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What is a good response rate for a mailing?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:02:00 +0000

This question might be the most frequently asked about direct mail marketing. The response rate is determined primarily by three factors: the mail list, the appearance of the mail piece, and the offer. Of the three, the mail list is the most influential – 60% – while appearance and the offer account for 20% a piece.

Factors tied to the mailing list include the overall list hygiene (accuracy of the addresses and age of the list), how often the list is used for mailing, and whether the list is appropriate for the offer being made.

In a January 2007 white paper, The Winterberry Group noted that the three key factors influencing consumer buying decisions in response to direct mail marketing are timing, personalization and relevance. For most mailings, a response rate of 1-2% would be considered good.

Post Card and Self-Mailer Design

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 23:42:00 +0000

When designing a post card or self-mailer, it is important to consider what the recipient will see first. Mail arrives in a bundle, arranged from smallest to largest piece and with all the address panels facing forward. Therefore, what the recipient will see first is the side of the mail piece that contains the mail panel. We mention this because of assumptions about the size and location of the mail panel, and the consequent inclination to think of the side without the mail panel as the most important part of the self-mailer.

There is no requirement that the mail panel take up the entire right hand half of the mail piece. To qualify for a postage discount, the mail panel can be as small as 5 inches wide and 3 inches high (as measured from the lower right hand corner). Provided the individual address lines are of standard length, this is enough room to locate the outbound address and the USPS-required bar code in the proper location within the mail panel. By reducing the size of the mail panel, you will provide additional information for a sales message and an attention-getting graphic.

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:39:00 +0000

In the debate over whether to use traditional direct mail or e-mail for marketing your company’s product or service, beware of using your personal experience or preferences to determine the marketing campaign strategy. To be blunt: your personal preferences are not a representative sample of the target audience, and so are irrelevant.

In the debate between direct mail and e-mail, each individual in your target audience gets the final say-so as to which method is better. You can make some educated guesses based on demographics such as age or whether the individual is a consumer or buying for a business, but ultimately you won’t know until you ask. Since that may be impractical or even impossible, the safest course is to use both direct mail and e-mail. In addition, response rates go up when more than one communication method is used.

Avoid the problems that can arise by assuming that your personal experience or preferences for being contacted can be generalized to the target audience. Base your marketing strategy on actual research and proven facts.

How to Use Direct Mail for Marketing Success - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:33:00 +0000

(continued from 1/24/11)

Step 2: the mail piece

Whether you are sending a post card, a self-mailer or several inserts in an envelope, the mail piece needs to be well-designed so it catches the eye and the interest of the recipient. Seven seconds is the amount of time a recipient looks at a direct mail marketing piece before deciding what to do with it – read it now, set aside to read later, or discard.

In today’s world of color, we recommend that you send full color mailers, regardless of size. The price of full color printing has dropped dramatically and is now affordable in quantities as low as 200 pieces. Using full color also allows for the use of stock photography, professionally-designed graphics and color used to emphasize a point and guide a reader around the mail piece.

Another possibility is to use a stark black-and-white design, as this will stand out in contrast to full color pieces. If you want to try this technique, please consult with us on the best paper to use for the mailer. Black and white can be dramatic; it can also look cheap depending on the design, printing process and stock used. Give us a call for information or an appointment.

The appearance of the mail piece accounts for 20% of the response rate.

Step 3: the text or copy or offer

For businesses seeking to sell a product or service, a traditional direct mail marketing piece always includes an offer and a call to action. The offer is worded to motivate the recipient to take action; the call to action tells the recipient what to do and may give a time frame for acting (known as creating a sense of urgency).

Not all direct mail marketing campaigns are launched for the purpose of generating sales leads. Other reasons for sending something through the mail include increasing name recognition or brand awareness, providing information, and making announcements.

Here are some additional elements that all direct mail marketing pieces should include:

The benefits to the recipient. Persuasive text for a direct mail marketing piece tells the recipient what he ultimately wants to know – what’s in it for me. Translate product and service features to benefits; overcome problems or fear with a solution; appeal to emotion – just remember to clearly state why the recipient should continue to read the mail piece or take the action you recommend.
Your company name, logo and contact information. Your company name and logo are important for establishing name recognition or brand awareness. However, they normally are not placed in a dominant position on the mail piece. Save that location for a reader benefit statement. Do be sure that the contact information is easy to find and contiguous to the call to action.
Return address. Adding a return address implies that your business or organization is established and is committed to transparency in its communications. A return address, when used with the proper endorsement for mail that is undeliverable as addressed, will enable you to keep your mailing list current.

The offer or the wording on the mail piece accounts for 20% of the response rate.

The final step

We believe that the most important step for success in direct mail marketing is consistency. By using a consistent style in both design and copywriting and mailing regularly, you’ll increase awareness in the target audience and leverage the effect of your efforts. If you would like to discuss any aspect of a direct mail campaign, we would be glad to come to your office or to set up a meeting at our location. Contact us soon and we’ll get started.

