamp as opposed to a meter. Who uses meters? Junk mail and credit card companies. You can even use older stamps. Just go and see if any stamp show has any unused postage stamps. You can often buy them for face value. This is another essential tip for direct mail success.

You could also include "teaser copy" on the outside of the envelope. Get them to open it up and read it by making a statement or some kind of exciting offer. Then show them how you are going to deliver upon it inside.

You could send out a postcard as opposed to an envelope. With all the ad copy in front of them, they have no choice but to read it.

Keep your look consistent when you repeat the mailing or offers. Your target audience should start to recognize your catalogs, newsletters or post cards right away.

These tips are very easy to follow and can almost assure you direct mail success. Some thing that any communications outside of the internet is dead, but that's not true. Make each of your mailings interesting and attractive and you will see how successful you can be with your campaigns. James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. Direct mail success and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-current-facts-on-postage-stamps http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-current-facts-on-postage-stamps#comments Tue, 30 May 2006 15:32:03 +0000 postage stampsholiday stampscopy mailcurrent timepostal servicecorrespondencerecipient http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-current-facts-on-postage-stamps Postage stamps are the proof that the proper fee has been paid to send a piece of correspondence. If a postage stamp is not present on a piece of mail being sent, the recipient becomes responsible for paying the postage due. If the recipient does not wish to pay the postage due, then the item is returned to the original sender.

Postage stamps can be purchased in a variety of ways. They can be purchased individually, in a book (usually 20) or in a larger roll, if a significant amount is needed. Stamps can be found at the local postal office, in a machine, or at certain locations that provide the service of selling stamps. Keep in mind that most of these remote locations, which are not affiliated with the postal service, tend to charge more per stamp. For example, an establishment that cashes checks and provides other similar services charges 50 cents for a stamp that costs only 39 cents if purchased elsewhere.

Postage stamps have come along way since their initial introduction. No advancement is more appreciated than the birth of the self-sticking stamp. Along with this clever, and much appreciated, advancement, there has also been the change in the look of postage stamps.

Postage stamps come in a variety of sizes and shapes now, and they have all sorts of pictures and themes to them. Depending on the season or current holiday, stamps will have themes that match the current time.

Postage stamps have also been made in honor of certain people and places. Additionally, a neat feature of stamps is that they can be purchased for a particular cause and the difference in the proceeds (which is very slight) will go to the cause the stamps were promoting.

The current price of postage stamps is 39 cents a piece, which is a 2 cents increase over the 37 cents amount. Postage prices continue to rise as the general public uses hard-copy mail less and less, due to advancements in technology that allow most common correspondence to be sent electronically.

As the use of the electronic submission grows, the price of individual postage stamps will most likely increase. If the total volume of mail decreases, the difference must be made up by charging more money to send each piece of mail. The likelihood, at this point, is that postage stamps will continue to increase in price, as time goes on. http://postagehq.com Everything you need to know about postage from collecting stamps to postage rates. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/valuable-tips-for-direct-mail-success http://www.artwoo.com/article/valuable-tips-for-direct-mail-success#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:24:57 +0000 mail effortsdirect mail successmail slotmail campaignquality marketingwindow envelopegreat marketing http://www.artwoo.com/article/valuable-tips-for-direct-mail-success mail slot to see all the companies participating in this form of marketing. But don't be fooled with the simplicity of these little advertisements. There's a science behind direct mail and millions of dollars are spent each year trying to find ways of getting a better response from direct mail efforts.

The most important thing to keep in mind is the rule of 7. The rule of 7 basically says that until a recipient has seen your marketing message at least 7 times, they won't even realize you exist. That sounds harsh and certainly there will be some exceptions to this rule but the basic premise is true. Most people will not even realize you exist before they've seen your marketing at least 7 times.

Indeed, repetition is the most important ingredient in direct mail success. If you want to give it a try, don't even bother unless you have enough money to send your marketing piece to the same audience at least 7 times. If not, you're absolutely wasting your money. And it's worth noting that the quality of the marketing piece is still easily trumped by repetition. A poor quality marketing piece sent out consistently will deliver far better results than a great marketing piece sent out only once or twice.

The best way to budget for a direct mail campaign is to consider the cost of the first 7 mailings a cost of doing business. Don't even try to recoup that money through sales. You'll never pull it off. If you get any sales at all, you should be happy. Consider the first 7 mailings a sunk cost and then strive to achieve breakeven or better from the 8th mailing onward.

Another thing to consider is the format of your mailer. Are you sending out a postcard? An envelope? If you're sending an envelope, you should know that a window envelope gets opened more than a regular envelope. You should also know that an envelope with a real stamp gets opened more than one with metered postage. Large envelopes get opened more, as do greeting card envelopes. Of course, postcards don't need to be opened at all and that's a significant motivator on its own. Choosing the optimal delivery method can make a major impact on the profitability of your campaign.

There's another choice to be made. The message you're trying to communicate on the marketing piece can generally take one of two forms. Either you can craft a clever slogan and tag line; a combination you barrage your audience with again and again, hoping to draw a mental connection inside the recipients' minds. Or you can provide value on your piece by including valuable information the recipient can use.

