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In this issue:
Marketing Article: Save Money, Save Time: How to Control Your Mailings
Marketing Article: Two Simple Sides, Thousands of Responses, One Great Campaign:
Why You Should Consider Postcards

If you're like many direct mailers, you think you have absolutely no control over your mailings. Right? Ah, but it's not so. You have a great deal of control over them. The trick is to know when and how to do all the "little" things that can ensure you maximum return.

No matter how good your sales literature is in content, if it's not sent properly, if it's not sent when it should be sent and if it's not sent to the right people it's a bad mailing. It's destined to fail.

Let's assume for now you have a really good mailing list. That leaves the matters of packaging your mailing and timing it. Both depend upon to whom you're mailing. If your mailing is going to consumers in their homes you do it one way. If, on the other hand, it goes to business people in offices it is handled entirely different.

So first, evaluate your prospects. Who are they? What are their habits?

Let's take business people. They get a ton of mail on Monday. They also often have meetings on Mondays. (Those horrid bell-ringing events we all hate.) Friday is a day that many people take off or leave their offices at noon. They have their minds on the weekend. (Unless they're like some of us who are entrepreneurs. We do business any day, any hour.)

So to send those people mail that will get to them on those days is suicide. Yours! You'll increase your returns if you avoid those days when mailing to business people.

If, however, you're mailing to people in their homes, try to get it to them midweek or on the weekend. Also, holidays are good for consumers. But they're very bad for business people.

After your mailing is done the fun begins. Make a chart. I keep mine in a three-ring binder. On it put a place for the date, the day of the week, returns and responses. Under responses make a place for the per day responses, the total responses and the actual percentage of the total mailing it represents.

I also usually try out three different sales letters. So I keep track of where I send each letter, i.e. what zip code or town or state. Then I can begin to see which letter pulls best for me. I then begin to use only that letter.

Then you want to figure out your actual break even point. You know your advertising cost and you know what you can afford to get a lead. So you divide what you can afford to spend at break-even for a sale into your advertising cost. Then you will know how many sales you must get to break even.

Let's say your break-even or par is 5%. If you're not getting that you can do a number of things to improve your chances of success.

You can raise your price, lower costs, try another list, make your prospects a better offer, improve the quality of your marketing literature or increase the size of your average order. To increase the size of your average order, I usually offer a package deal. This is a combination of two of my most popular items that people usually buy separately. I sell it to them as a package. They get a good deal and I increase my average order.

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Susanna K. Hutcheson is a professional advertising and direct mail copywriter. She writes everything from Web site content to direct mail and radio spots. Visit her Web site at http://www.powerwriting.com . Her email address is powerwriter@powerwriting.com . Telephone: (316) 684-0457.

AccuTips Editor Carolyn Petrie shares a few compelling reasons to step back, scale down and make money on your next direct mail campaign.

Big-budget marketers might scoff at those little scraps of card-stock so often used by local pizza joints and neighborhood mom-and-pop shops. But postcards have been called "the most overlooked moneymaking secret in today's marketing world" by a few experts who know better. In fact, many professionals swear by the humble postcard as the fastest, easiest, most reliable way to increase sales without spending a boatload of cash.

A few selling points on postcard mailings:
• They're simple and easy to read. Many direct mail sales messages go unread and are thrown away because they're concealed in envelopes.
• They're cost-efficient - up to four times cheaper than traditional direct mail. And they offer you the opportunity to mail personalized, 4-color mini-billboards to any U.S. address for the measly cost of one First Class postage stamp.
• You don't need a retail store to profit from postcards. Publishers and service-providers can use them effectively to garner leads and sell their wares.
• Next to e-mail, postcards are the cheapest way to acquire new business. They won't be deleted, they can't be blocked by a spam-filter and they won't shut down someone's hard drive!

Postcard Mailing Objectives
• Prompt prospects to call your business or visit your Web site
• Create a positive impression, even if it's simply name recognition
• Make a memorable statement with your business name and logo
• Ensure that you convey the benefits of your product or service, and why your company is best

Tips to Make Your Postcards Increase Response
• Use bright colors, and lots of 'em. 4-color postcards really • catch the eye in a stack of mostly-white mail.
• Keep your messaging simple and vibrant. Get to the point and have a clear call to action.
• Use a great list. An experienced, reputable data services provider can steer you toward the right names. The right list is always worth the money.
• Keep in touch. Think about sending postcards with a new offer every quarter, to keep your business at the forefront of your prospect's mind.
• Follow-up right after you mail with a friendly phone call and offer.
• Proof your project as many times as possible. Read it yourself, give it to a co-worker, then pass it around the office. Typos are embarrassing; content errors are unacceptable.