How to Use Direct Mail for Marketing Success - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Traditional direct mail and e-mail work best together. Both have their place in a marketer’s tool kit, neither cancels the need for the other, and the two may even work symbiotically, as when a post card is sent offering a premium if the recipient provides an e-mail address.

Some audiences prefer traditional direct mail

While we acknowledge the growing importance of web-based communication to reach customers and prospects, computers and mobile wireless devices like smartphones cannot by themselves reach everyone in a business’s or organization’s target market. That could change as the use of mobile wireless devices spreads (which is happening rapidly). But until that time, traditional direct mail still has valuable place as a marketing tool.

Traditional direct mail is a good choice for some audiences (such as an older demographic whose adoption of web-based communications may be lagging younger audiences) and for anyone who clearly states a preference for direct mail.

Traditional direct mail is also a good choice for businesses and organizations whose target audience is local. Sustaining member campaigns, fundraisers and financial support appeals by community-based non profits are a good example where outreach by traditional direct mail to the homes of donors is likely to outperform web-based appeal.

Anticipating the addition of, or even the switch to web-based communication, businesses and organizations are collecting e-mail addresses and starting permission-based newsletters and blogs. But until that task is complete, traditional direct mail could be the only way to reach a customer or prospect.

Successful direct mail in 3 easy steps

To conduct a successful direct mail marketing campaign, you’ll need a mailing list, a mail piece and something to communicate that is of interest to your target audience. We’re making it sound simple because it really is.

Notice that we said a successful direct mail marketing campaign. If you measure success as the response rate, then greater success comes from a series of mailings rather than a one-time drop.

The ideal number of mailings in a campaign is either three or seven, mailed close enough together to build recognition in the mind of the recipient. Studies show that the cumulative response spikes after three mailings, then reaches a point of diminishing return until the seventh mailing, then spikes again. Based on this fact, the response rate will be greater if you mail three times to the same list rather than one time to a larger list. Said another way, if you budget allows for mailing 3000 pieces, mail three times to 1000 rather than one time to 3000.

Step 1: the mail list

The best response rate comes from mailing to those who are already familiar with your business or organization. This can be your customers (active and inactive), prospects who have contacted you for some reason, and referrals from customers or friends.

A list you put together yourself consisting of customers, prospects and referrals is known as a house list. A house list can be compiled from customer purchase transactions, donor records, membership rosters and similar sources. In general, a house list produces a higher response rate than a purchased list because so many of the individuals on the list already know who you are.

If you want to expand your house list by adding a purchased list, a good technique is to submit the house list for data append. This adds demographic information (such as household income, gender of the head of household, home value, presence of children for residences and annual sales volume, number of employees, and SIC code for businesses). Data append creates a profile of those on your house list; then the profile can be used to select prospects whose profile is a match.

Using this technique, you’ll have a targeted mailing list of customers with whom you have an established business relationship and prospects whose demographic characteristics match those of your customers. If the list consists of businesses, you can further refine the list by searching the Internet for the business’s web site and gathering additional information to help you personalize a sales message.

As you prepare your mail list, keep this fact in mind: the mail list accounts for 60% of the response rate in any direct mail marketing campaign.

(to be continued 1/31/11)

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:33:00 +0000

If your organization is a nonprofit that needs to communicate with alumni, members or donors, you’ll be interested in the results of a survey commissioned by Pitney Bowes in 2009. Conducted by International Communications Research, the survey included approximately 1100 U.S. college graduates who were asked about their preferences for receiving information from the school they attended.

The survey found that 54% of respondents have a strong preference for direct mail. Less than half that number – only 23% – chose e-mail as their preferred method of communication. Respondents also indicated that they are less likely to discard or ignore direct mail that includes messages about fundraising and donations for their college or university. The alumni also prefer print mail for correspondence and news from their alma mater – 57% indicated a preference for mail versus 31% for e-mail.

I’m amazed at how inexpensive some types of full color printing have become. Why has the price come down so dramatically?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Two factors have combined to bring the price of full color printing within the reach of almost everyone.

The first is more efficient prepress production methods such as printing from PDF files rather than from files in the software application that was used to create the document. Since PDF files “lock down” the layout, font choices and images used in the document, we spend much less time reviewing how the document is constructed and checking to be sure it will print on our equipment as you intend.

The other factor is the proliferation of color digital output devices. As soon as inexpensive desktop inkjet printers were able to produce good quality (though pricey on a per-copy basis) prints, full color became the norm for document creation. Simultaneously, toner-based digital color technology improved by widening the choice of papers available – especially thicker cover weight and coated stocks – to match the stock used in offset printing.

For these reasons, we suggest that you ask us for an estimate on printing in full color, particularly for your marketing and image pieces. You may be surprised at how affordable our full color has become.

Direct mail marketing response rate

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:29:00 +0000

In direct mail marketing, the response rate is the percentage of recipients who respond to the mailing. Response rates can vary widely by industry, though the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in a study of 1,122 industry-specific campaigns determined that the average response rate for direct mail is 2.61%.

