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Postal Rate Increase

Ouch!

Postal rates increased on May 14, 2007!

Here are a few quick tips to save money on your direct mail projects:

Mail postcards to your customers instead of sending letters
Clean your lists – don’t throw away money by mailing to a dirty list
Call us at 630-221-9844 if you want help coordinating a direct mail project.

And if you choose to believe the US Postal Service, then stock up on the newest 41 cent stamps, as the USPS is promising that these stamps will be good forever. What does that mean? They say that means they will accept these stamps as 1st class postage forever, even if they increase 1st class rates again.

It has been almost five years (June '02) since the last postal rate increase, so factor that into your bulk buying strategy.

E-Newsletters for Blackberry Users

Next time you send an email newsletter, remember that most of your audience will probably read your newsletter on a Blackberry or Treo. Your newsletter is your chance to have a quick conversation with a very busy person.

Most people force themselves to scan their e-newsletter headlines, but rarely give themselves enough time to read everything that crosses their email inbox. Give them the information that matters as quickly as you can.

Keep sentences short
Fragments are okay
Eliminate unnecessary words
Use active voice
Avoid lengthy explanations

The busy people reading your mail are probably your best prospects. They'll reward you if you supply content that is simple and straightforward.

Businesses Struggle to Escape Google Hell

Great stuff on Slashdot about Google hell. If you depend on Google for traffic, I recommend you read this one.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/05/01/1229242&threshold=2

Too many bright shiny objects?

Congratulations.

You're measuring your marketing.

Now a word of caution. Don't get carried away by all the bright shiny objects that you can measure.

It is very easy to become overwhelming by the sheer volume of data that is now in your hands. Focus on the metrics that help you understand your progress toward the things that matter most.

Start by defining the key actions that are most important to your marketing. For example...how much does each lead cost? Building a measurement program to answer this one question is harder than it appears. Some lead sources (such as the salaries of your sales people) are often overlooked as part of the total equation.

Once you are comfortable with your measurement methodology, the next step is to start tracking additional metrics that can help you identify where improvements can be made. By using past performance as a baseline and current performance as a starting point, you will be able to set reasonable goals for future campaigns.

The right bright shiny objects then help you identify where the greatest opportunities lie.

Open source maps

Out of the UK comes a company called OpenStreetMap - they are using volunteers with GPS devices to collect location data. Read the story here. Thinking about this, it makes sense. The real challenge is building the right controls on the user supplied data. How is the data verified and how is it protected from vandalism?

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