The second strategy attempts to build trust with the audience while the first simply tries to build name recognition. Indeed, the first has dominated marketing campaigns for decades but the second is quickly gaining ground. Today's consumers want to sample your expertise before they buy. They want proof you know what you're talking about and including valuable information right on your marketing piece can contribute to that objective.

Direct mail can be a profitable marketing strategy but you have to devote some time and energy to the process. Every little detail contributes to the inevitable success or failure of the campaign and I hope this article has shed some light on a few of the details. Please visit the Tactical Execution website for more detailed information on using direct mail successfully. Tactical Execution with Patrick Schwerdtfeger (http://www.tacticalexecution.com) is a strategic company focused on growth marketing and program implementation across business markets. Visit the website for more specific tips to start generating revenue today. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-ideas-that-will-get-your-sales-letter-read-giving-you-a-higher-response http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-ideas-that-will-get-your-sales-letter-read-giving-you-a-higher-response#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:27:09 +0000 mail ideasdirect mailconversedirect response marketingbenefitcorporate languagebold font http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-ideas-that-will-get-your-sales-letter-read-giving-you-a-higher-response direct response marketing, you need a fresh and steady supply of direct mail ideas to help you. One of the most important part of your offer is the sales letter, so we are going to focus on that all important piece in this article.

If your sales letter is going to be successful, here are some strategies you can implement to boost your response rate...

First, at the top of your sales letter, you should be using a strong headline that states the most important benefit of your offer. It should be in bold font, a larger font, and very different from the rest of the text in your sales letter.

Next, when you are writing your sales letter, you need to converse as you are speaking to a friend, not trying to sell anything. Don't use corporate language in an attempt to impress your prospects with your domination of the language. They don't care, they just want to know "what's in it for me?" Talk to them as you're speaking to your best friend.

Of all the direct mail ideas, here's a good one that I use all the time... it's a P.S. The post script. Here, you want to restate your strongest benefit and sales offer in it. A lot of people read the P.S. prior to reading the actual sales letter, so you need to make your P.S. have a very strong message on it and a specific call to action.

You need to explain the benefits your customers will receive. Again, they are thinking "what's in it for me?" Just think like you are the customer, what would you want to hear? What would you expect?

You need to ask your prospect to take action, such as "order now" or call you for more information, visit your site, or to complete an order form and mail you a payment, etc. If you don't ask them to follow through, they won't do it on their own. Just ask!

Now that we have some of the fundamentals of the sales letter down, here are some more direct mail ideas...

Use a standard white business envelope to get your letter opened. Write the addresses by hand or at least use a hand writing font to put the addresses on the envelope. Don't use mailing labels as that will tell your prospective customer that it's just another sales offer, they will throw it in the trash.

I would also recommend that you make your envelope somewhat lumpy. You want to enclose a small, inexpensive free gift that will make them want to wonder what's in it. A pen, highlighter, etc, something that has your company information on it, phone number and website.

Perhaps the most important of all direct mail ideas is repetition. You won't succeed with direct mail or implementing these direct mail ideas if you only send out one mailing. Each prospect needs to be approached several times before making that final purchase. By mailing to them more than once, you are reminding them of what you have to offer and your strong offer still stands.

In closing, the national average for a direct response mail piece is only 1%. So basically what that means is that when you mail out 100 pieces, you can expect that only one customer will order or contact you back. However, following the direct mail ideas that I have presented to you above, you can surely increase that rate, therefore increasing your profits and bottom line. James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. Direct mail ideas and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/aol-reverse-email-search http://www.artwoo.com/article/aol-reverse-email-search#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:15:27 +0000 e mail searchaol mailaol webmail providerse mail servicesmail providermail accounts http://www.artwoo.com/article/aol-reverse-email-search AOL mail services. Even better, AOL now offers free, web based e-mail services. Many people prefer web based e-mails because they can take them along whenever they change their internet providers. The AOL web mail offers plenty of services along with web mail so it makes sense that it is one of the leading web mail providers.

Of course, because web mail is so popular and because there are people who like to change e-mail addresses often and create addresses specifically for newsletter subscriptions, junk mail, etc, there are a lot of AOL e-mail accounts that get hijacked by spammers and people who like to send "anonymous" e-mails to others. The good news is this: if you have been getting unwanted e-mail from an AOL web mail address, it is possible to do a reverse e-mail search and find out who has been sending you the unwanted e-mail and make them stop.

Your first line of defense when it comes to unwanted e-mail is the reverse e-mail search provided by the web mail provider. If the e-mail is coming from an AOL web mail address, use the reverse e-mail search option provided by America Online itself. Using the web mail provider's reverse e-mail search tool should always be your first stop because it will be the easiest method in finding out who has been sending you the unwanted e-mail and/or spam. This is because it is easier for AOL to check its own records than it is for an outside source to try to check those records for you.

Of course, if the reverse e-mail search provided by AOL isn't successful, there are other options that are available to you. There are many different reverse e-mail search services available on the internet and you should try as many as you can to get the results that you need. If none of the internet based reverse e-mail searches work out, and the unwanted e-mail has become a real problem, you might want to consider hiring a professional search service to find out who, exactly has been sending you the e-mail. In some cases a professional search service is the best way to go because there are many people, spammers especially, will take many steps to make sure that their identities and contact information remain hidden.