The response rate is often used as a measure of the success of a direct mail marketing campaign. Before beginning any direct mail marketing campaign, it is a good practice to determine the break even response rate – the number of respondents to the campaign that must buy to yield enough profit to cover the cost of the direct mail campaign. If the break even response rate is very high, then the campaign can be restructured to lower the cost and therefore lower the break even response rate to a more achievable level.

In general, the overall response rate is higher when a smaller target audience is contacted multiple times
versus a larger target audience contacted once.

The Value of Print - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:44:00 +0000

(continued from 12/20/10 post)

E-mail marketing
Due in part to its low cost, the relative ease of conducting a campaign, and the growing availability of e-mail lists, e-mail marketing is increasingly seen as an alternative to direct mail marketing – especially to reach the under-30 year old demographic. However, recent research suggests that digital marketing may not be living up to its original promise. In a survey conducted by Harris Interactive in July 2009, of 2,265 U.S. adults age 18 and above, a majority of respondents stated that printed media is easier to read than the digital equivalent (though they did prefer the immediacy of the digital media). Of those surveyed, 68% said they felt more comfortable when they have something on paper rather than on a computer screen.

One problem with e-mail marketing is deliverability of the message. In February 2010, the president of Return Path, an e-mail deliverability company, commented on deliverability. “Almost 95% of email messages at one point in 2009 were classified as spam, according to a recent study,” said George Bilbrey, President, Return Path. “As ISPs battle the onslaught of spam, the risks increase that legitimate senders will find their emails mislabeled as spam or junk and not reach consumers’ inboxes.”

Return Path also found that for the first six months of 2009, 20% of consumer e-mail ads sent by their Mailbox Monitor system were undelivered. Of those, 3.3% were sent to “junk” or “bulk” e-mail folders and 17.4% were not delivered at all. The undeliverability rate was even higher for business e-mail addresses, particularly those protected by spam filters. On average, only 72.4% of commercial e-mail is delivered.

Combine direct mail with e-mail marketing
The best strategy for communicating with customers and prospects is to use a combination of direct mail and e-mail marketing. According to an Ipsos survey conducted in 2007, 67% of respondents performed online searches for more information on a company, service or product after receiving an “offline” message.

Results from ExactTarget’s 2008 Channel Preference Survey supports the strategy of combining direct mail with e-mail. Respondents in that survey gave direct mail a score of 3.9 (out of a possible 5) as an acceptable marketing method and gave e-mail a score of 3.7. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said they made a purchase because of a marketing message received through direct mail, and 65% said they made a purchase because of an e-mail.

Print is here to stay
Despite the pace of change affecting printing, it remains a proven way to communicate with customers and prospects. Direct mail marketing, when combined with e-mail, is more effective than e-mail alone. And the affordability of full color means that direct mail pieces can be eye catching and appealing to the target audience.

The Value of Print - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:36:00 +0000

Much is being made today of the decline of printing. Newspaper and magazine subscribers are dwindling; e-books are gaining in popularity; online advertising is replacing print; and printed products are being assailed as environmentally unsound. So does printing have a future? Does it have a present? We say unequivocally: yes!

Businesses and organizations know that printing is not about the ink on the paper; it is about the target audience’s reaction to it. As author, journalist and marketing consultant Cary Sherburne says, “It is not about print; it is about the most effective way to achieve the business objective associated with any given customer communication or campaign.”

Print is not dead or dying, though it is changing. We’ll share with you why our outlook on print is so positive.

Affordable color
One beneficial change in printing is the new affordability of full color printing. Improvements in digital printing equipment such as the paper feed system, lower toner fusing temperature and polymerized toner particles have resulted in output that rivals offset printing for color fidelity, image resolution and the range of papers that can be used. And because digital printing requires almost no makeready, there are minimal fixed costs associated with each job. That means full color printing is now affordable in quantities as low as 100 prints, as well as in variable data printing applications such as versioning and one-to-one marketing.

Affordable color and the ready availability of stock photography means that small businesses and organizations can now realize the benefit of having corporate identity and marketing materials designed and printed in full color and illustrated with photographs. The effectiveness of informational material such as instruction sheets and training guides can be increased by incorporating color. Membership communications like newsletters and event invitations can be more visually appealing by printing in full color. Booklets and catalogs can now have full color covers (and maybe even full color interior pages). Depending on the design and the stock requirements, it may even be possible to print business cards digitally on demand, eliminating the need for imprinting on masters or shells.

Direct mail
As the amount of advertising on the Internet has grown, conventional wisdom has declared that direct mail marketing will disappear as a way of reaching customers and prospects. To us this sounds a lot like the now-debunked predictions about the paperless office. Every year since 1987, the United States Postal Service has conducted an annual study called The Household Diary Study. In 2008 the study included 5,312 households who completed a seven-day household diary of mail received and sent for all 52 weeks of the study year. Here are some of the study results:

Advertising mail represented 63% of all mail received – an average of about 16 pieces a week.
79% of households said they either read or scanned the advertising mail they received.
One in three households said they made one or more purchases as a result of receiving the advertising mail.

