Meryljr
Ugly and Unorganized Worked!
The artist and organizer in me is always looking for ways to make things attractive and neat. But if there is one thing that I learned over my years as a Creative Director specializing in direct mail, pretty and organized is not always what gets the highest response. Years ago when I worked at Time‘s […]
New USPS Requirements for Folded Self-Mailers
Beginning this month there are new rules from the USPS for Folded Self-Mailers (FSMs), which mail without envelopes. The changes are: 1. SIZE Acceptable sizes for FSMs are 4-1/4” x 6” up to 6-1/8” x 10-1/2”. Previously, the largest dimension was 11-1/2”. 2. SETUP All FSMs must open at the top and fold at the bottom. […]
Barcodes are a great design element for direct mail
Here’s a piece I designed for Newsweek. Very basic, but take note of the barcodes that I circled in red. They are an important design element of the piece. It makes the form worth something more. It’s saying this is a special access form, and your so lucky to have received it. BTW, the barcodes […]
Judging Email Creative Based on “Images Off”
Here are two emails, both with the images off. If you were to click “images on” (show content), the email on the bottom is “prettier”. This fits perfectly into my argument that good design is not always the prettier designed. I would say that the one on top is the better design. The message is […]
5 Reasons to Use Coupons
Coupons are effective. Consider these points from http://smallbusinessbonfire.com/blog: 1. Coupons are time-based and encourage fast action. 2. Coupons offer an immediate benefit. 3. Coupons can push on-the-fence purchasers toward making a purchase. 4. Coupons can give previous purchasers a reason to purchase again. 5. The success of your coupons can […]
Are Bigger Postcards Better?
Are mailing oversize postcards worth the additional expense? Oversize postcards stand out more in the mailbox. But are they really more effective than smaller postcards? Read more about this here.
An Easy Trick to check U.S. Letter Mail Aspect Ratio
Here is an easy trick to check U.S. letter mail aspect ratio. Just divide the width of your envelope or postcard by the height. If your results are great than 1.3 and less than 2.5 you are good. Why is letter mail aspect ratio important? It’s the key to getting the lowest postage rate, by […]
How to create an effective
email list
From time to time clients tell me they would like to send out an email to get new customers. I ask them about their email list and they tell me they are going to purchase one or they have been compiling a list of names. Of course you can send out an email from a […]
Curiosity opens the envelope
I recently received this envelope, which looks like a package due to the label and kraft color, from a credit card company in the mail. Upon touching it I felt some padding inside. It certainly piqued my curiosity. Is there something special inside for me? I opened the envelope just to find a prominent credit […]
Coin Tricks for Direct Mail
Remember getting a letter in the mail with a coin in it? Here’s an article that supports doing that again. http://goo.gl/rfMNY
Simple ways to optimize your
email results
Campaign monitor has a blog posting titled 3 Simple Ways to Optimize Your Email Campaign Results. I encourage you to read it. Here is the link http://goo.gl/1dPDT. The author of the post talks about and shows examples of 1. A/B splits (If you don’t know what this is click here) 2. Subject lines 3. Using […]
Holiday Card Sent by Email
To inspire you, here is a card that I created last year that was delivered by email. I found the art on istockphoto.com.