Remember that you need to be taking steps to protect your own AOL e-mail account as well. Make sure that your password isn't obvious and that it is hard to crack. Change it often so that you can reduce the risk of having your AOL web mail account being hijacked by spammers or people who would send unwanted e-mail to other people.

Your tenacity will also play a big role in whether or not you see success with your reverse e-mail search. The more thorough your search, the more likely you will be to discover the identity of the e-mail address owner.Ed Opperman invites you to visit his cyber investigation website for all of your email search needs. He offers employment locate, internet infidelity investigations, reverse email trace, telephone investigations, and much more. To learn more about reverse email lookup and other useful information please click here now:===> http://www.emailrevealer.com]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-costs-the-biggest-expense-is-lack-of-testing http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-costs-the-biggest-expense-is-lack-of-testing#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:27:06 +0000 direct mailmail costsmail piecemail businesstarget audienceexample doctorslist of doctors http://www.artwoo.com/article/direct-mail-costs-the-biggest-expense-is-lack-of-testing Direct mail costs can be high when there is no definite strategy outlined. However there's one things that makes it such a reliable method for bringing in new business, and that's the ability to test different versions of your sales offer, package and everything else involved.

If you really want to kill your direct mail business, don't test. When people complain about the direct mail costs, they are not considering the expense of NOT testing. You need to know what is the cost of acquiring a new customer. That will give you much more flexibility when marketing and testing. If your cost per acquisition is low, then you have more money to invest in marketing and testing new methods that you would have otherwise not considered.

You can decrease your direct mail costs by applying a little common sense and simply by testing which produces the best response. Let's take a look at everything that makes up the direct mail piece... the envelope, a personalized sales letter, the brochure, an order form, the reply envelope and lastly the data.

The most important of all these is the data. Which is your mailing list, those that are going to see your offer. Mail out a good offer to a bad list = bad results. Mediocre offer to a good list = good to great results. See the difference?

You may already have a target audience in mind, for example, doctors. You'll be able to get a list of doctors from more than just one source, and you can test it. You can also break it up into may other lists determined by your target audience. Direct mail costs are very flexible as well. The more you do business with a particular company, typically they'll give you some price breaks.

First things first, you must target to get it right. And you only find out if you have it right by testing.

You have so many options, starting with the envelope. You can pick different colors, use a stamp, bulk meter (not recommended). You could use different sizes... so much you can test with the letter alone.

For your letterhead, you can change up the material. Textured paper always works best as studies have shown. The number of options that you have at your disposal are unlimited.

Use these methods over time and you'll see an increase in the effectiveness of your mailings. You have to always test, even when you think you've got the perfect mailing, keep testing. Test, test and test some more. Got it?? That's the best way to keep your direct mail costs down, isn't that what we're all after? James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. Direct mail costs and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/gmx-reverse-email-lookup http://www.artwoo.com/article/gmx-reverse-email-lookup#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:01:28 +0000 e mail searche mail addressese mail addresse mail accountanonymous e mailmail boxesgmx account http://www.artwoo.com/article/gmx-reverse-email-lookup
Everyone knows the benefits of using a web based e-mail service. Most of these services are free of charge (or very inexpensive) and are far more convenient than the e-mail addresses that will be supplied to you by your internet provider. This is because, in this day and age, people appreciate the ability to check their e-mail from any internet service and on any computer. Web based e-mail offers people that option.

Of course web based e-mail isn't without its faults. Because people create more e-mail addresses than they actually use, there are a lot of "dead" e-mail boxes out there that get taken over by spammers and hijackers. Others will create an e-mail account with GMX or one of the other web mail services with the intent of sending "anonymous" e-mail to someone else.

If you have been receiving unwanted e-mail from a GMX e-mail address there are several steps you can take:

1. Find out if GMX provides a reverse e-mail search service and then use it to find out who has opened the GMX account from which your unwanted e-mail has been sent. This should always be your first step because GMX will have an easier time searching its own records than an outside search engine will have in getting access to the records' information.

2. Do a search with any of the major search engines to find web-based reverse e-mail searches. There are a large number of companies out there that offer this service. It might take a few (or many) tries to get the information you want but if you keep trying you will increase the odds of finding out who has been sending you the unwanted e-mail that has been polluting your inbox. Don't give up--the longer you search, the better your chances become of finding out what you want to know.

3. If the unwanted e-mail has been especially malicious, you might want to consider hiring a professional to contact GMX and find out who is on the other end of the e-mail address that has been harassing you. A professional will know how to get GMX to turn over the information that you need. You should also consider contacting GMX's support team yourself to report the malicious e-mail. GMX might be able to suspend the account or help you take legal action against the e-mail sender.