Contrary to the prevailing opinion that direct mail is “junk” mail that is immediately discarded by recipients, a majority of respondents in the 2008 Household Study reported paying attention to the advertising.

In another 2008 study, the DMNews/ Pitney Bowes survey, 1000 American consumers (split 50-50 between men and women) age 18 and up from ten major metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix and Seattle) were surveyed regarding the direct mail marketing pieces they receive. The survey findings:

Nearly 94% of consumers surveyed reported taking action on promotional offers and coupons received via direct mail.
20% of consumers reported that more than 10% of the offers or coupons they received by mail led to a purchase.
Almost 40% of respondents said they had tried a new business for the first time because of information received via direct mail.
Nearly 70% of respondents said they renewed a relationship with a business because they received a direct mailing or promotional item.
Respondents stated that information received via direct mail often led to contribution to a non-profit organization for the first time.

The surveyors concluded that “direct mail induces consumers to touch the offer – recipients of mail are receiving, sorting, reading and using direct mail to make purchasing decisions.”

In March 2009, Bredin Business Information (BBI) published the results of a survey of 50 small to medium business marketers and 741 principals of US-based businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Marketing to SMBs in 2009 revealed that 43.6% of the 741 businesses said they rely on direct mail, including letters and post cards, for information on products and services.

(to be continued 12/27/10)

Is direct mail bad for the environment?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:21:00 +0000

Contrary to what you may have heard from proponents of various “Do Not Mail” coalitions, direct mail is an environmentally responsible way to advertise. Yes, trees are harvested to create the pulp from which paper is made. But the harvested trees are grown specifically for that purpose on tree farms known as managed timberlands. The trees are an agricultural crop, like vegetables on a farm; the trees are not cut down from neighborhood parks or wilderness areas. America’s forestry and paper industries plant more than 4 million new trees each day (or 1.4 billion per year) – that’s three new trees for every one harvested.

Recycling is another reason not to fear direct mail. Paper is one consumer product that is fairly easy and inexpensive to recycle. After first use, paper products can be made into corrugated boxes, packaging, newsprint, tissue and event writing paper. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, annual recycling rates for advertising mail have increased 700% since 1990. In 2008, 57.4% of all the paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling. This is the equivalent of nearly 340 pounds of paper for each man, woman and child in America.

The paper industry has set a goal of 60% recovery by 2012.

Recycling paper has become popular worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:16:00 +0000

Over 95 million metric tons of paper are recovered each year and made into recycled paper and paperboard. Recovered paper fiber makes up over one-third of the total fiber used to make the world’s paper.

The United States is the world’s leading paper recycler, responsible for over one-third of all the paper recovered in the world.

More paper and paperboard packaging is recovered for recycling than all glass, plastic, metal and other materials combined.
75% of all corrugated material and containers are recovered for recycling.
68% of all newsprint is recovered for recycling. About one-third is recycled back into newsprint. The rest is made into other products including cereal boxes, corrugated boxes, books, insulating materials, tissue, egg cartons and animal bedding.
About 66% of the raw material used to make paper in the U.S. comes from recovered paper that is recycled, and the wood debris left from lumber manufacturing.
More paper is recovered than is sent to landfills.

Here’s how post-consumer recovered paper is used: unprinted paper becomes toilet and tissue paper; printed white and colored writing paper becomes recycled copy paper; newspapers and magazines are used again for newspapers and magazines; and packaging material like corrugated boxes are used to make recycled packaging materials. Recovered paper can also be used in related products like egg cartons, wall insulation, roofing and animal bedding.

Statistics provided by TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry)

How is ink removed from recovered paper that is being recycled?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:16:00 +0000

There are two ways to remove ink from paper – by washing, by flotation, or a combination.

In the washing process, soaps are added to paper as it is being pulped. The ink dissolves in the water which then can be cleaned and re-used. Ink removed by flotation requires air to be passed through the paper pulp. This produces foam that captures the ink; the foam is then skimmed off.

After de-inking, paper pulp may be bleached to increase brightness. Hydrogen peroxide is the most commonly used bleach as it decomposes into water and hydrogen. Another method is to use inert, harmless brightening compounds.

Not all paper pulp needs to be bleached, and not all recovered paper needs to be de-inked. If ink is not removed from recycled paper during pulping, the ink will disperse in the pulp, discoloring it slightly. For some uses, this discoloration is immaterial.

Ink removed from recycled pulp can be burned to generate energy to run the paper mill, or can be used to make compost or gravel for roads.

QR Codes: Reaching Customers through Mobile Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:11:00 +0000

A QR Code to a video we created

A QR code is the newest technology to help businesses link the physical world to the cyber world and market their product and services. Using Smartphone technology, people can scan a special QR (Quick Response) code and have their telephone connect to a web address, download a MP3 file, dial a telephone number or prompt the email client with a sender address almost instantaneous.

Mobile marketing is changing the way consumer marketing occurs. Instead of a campaign-based approach, it creates a dialogue where consumers are willing to share information and companies are able to make use of that information in a more valuable way. Mobile marketing has the ability to send the right message to the right person at the right time and so trigger a better response rate.

What makes mobile marketing with QR codes different is that it is permission-based. Unlike other forms of mass marketing, consumers need to give their permission before being marketed to. It is also targeted and live. Responses can be processed to give real-time visibility of reaction to specific offers.

Mobile marketing is two-way. Using mobile devices, consumers can not only respond to offers but also request specific types of information or interest (for example, offers related to a brand or a category) as well as sharing information with their peers. It is also considered a more trusted channel than email. Very strict rules have regulated marketing to mobile phones. As a result, unsolicited communication (spam) is not a problem in the same way that it is for email.

Who uses mobile marketing?

Any company selling a product and service can benefit from mobile marketing. Companies use it to extend their packaging. Consumers can access additional information about products through their mobile phone by scanning the QR code. It can be used to deliver content and purchase information. Some companies use mobile marketing to both capture and redeem coupons and discounts.

Consumers use mobile marketing to check whether or not a product is genuine and for reordering. Some consumers even use mobile marketing for mobile self scanning to scan and check prices in local stores.

Many marketing experts are predicting mobile marketing and QR codes will become commonplace in North America as they are in Japan and Europe.

What do you need for mobile marketing?

Consumers need to have a mobile telephone that has a web browser and a camera. The consumer can download a QR code reader application in order to scan and read the QR code. The QR code readers can be found at the telephone company’s App Store and are usually free or available for less than $2. A complete list of telephones that support QR codes and links to their QR readers can be found at http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qrcode-software/.

Your printing company can supply you with the actual QR code. Just provide the printer with the URL address and a QR code can be created and added to your printed piece.

QR Code with my contact information

Why haven’t I heard of it?

You may not have heard about mobile marketing and QR codes because it is brand new in North America. If you will look around you, you will see that QR code use is growing. You will notice them in magazine advertisements. Read the labels on products in the grocery store and you’ll probably see a QR code. Some airlines are using QR codes to replace boarding passes. Target stores are providing coupons and discounts to customers using QR codes.

We recommend starting now

We recommend are customers to start using QR codes now. Because they are new, companies using the QR codes will have a competitive advantage as mobile marketing grows. Younger, upscale consumers are already discovering mobile marketing and you don’t want to be left behind.

If you like a demonstration on how mobile marketing can work for your company, give me a call at (719) 591-0790. We can show you how you can combine printing and the Internet into a low cost solution to help you increase your sales and services.

Using Images In Documents - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:25:00 +0000

File size
The size of a file is determined by whether it is a vector or raster file and whether it is binary, grayscale or color. File compression is a way of reducing file size without compromising image quality.

There are two compression methods: one (called lossless) keeps all the pixels of the original image but finds more efficient ways to represent recurring patterns of pixels in the file; and one (called lossey) eliminates pixels that aren’t needed to maintain quality.

File formats for printed images
The best file formats to use for images that will be printed are:

For vector images: .eps (Encapsulated PostScript)
For raster images: .tif (Tagged Image File Format)

Recall that vector images are constructed from mathematical formulas. This means that they are resolution-independent and can be scaled (resized) and manipulated (flipped, rotated, stretched, cropped, colorized, combined) with ease using programs like Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw. This is an ideal format for initial
design of logos and illustrations, and for clip art.

Raster images are composed of rows and columns of pixels (sometimes called a bitmap). Because raster images are hard to resize and manipulate, they are best used at the size and orientation of the original. Raster images can be cropped, colorized, converted to grayscale or monochrome using image editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro. All photographs are raster images.

The .tif file format usually produces the best quality image from a digital camera. The other choice is .jpg (Joint
Photographic Experts Group), a file format that has been optimized for continuous-tone full color photographs by incorporating file compression.

JPG compression looks at blocks of 8x8 pixels and selectively reduces the detail in each block. This maintains the physical size of the image, reduces the amount of space required to store it, but sacrifices the quality of the image. The extent of image degradation depends on the degree of compression (it is adjustable).

If you are editing or manipulating digital photographs, work in .tif format rather than .jpg since each new save in .jpg compresses the file. By contrast, a .tif file uses lossless compression, so there is no loss of pixels.

The file formats .psd (Photoshop), .psp (Paint Shop Pro), .ai (Adobe Illustrator) and .cdw (Corel Draw) are proprietary. They are good to use while editing images in order to have access to all the editing tools in the program. However, after the image editing is complete, save raster images as a .tif file and vector images as an .eps file.

Use images successfully
For maximum effectiveness, any image you use in a document must reproduce well. This requires attention to the file format and adhering to production standards.