When it comes to doing reverse e-mail searches, whether you need to find the owner of a GMX e-mail account or a different web based e-mail address the key is to keep at it. Don't give up; you'll find what you are looking for!Ed Opperman invites you to visit his cyber investigation website for all of your email search needs. He offers employment locate, internet infidelity investigations, reverse email trace, telephone investigations, and much more. To learn more about reverse email lookup and other useful information please click here now:===> http://www.emailrevealer.com]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-12-month-millionaire-how-to-use-direct-mail-to-build-up-your-business http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-12-month-millionaire-how-to-use-direct-mail-to-build-up-your-business#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:27:04 +0000 direct mail marketingjunk mailemail marketingmarketing strategiesmarketing strategydirect marketingspam mail http://www.artwoo.com/article/the-12-month-millionaire-how-to-use-direct-mail-to-build-up-your-business Email marketing is one of the most popular methods for advertising and promoting your products and services. For the smaller scaled businesses, the marketing of their product or services employing some of the direct mail marketing strategies found in The 12 Month Millionaire is showing it's worth it. The popular book by Vincent James, The 12 Month Millionaire answers in great detail common questions such as, how to get around the product of having your direct mail pieces labeled as junk mail and having them trashed immediately by the recipients?

How does one get over the problem of having all your direct mail labeled as trash and practically junked by all who receive them? A lot of servers now have the ability to report the mailer as junk mail or spam mail, therefore the mail is deleted prior to ever arriving to the recipient. Despite how many people react and response to direct marketing offers, companies still keep on sending them out because it is a very effective part of an overall marketing strategy. Many people trash junk mail as soon as it comes across. If it's an attractive mail piece, at least they'll give it an overview.

The 12 Month Millionaire goes into great detail regarding promoting mail offers and packages that get opened. So how does one get past this problem of getting all their offers confused and categorized as junk mail? The promotion mail has to grab the attention and interest of the recipient immediately, or it will have no effect.

Studies and market trends have show us that a lot of people are presented with ads for a certain product, and the m ore they are exposed to that ad or ad campaign, the more likely they are going to buy it. Even typical commercial ads, it could be on TV or in print, but it normally has to be seen by the consumer a few times before they take action and buy the product or service.

One of the keys to successful mailing in a marketing campaign is to follow a set of strict guidelines. First, you need to target the consumer of the product or service. The target market will be targeted via the mailing list. The mailing list can be made up through many different sources, such as personal networking, call center data, customer references, etc. The 12 Month Millionaire goes into more detail on how to find the right mailing list for your target market. The most successful direct mail campaigns are almost 100% reliant on their lists... For example, if you had a great sales letter, mailed to the wrong list, it will fail. If you have a mediocre sales offer, mailed to a targeted list, you have the potential for a very successful direct mail campaign. James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. The 12 Month Millionaire and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-direct-mail-to-effectively-build-your-business http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-direct-mail-to-effectively-build-your-business#comments Sat, 12 Aug 2006 20:27:12 +0000 direct mail information serviceemailhighest qualityhttpglobal mailingmailing liststatistics http://www.artwoo.com/article/using-direct-mail-to-effectively-build-your-business email. But direct mail is still a powerful marketing method -- one that you can use with great results in your business.

Contrary to what some businesses owners believe, direct mail still gets opened and read. According to the Direct Mail Information Service, 67% of direct mail is opened, and 45% is both opened and read. Email cannot begin to match those rates.

The Direct Mail Information Service also offers some other important statistics. Their research shows that the ROI (return on investment) of direct mail is excellent -- to generate $14 in sales, one must only spend $1 on direct mail.

Other statistics show that direct mail is even more effective for businesses. Managers open 70% of direct mail they receive. The pass 9% of it on to a subordinate or coworker, but respond to or file an amazing 20%!

There are two basic ways to use direct mail -- build your own list, or use someone else's list. Building your own list will likely get you the highest quality lists, but is also more expensive and takes longer. Renting a list is often the best way to start.

If you decide to build your own direct mailing list, you should come up with a well planned strategy for acquiring contacts for your list, as well as managing your list. Here area few ideas for building your mailing list: add all of your customers, offer a free newsletter, offer drawings for free products, do reverse phone number searches on prospects to find their address.

If you plan to rent a list, you can often rent a list from a company that specializes in direct mail marketing. They may be able to help you with your direct mailing campaign so that you maximum efficacy from your investment.

Either method you use, direct mail is a powerful way to grow your business. Visit Direct Global Mailing Ltd, your mailing company, for more direct mailing resources: http://direct-global-mailing.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/hotmail-reverse-e-mail-search http://www.artwoo.com/article/hotmail-reverse-e-mail-search#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:36:34 +0000 e mail providerse mail searche mail addressweb mail serverhotmail accountmail usersjunk mail http://www.artwoo.com/article/hotmail-reverse-e-mail-search mail users that name Hotmail as their web mail server of choice. To be sure, Hotmail is one of the top three cost-free web-based e-mail providers on the World Wide Web. This free, web based e-mail is offered to users by Microsoft and it allows users up to two hundred and fifty megabytes of space to store e-mails and files.

There are a lot of people who love Hotmail because it makes for an easy place to store their junk mail and this makes it easy for spam artists or other people to hack into the hotmail account and then send e-mail to others with it. Have you recently been on the receiving end of unwanted e-mail from a hotmail e-mail address? If so, have you thought about doing a reverse e-mail search?

A reverse e-mail search is easiest when you use the service that provides the e-mail address that sends you the unwanted e-mail. Luckily the Hotmail reverse e-mail search is free for internet users and it is very easy to use. The easiest way to locate a Hotmail reverse e-mail search, all that you need to do is type in the phrase "hotmail reverse e-mail search" into any of the major search engines. The site that does the searches will be listed in your search engine results.

Keep the e-mail address that has been sending you the unwanted e-mails near by because you will need this to complete the search. This might seem obvious, but you would be surprised to find out just how many people forget to write down the e-mail address that they want to look up! It is important also, to remember that you might not always be able to find the information you have been seeking. While it is possible that a real person has been sending you that unwanted e-mail, it is also equally possible that the e-mail address has been hijacked by a spam bot and you might not ever know who has been flooding your inbox.

The Hotmail reverse e-mail search is a trustworthy method of searching for the information associated with any hotmail e-mail address. If it is possible to find out the information you want to know, the Hotmail reverse e-mail search should be able to turn it up. Of course, you might need to try several different reverse e-mail searches before you get the results you have been looking for.

Keep in mind that not everyone wants to be found. People who do not wish to be found will often take extra steps to protect their true identities and contact information. If you cannot find the information you are looking for via a reverse e-mail search on your own, you might want to hire a professional to do the searching for you. There are many reliable professional services available to choose from when you want to find out who has been sending you this unwanted e-mail.

It is important to remember to report any unwanted e-mails that show up in your Hotmail account to your Hotmail provider!Ed Opperman invites you to visit his cyber investigation website for all of your email search needs. He offers employment locate, internet infidelity investigations, reverse email trace, telephone investigations, and much more. To learn more about reverse email lookup and other useful information please click here now:===> http://www.emailrevealer.com]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/mail-order-husbands http://www.artwoo.com/article/mail-order-husbands#comments Tue, 01 May 2007 08:40:03 +0000 mail order groomsmail order bridesmail order husbandmail order bridewomen mail orderbecome increasingly popularnon existent http://www.artwoo.com/article/mail-order-husbands mail order bride" phenomenon is several decades old, but with Internet communications revolution it has become increasingly popular, although not yet exactly commonplace. These days a far lesser-known phenomenon has appeared=96 mail order grooms.

Until very recently, mail order grooms were almost non-existent, which by contrast pretty much kills the idea that mail order brides are interested only in green cards. After all, if that's what the women wanted, then why aren't there just as many Chinese and Ukranian mail order grooms seeking in a new life a Western country?

The mail order husband groom industry is still in its developmental stage. Stage One was an increase in the number of foreign women living in the US looking for mail order grooms from the Old Country. Stage Two was unhappy American women, sick of us American men, looking for mail order grooms - but they found little help on the Internet until just the last few years. But now here comes Stage Three =96 an increase in men from poor countries, especially India, marketing themselves as mail order grooms

It is still far too early to determine exactly what types of men choose to market themselves as mail order grooms. Their profiles naturally tend to stress family values and hard work, and some claim not to be at all concerned about beauty. But just as is the case with mail order brides, it's difficult to imagine the prospect of a green card not figuring in somewhere in the considerations a prospective mail order husband.

It will be interesting to see how the unique dynamics of such relationships work out. First, will a situation where the woman makes more money than the man (in most cases) weaken or strengthen the marriage (or have no effect whatsoever)? Second, will men from male-dominated cultures have trouble getting along with relatively independent-minded American women? "Mail Order Brides" at http://mailorderbridesdude.blogspot.com offers readers comprehensive information about Russian, Asian, and Latin American mail order brides. See also http://mailorderbridesdude.blogspot.com/2007/03/catch-wave-mail-order-husba= nds-believe.html. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/e-mail-exploits-a-major-problem http://www.artwoo.com/article/e-mail-exploits-a-major-problem#comments Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:12:00 +0000 exploitsmailexploit virusspamrecipient openscomputer systemsbusiness world http://www.artwoo.com/article/e-mail-exploits-a-major-problem mails is on a rise in the business world. The use has increased manifold in the recent years. E-mails have become a very convenient source of communication for people. People in general and businesses in particular use e-mails for the purpose of communication. But with all the advantages attached to the e-mails there are certain disadvantages as well.

People suffer due to those advantages. Just like the other miracles of science the e-mails can be a blessing if the technology is used in a positive sense. Spam e-mails and e-mail exploits make it a problem which needs your attention to be solved. If e-mail exploits are not taken care of, they are capable enough of damaging your system.

E-mail exploits are a problem which has come to the surface in the recent past. E-mail exploits have become a major problem in the recent past. People when go through their e-mails they may open some spam e-mail which has this virus embedded in its body. The computer systems can be damaged by these viruses even before one realizes his or her mistake.

E-mail exploits are embedded in the spam e-mails. These e-mail exploits can destroy the whole system of the mail recipient by entering it through the e-mail. Actually the e-mail exploits start working when the recipient opens the e-mail. If the e-mail is not read and is deleted directly the system will remain safe from the e-mail exploits. The e-mail exploits may be in the form of a program which is embedded in the subject or the body of the e-mail. Opening this e-mail can damage your system. Being embedded in the e-mail, the e-mail exploit easily crosses the firewalls and enters the recipient's computer successfully. That is the reason people generally do not read the spam e-mails and delete them as such. But still, the e-mail exploits have a greater rate of being successful as there are certain spam e-mails which you may click open just to find out what it actually is about. Once you open an e-mail which has e-mail exploit virus embedded in it, you may lose the game altogether. Your computer network may be bombarded by the viruses even before you come to know that you have committed a major mistake.

Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. Whenever there is a need the human race starts off to find a solution to it. Same is the situation with this problem of spam e-mails and e-mail exploits.

The e-mail exploit engines are there in the market. They can be used to protect your system against such problem. The e-mail exploit engines keep you safe against the viruses which are capable enough to destroy your systems. Almost all the companies which are working in the field of providing IT solutions to people in general and to companies have such programs which can help fight the viruses. E-mail exploit engines are the ready made solutions which can protect you against the harmful effects of e-mail exploits to your computer system. Jake Foster writes security related articles for http://www.sxsecurity.com . Visit SX Security for more security and privaacy related articles. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/implementing-a-direct-mail-campaign http://www.artwoo.com/article/implementing-a-direct-mail-campaign#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:15:00 +0000 mail piecedirect mailconversion ratioscreening optionsreference usainfo usainitial steps http://www.artwoo.com/article/implementing-a-direct-mail-campaign Direct mail can be an incredibly effective strategy for touching new potential customers. It takes repetition and a commitment but the end result can be effective once a campaign has been running for a while. But as usual, the hardest part of a campaign like this is getting it started. Taking these steps for the first time is always a learning experience and I hope this article makes those initial steps a little easier.

The first thing you'll need is a list of people to send your marketing piece to. This is a science because you want to get the most targeted list you possibly can but the level of detail you seek is correlated to the price you'll pay. In fact, you'll pay for it one way or another anyway.

Let's think this through. If you buy an open list that includes thousands of random people, your conversion ratio will be lower and you'll make fewer sales. Whatever your product is, it won't appeal to everybody so a broad untargeted list will only deliver a small number of sales. Meanwhile, you have to pay for the mailings promoting your product and they can be very expensive.

If you try to get a list that's better suited to your product, you'll have to pay more for it. In fact, the more pieces of information you get with a list of customers, the more the list will cost. So if you find a source that has the perfect list for your product, it'll cost you more money to get your hands on it.

A good resource to be aware of is Reference USA. This database is the same one used by Info USA and you can pay a heft sum for one of their lists. But most people aren't aware that the same database is publicly accessible from most public libraries across the country and it's free. Get a library card and browse through the screening options available through Reference USA. You might end up saving yourself a lot of money.

The next thing you'll have to do is design and print your direct mail piece. A lot of the print shops have design services available and many have a variety of templates to consider as well. These templates are generally very good and you can customize your message and initiate your order directly over the internet.

One of the golden truths about direct mail is that the average recipient won't even realize you exist before they've seen your marketing piece at least 7 times. That said; it might make sense printing enough to satisfy 7 mailings all at the beginning. You'll get a better deal buying in bulk and can leave all the printed material at the print shop.

The last major decision you'll need to make is which mail house you want to use for your mailing. Not surprisingly, there are tons of them out there and they all have one advantage of another. But I encourage you to visit the USPS website and select NetPost, one of their services specifically designed for direct mail campaigns. NetPost has a number of template-driven design options as well and they'll even give you a 5=A2 on your postage if you use them to mail it out. It's a tremendous service and I would recommend it to anyone.

Regardless who you choose to do the mailer, structure your budget to make sure you can do 7 mailers to the same audience before you evaluate your response. Even at 7, the true response will only begin to materialize. Always remember that people need to see your marketing piece at least 7 times before they realize you exist. Repetition is the key and a campaign of just 1 mailing is generally money wasted. Tactical Execution with Patrick Schwerdtfeger (http://www.tacticalexecution.com) is a strategic company focused on growth marketing and program implementation across business markets. Visit the website for more specific tips to start generating revenue today. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/postage-rates-increase http://www.artwoo.com/article/postage-rates-increase#comments Thu, 18 May 2006 00:32:08 +0000 regular maile cardsnumber of cardspostage meterspostage ratespostal servicepostage meter http://www.artwoo.com/article/postage-rates-increase regular mail. Additionally, on-line banking, while not as widely understood or accepted as e-mail has decreased the amount of bills that are sent through the regular mail. The use of e-cards has also diminished the number of cards being sent through the regular mail for birthdays, holidays and even the "just because" types of cards.

All of the pieces of correspondence referenced above would have required postage to be purchased, if sent as a hard-copy through regular mail. Now, these transactions are free of charge, via the internet.

Postage rates, for postage stamps, just have had a recent increase from 37 cents to 39 cents. 41 cents was the originally proposed number, but it seemed that the 2 cents increase was enough for now. This increase is attributed to an attempt to make up for lost volume, by increasing the price of sending each piece of mail.

The other costly update that is required when potage rates increase is the burden of businesses that use postage meters. Older versions of postage meters do not have the capability to automatically update when the postage rate varies from what they are currently programmed for. In this case, the lessee must buy an expensive up-grade chip that will re-format the postage meter to calculate the proper postage.

The postage rates for sending those materials that are unable to be sent electronically have not yet been increased, at least by an amount that is noticeable. The 2-3 days to send larger mail or packages is still costing about 3-10 dollars and sending packages overnight will cost about 20 dollars on average.