Using Images In Documents - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:30:00 +0000

Imagine a page of text describing a product offered for sale. Now imagine that same page with images of the product added. Even in your imagination there’s a difference – the image adds interest to the page and improves its appearance.

That’s the power of images, whether they are photographs, clip art, illustrations, charts, graphs or symbols. To attract attention and improve reader comprehension, nothing beats an image.

An image has maximum effectiveness when it satisfies these four criteria: the image is worthy of being printed; it is of good quality; it is relevant to the text; and it is consistent with the design and layout of the document. In this post we will focus on what makes a good quality digital image for print.

What is a digital image?
A digital image is an image stored as one of two types: vector or raster. Vector images are lines created from mathematical calculations while raster images (also called bitmap) are created from numerical values – ones and zeros – organized as a fixed number of rows and columns of picture elements or pixels.

Vector images are created by illustration or drawing programs such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Raster images are created by digital cameras or scanners and are edited by image editors or paint programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro.

Color in images
The simplest images, called binary images, contain only two colors. Each pixel is stored as a single bit (either 0 or 1). These images are sometimes referred to as black and white or monochrome.

In a grayscale image, each pixel is a shade of gray that varies from black to white. Sometimes called a monochromatic image, grayscale requires 8 bits of storage for each pixel where each bit represents 256 possible levels of gray.

For a full color image, each pixel has 24 bits of storage and can display 16 million colors, shades and hues. This explains why files containing color images are so large.

The two most common color models are RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). RGB color is the color model for computer monitors and the web, while CMYK is the color model for printing. If you are working with your images in the RGB model, you must convert them to CMYK before
placing them in your document.

Image resolution
Image resolution is the amount of detail an image holds, expressed as the number of pixels in the image. Resolution for digital cameras is often expressed as the number of pixel columns (width) by the number of pixel rows (height), such as 640 x 480. For printing, resolution is expressed as pixels per inch (ppi),
meaning the number of pixels in a linear inch. The more pixels per inch, the higher the resolution.

The most important thing to understand about resolution is the relationship between an image’s resolution (ppi) and an image’s print size (actual width and height). For a photograph to reproduce well in print, it must have a minimum resolution of 300 ppi in its print size. Such a file is termed high resolution (hi-res). In some cases we may be able to use a 200 ppi image, but we almost never can use a low resolution (lo-res) file (resolution is below 200 dpi) because there are not enough pixels to adequately represent the image.

Even if a file’s resolution is high enough, it still may not reproduce well if the image resolution doesn’t match the print size. If you ask us to enlarge the image to print in a bigger size than it was originally, the pixels that make up the image will move farther apart. This changes the number of pixels per inch, reducing the resolution. If the enlargement is significant, individual pixels may become visible, creating jagged edges in the image. This effect is called pixelation.

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:18:00 +0000

A return address is an important part of any mail piece. For some types of mailings, it is a required element of the mailing panel, and in general it is a good idea because it allows the USPS to notify the mailer of address correction for first class mail (single-piece and presorted).

Return address legibility is crucial, especially since some letter mail may be redirected to the return address by PARS (Postal Automated Redirection System) if the mail piece is undeliverable as addressed.

The preferred location for a return address is the upper left corner of the mail piece or the upper left corner of the addressing area. If there is a secondary address element (apartment number, suite number, etc.) that must be included on the street address line.

If postage is paid using precanceled stamps or a company permit imprint (indicia), the return address must include the 5-digit or 9-digit ZIP code. ZIP codes must also be used in the return address on all official mail (penalty mail) and on periodicals mail when Address Service Requested is specified on the mail piece.

Here are the situations when a return address must be used;

Any class of mail endorsed with an ancillary service request (i.e., return service, forward service, address service, forward service)
Official mail
Mail using precanceled stamps as postage
Mail using a company permit imprint for postage
Priority Mail
Periodicals mailed in envelopes or wrappers and periodicals endorsed with address service requested
Package services, except for unendorsed bound printed matter
Registered mail
Insured mail
Collect on Delivery (COD)
Certified mail if a return receipt is requested
Express mail if a return receipt is requested
Detached address labels (DALs)

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:10:00 +0000

To safely use images that you have found on the web without copyright infringement, you need to know the difference between images that are in the public domain and those that are protected by copyright. Here are the basics:

All intellectual property (writing, images, illustrations, photographs, etc.) belongs to the person who created it, and that person may impose conditions or terms of usage on anyone else who wants to use the intellectual property. Failure to honor the terms of usage is a violation of the intellectual property owner’s rights.
After a certain amount of time, intellectual property passes into the public domain. A work in the public domain is a creative work that is not protected by copyright and which may be freely used by anyone.

Anything published before 1923 is now in the public domain. Unpublished works created before 1978 began to pass intothe public domain on December 31, 2002. The absence of a copyright notice on works published before March 1, 1989 puts them in the public domain (with some exceptions). Once an image has passed into the public domain, there are no restrictions on its use. You can make changes, add color, resize, or even resell the image.

There is a misconception that images available on web sites are in the public domain. Usually they are not. Images scanned from sources such as magazines, books, greeting cards, coloring books, etc. are copyrighted and should not be used without written permission. Most cartoon characters (Disney characters, for example) are copyrighted.

How Good Is Your Mailing List? Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Software for maintaining a mail list
Since a mail list is really a data base of elements needed to form an address, it is best to maintain it in a software program such as Microsoft Access that is designed for data base management. While it is easy to use the spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel to set up columns and tabular displays, it is not the first choice for mail list maintenance. Don’t use Microsoft Word for your mail list even though it has a mail merge function.

Merge/purge and de-duplication
Merge/purge is one method of improving the quality of a mail list. In this process, two or more different name and address files are combined (merged) into one list and duplicate records are identified and deleted (purged). De-duplication (de-dupe) is the same process but using only one list. One of the main benefits of merge/purge and de-duplication is to ensure that a single individual or business receives only one mail piece.

Identifying duplicates requires a set of rules to define what constitutes a duplicate. Addresses can be compared to addresses only; or names to names only; or names and addresses compared. Matches can be exact (meaning every element is identical) or near (meaning Bob Peterson or Rob Peterson would be considered a match to Robert Peterson).

Move update
We are a very mobile population. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that on average, about 1 in 6 Americans move every year. However, some demographic segments move more often – about one-third of renters move each year, compared to about 10% of homeowners, and about one-third of adults in their early 20s.

What this means for you as a mail list manager is the importance of verifying that an individual or business is at the address you have on file. One way to do this is to mail at least every 90 days and to use an ancillary service endorsement (ASE) on the outside of the mail piece. The ASE tells the USPS what to do with the mail piece if the individual or business has moved. Another way is to compare your mail list to the database maintained by the USPS of individuals and businesses who have turned in change of address notices. We provide this service, called move update verification, to our customers; if you would like more information, just give us a call.

Mail list enhancement services
If you have carefully compiled your mailing list and maintained it well, you may benefit from enhancing the list with additional information besides what is required to address a mail piece. A business list can be enhanced with information such as SIC code, annual sales, and number of employees, while household income, phone, gender and other demographic information can be added to a residential list. Data append produces a profile of your customers which can be used as the basis for selecting prospects that match the profile.

Your mail list: a valuable marketing tool
Because your mail list can be a valuable marketing tool, it is worth the effort to compile and maintain a good one. We will be glad to discuss your plans to use your mailing list for a marketing effort, and to provide information on how to improve its quality, accuracy and recency.

How Good Is Your Mailing List? Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:17:00 +0000

We strongly believe in the power of direct mail marketing as a way to build business. Keeping your company or organization’s name in front of customers helps to reinforce their decision to use your products and services; for prospects, it creates name recognition; and for both groups it builds top of mind awareness for your brand.

The success of any direct mail marketing campaign is determined by three factors: the quality of the mail piece itself; the offer; and the mailing list. Of these, the mailing list is significantly more important than the other two. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association attributes 60% of the success of a mailing to the list itself and just 20% each to the mailer and the offer.

The secret to an effective mailing list
The secret to an effective mailing list can be stated in one word: accurate. Accuracy starts with getting the right individuals or businesses on the list – those who have an established interest in your product or service, or those who share the same demographic characteristics. Gender, age, income, level of education and geographic proximity are all examples of shared demographic characteristics.

Another measure of accuracy is the quality of each address. The individual or business name must be complete and correctly spelled; the street address must contain all necessary elements, including secondary information (i.e., unit, apartment, space, etc.) and street suffix (i.e., street, avenue, boulevard, road, drive, way, lane, etc.); and the city and state must have the correct ZIP or postal code.

An effective list has a data field for every unique element in the mailing list, even if it occurs rarely. List managers develop data entry conventions such as using standard abbreviations for street type (St., Ave., Blvd., etc.) and secondary address elements (Ste., #, Sp., etc.), and enforce the standards by not allowing creative data entry (such as entering a company name in the place reserved for the name of a person).

Mail list structure
Maintaining data quality is a function of how the mail list is structured and how fully data entry standards are developed and enforced. It is particularly important that the list have the right number of fields to contain all the name and address information, and to size the fields so there is enough room to hold the information without extensive use of abbreviations or truncating.

The first step in structuring a mail list is to determine the total number of unique data elements and to create a separate field for each one, no matter how infrequently it occurs. For example, if your mailing list contains just one foreign address, you will need to create a country field as well as any additional fields required by the country’s postal system (i.e., addresses in Puerto Rico require an urbanization code). If you want to include a middle initial for an individual’s name, you will need a middle name field and refrain from entering the middle initial into the fields reserved for first name or last name. Similarly, a list that contains both individual and business names will need a company field so that the business name isn’t entered into a field used for the individual’s name.