The postage rate increases will continue to be evident as the more and more people become comfortable with electronic transfer technology. However, the postal service will have to be careful to retain competitive rates, as they are not the only provider of package sending service.

Postage rates may become a big factor for businesses in the future, especially those that are responsible for a lot of outgoing materials. There will be a high market for providing the best service and the lowest price for high volume main and package distributions.

Whether it is the individual mail sender or a business, if postage rates continue to rise, and at a rate that is not found to be acceptable, people will find a way to avoid using this service all together, which is exactly what the postal service is trying to avoid. Hopefully, they will come up with a way to still provide a worthy service, without breaking the bank. http://postagehq.com Everything you need to know about postage from collecting stamps to postage rates. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-intro-to-direct-mail-techniques-and-direct-marketing http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-intro-to-direct-mail-techniques-and-direct-marketing#comments Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:27:14 +0000 mail techniquesdirect mailtarget marketmacyswal martemailsales flyers http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-intro-to-direct-mail-techniques-and-direct-marketing mail techniques in order to reach out to their customers. These large companies often mail out sales flyers that highlight what will be on sale in their retail stores that week. Retailers that have special sales often send them out as well.

You may not thing that you can implement direct mail techniques in your own small business, but this can be very effective in your community or trying to reach your target market. It can be used effectively for little money, although it's not as flashy as advertising on TV, often the cost for acquiring new leads is much less.

You may or may not have noticed, but direct mail techniques have been used for many years. A lot of people ca still get their mail daily, even though they have become accustomed to using email for personal and some business communication. In the past, this method has been used more by larger companies. More profitable companies implement direct mail techniques into their overall marketing strategy and are very successful.

People often ignore both the radio and TV, and they can do so rather easily by blocking out the ads or changing the station or channel. Implementing direct mail techniques is much less invasive and when offers are received they can just place them aside and look at it later.

You should remember that implementing direct mail techniques gives you more say than TV or radio spots if you are selling a product or service. You can print just about anything you want, and you don't have to cram your information on some tiny 30 second spot ad. You can be sure that your potential customers and clients get all the information they need to make and informed decision.

If you implement direct mail techniques the right way, it can be very effective. People will receive ads and flyers in the mail as long as they still have postal service. You have to determine what strategy of delivery is best for you. Should you use a bulk rate, or a live stamp? That all depends on your target market. Certain direct mail techniques can be applied to one campaign, however not all of them. There's no "one size fits all" so to speak with direct mail techniques.

You can get all the information you need as to how to effectively run a campaign by going to your local post office and talking to them about specific direct mail techniques relating to postage and laws. They will be able to discuss bulk rates. They could also advise you on which day is the best so mail out your materials and other rules that you may need to know. James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. Direct mail techniques and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-do-an-aim-reverse-email-lookup http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-do-an-aim-reverse-email-lookup#comments Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:29:25 +0000 e mail searche mail addressese mail addresse mail accountanonymous e mailmail storagee mail services http://www.artwoo.com/article/how-to-do-an-aim-reverse-email-lookup mail storage plus POP and IMAP access.

Everyone knows the benefits of using a web based e-mail service. Most of these services are free of charge, anonymous and are far more convenient than the e-mail addresses that will be supplied to you by your Internet provider. This is because, in this day and age, people appreciate the ability to check their e-mail from any Internet service and on any computer. Web based e-mail offers people that option. But these are also options that a cyber stalker would find attractive when trying to conceal his true identity from his victims.
These online stalkers will create an e-mail account with AIM or one of the other web mail services with the intent of sending harassing "anonymous" e-mail or Instant Massages (IMs) to someone else.

If you have been receiving unwanted e-mail or IMs from an AIM e-mail address there are several steps you can take:

1. Find out if AIM provides a reverse e-mail search service and then use it to find out who has opened the AIM account from which your unwanted e-mail has been sent. This should always be your first step because AIM will have an easier time searching its own records than an outside search engine will have in getting access to the records' information.

2. Do a search with any of the major search engines to find web-based reverse e-mail searches. There are a large number of companies out there that offer this service. It might take a few (or many) tries to get the information you want but if you keep trying you will increase the odds of finding out who has been sending you the unwanted e-mail that has been polluting your in box. Don't give up--the longer you search, the better your chances become of finding out what you want to know.

3. If the unwanted e-mail has been especially malicious, you might want to consider hiring a professional to find out who is on the other end of the e-mail address that has been harassing you. A professional will know how to get the information that you need. You should also consider contacting AIM's support team yourself to report the malicious e-mail. AIM might be able to suspend the account or help you take legal action against the e-mail sender. But keep in mind that if AIM closes the account it will make it much harder for an investigator to trace the AIM email and identify the sender.