People’s names consist of five basic parts: prefix (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Rev., Sen., etc.); first name; middle name or initial; last name; and suffix (Jr., III, DDS, Ph.D., etc.)

The importance of maintaining separate fields for name elements in a mail list becomes clear when searching for duplicates in the list. If an individual’s name is separated into its constituent parts in a mailing list, it is much simpler to identify duplicates than if the first name and last name are in the same field.

Print Can Drive Online Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:21:00 +0000

As businesses and organizations continue to integrate print-based marketing with online activities, many have discovered the benefit of using a post card to introduce and drive prospects to the web site. And while a post card can be any size, there is one we highly recommend for this purpose: either 4 x 6 inches or 4.25 x 6 inches.

This size falls into the USPS classification of card which is a subclass of first class mail. Due to an anomaly in postage rates, it actually costs less in postage to mail a card than a larger post card. And because the smaller card is first class mail, it receives the first class mail services - delivery priority and free notification back to the mailer if the card is not deliverable as addressed.

When designing the card, keep in mind how the letter carrier will present the mail. Most likely, it will be sorted with the address facing the recipient. Be sure you include enough tantalizing information on this side of the post card to ensure that the recipient will turn it over and read your main message.

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:50:00 +0000

The content of your newsletter is what attracts and keeps reader interest by providing relevant, informative, entertaining and useful information. One purpose of a newsletter is to lend credibility to your company and to establish your expertise; this can only be accomplished if the newsletter is mainly information, with little or no advertising.

Relevant information: To provide relevant information in your newsletter, you must know the target audience. If your audience is diverse, it may be better to publish more than one version of your newsletter so the content can be fully tailored.
Useful information: Factual articles based on research, or “how-to” tips based on experience both qualify as useful information. To encourage readers to trust the information, keep sales hype, (including superlatives and over-the-top claims) out of the articles.
Writing style: A good writing style to adopt for your newsletter is the same one used by a newspaper journalist – objective, factual and well-researched. Focus on news that is relevant to your audience, and present it without bias. Keep the language easy-to-read and the sentence structure simple and conversational.
Call to action: Even though your newsletter isn’t directly selling, it should include a call to action. Emphasize current offers, discounts or other specials of interest to customers and prospects, and make it easy for them to act on the information by providing instructions for what to do if interested.

Newsletter Topic Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:50:00 +0000

If you’re finding it difficult to find topics for your newsletter, we offer these suggestions:

Interview an expert. Find someone within your company or from the outside to provide an expert opinion on a topic of interest.
Use guest articles. Ask an expert in a complementary field to write an article.
Share your knowledge in “how-to” articles. Write about topics that will help others succeed in using your company’s products or services.
Generate a numbered list. Everyone loves a numbered list. Use any number you want, from small to large.
Answer reader questions: Invite readers to submit questions or topics of interest.
Simplify a technical issue. Explain a technical topic in simpler terms so it is easily understood by the reader.
Case study: Describe a customer problem and show how your product or service solved the problem.
Community service: Describe a community project or donation made by the company or organization and its staff and members.
Employee profile: Provide information about an employee that shows why he or she is outstanding in their job performance.

What Do I Need To Know About Newsletter Design?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:27:00 +0000

A newsletter’s design has a big impact on reader reaction. To be sure your design is successful, remember these three Cs: consistent, conservative and contrast.

Consistency addresses the format of your newsletter. If printing in black with an accent color, select a color palette and maintain it throughout each issue. Use an underlying grid to organize each page. If your newsletter is short (4 pages or less), use the same grid for each page. Use templates and style sheets to control headlines, subheads and body copy.

Be conservative in the use of fonts and graphic elements, especially in a short newsletter. A good rule of thumb is
to limit the number of photos, graphic accents or clip art to one or two per page. Select one font for body copy and another for headlines, and use these exclusively. Stylize the two fonts with italics, bold, and condensed, but do not introduce additional fonts.

Use contrast to direct the reader’s eye and to establish the hierarchy of importance. Headlines should contrast with body copy and with subheads. Drop caps, extra-large initial caps, or an illustrated capital will draw the reader’s eye and create graphic interest. Use white space in the form of gutters and margins to lighten up dense body copy.

Improving the design of your newsletter will pay dividends in reader interest and accessibility.

How Many Images Can I Use With a Page of Text?

noreply@blogger.com (Randy Monroe) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:12:00 +0000

A good rule of thumb is to include no more than 3 or 4 images on a single page of text. When counting the images, include photographs, clip art, charts, graphics, boxes and borders and decorative special effects. One or two key images that support the text will be more effective than a lot of distracting visual noise.

To reduce the number of images, try these tricks:

Unify decorative special effects by picking one and using it throughout the document rather than changing it on each page.
Use font size, alignment or color for emphasis rather than clip art.
Instead of several small photos, enlarge and crop one photo so it dominates the page.
Collect items that require reader attention into a single box with a background screen.
If you must include many photographs to accompany one story, arrange them to indicate priority or importance.