When it comes to doing reverse e-mail searches, whether you need to find the owner of a AIM e-mail account or a different web based e-mail address the key is to keep at it. Don't give up; you'll find what you are looking for! If you think it's too complicated you can always retain a professional that specializes in email tracing.Ed Opperman invites you to visit his cyber investigation website for all of your email search needs. He offers cyber stalking investigations , internet infidelity investigations, reverse email trace, and much more. To learn more about reverse email lookup and other useful information please click here now:===> http://www.emailrevealer.com ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-email-cover-letter-has-to-work-even-harder http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-email-cover-letter-has-to-work-even-harder#comments Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:35:00 +0000 mail resumecover lettercontactjob seekerhiring managerjob huntingattention span http://www.artwoo.com/article/an-email-cover-letter-has-to-work-even-harder job hunting is changing. In past times one would spend their day going from business to business, meeting managers and possibly owners, and applying for a job. Then as history passed, more and more time was spend telephoning companies and then making a visit to them. Now, the internet has streamlined the job hunting process. However, a job-seeker has to work harder in order to get an interview. The delete key is readily available for those having to wad through the hundreds of e-mail applicants.

An e-mail cover letter is not as easy to scan through as a paper one, so it is extremely important to make sure the e-mail cover letter contains all the important information a hiring manager needs, but without any added fluff. An e-mail cover letter also needs to have a great first line in order to encourage a hiring manager to keep reading. It is a fact that most people will not read a long e-mail, like they would a paper memo, so keeping an e-mail cover letter short, and concise is dire. Also, be sure to use professional lingo and not the same sort of language one would use to communicate with their friends. All words in an e-mail cover letter need to be spelled out properly, and the use of internet acronyms and emotion icons are a big no-no.

The key to an e-mail cover letter is straight, to the point wording. An e-mail cover letter should include the name of the position one is applying for, ask for an interview with the hiring manager, provide contact information for when the hiring manager does call to schedule an interview, and most importantly, how one is the ideal candidate for the position. Divulging one's experience and skills in an e-mail resume gives the hiring manager a good idea of the fit they will have with the company. However, do not spend too much time going over each skill point by point. Again, the attention span one has when reading an e-mail is very different from the attention span they have reading a piece of paper. It is more difficult to skim through an e-mail and pick out all the relevant information, so that information has to standout in an e-mail cover letter.

Just like a cover letter being one of the most important elements to a job hunter's repertoire when they are applying for jobs with a paper trail, an e-mail cover letter is a necessity to any jobs applied to on the internet. Even if a job does not specifically request an e-mail cover letter accompany a resume submission, be sure to include one! This could be the deciding factor between getting a call back and getting the trash can. Just imagine if there were hundreds of applicants who chose to not include an e-mail cover letter, and a very select who did, which category of people would be more likely to earn an interview?

Remember that an e-mail cover letter should not be the same a paper cover letter, but it should house some of the same elements. The trick is moderation. Word choice in an e-mail cover letter is ten times more important than a paper resume, and generally should be much less wordy. It is also a good idea to include an attachment of the e-mail cover letter, as well as putting it in the body of the e-mail. While it may seem repetitive, there are still individuals who are new to the internet and are not familiar with the standards. Therefore, if there is no attachment, they may feel one did not include a cover letter and the e-mail will be just as readily deleted. Don't let all that hard work go to waste!

Applying for a job through the internet is ideal for some individuals. It is a nice change to be able to put one's best foot forward will still being in their pjs! It is still a process that should be taken seriously though. Check and recheck that e-mail cover letter, use the tips found here, and then sit back and watch the interviews roll-in before it's even time for dinner! Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information about email cover letter checkout http://www.amazing-cover-letters.com/cover_letter_resources/email_cover_let= ter.htm. ]]> http://www.artwoo.com/article/its-time-to-set-up-a-direct-mail-strategy-for-your-business http://www.artwoo.com/article/its-time-to-set-up-a-direct-mail-strategy-for-your-business#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 10:27:08 +0000 direct mailmail strategyword of mouthcash flowgain publicityovernight successhappy customer http://www.artwoo.com/article/its-time-to-set-up-a-direct-mail-strategy-for-your-business cash flow, but we know that we need to get our messages out there if we want to grow and find new customers. As each of our businesses grow, we know that most of our customers and clients will come as a results of word of mouth advertising. However, we also know that we need to implement a direct mail strategy to help us expand our reach.

Word of mouth advertising is a great way to grow our businesses, mainly because a happy customer will spread the word about your great product or service. They will likely tell a friend. That's why we must keep on advertising. But how do you do it effectively when you have a limited budget and you have to worry about cash flow, payroll, inventory, rent, etc.?

I want to show you that you need to implement a direct mail strategy and I will share with you what I have learned in the process of developing one for my own companies.

We started out as a small company. We were operating in a few cities only and grew the company to the point where we were operating in 394 cities, 81 markets, 19 states and 3 countries. All this took quite a long time to achieve, so in no way was it a overnight success. Sometimes we had some of our locations that were short on capital and we had to help them find ways to advertise to get the most for their advertising dollar. The most effective method we found very helpful in reaching our goals was direct mail, we implemented a direct mail strategy.

I would like for you to start thinking how you can develop a direct mail strategy for your business. You should think of the options you have to gain publicity, advertising, marketing, PR, and how your direct mail strategy can come together with all of that. You need to keep an open mind and consider all the options when using a direct mail strategy.

My point in writing this is not to get you to spend all your money following a direct mail strategy; rather it's to get you to consider how it could benefit your company, business or non-profit organization. James Calvin is an avid studier of direct mail and direct response techniques. For more details on his most recommended products check out his website. Direct mail strategy and other resources can be found at http://www.millionairemarketingmanual.com right now! ]]>