You wouldn’t go hiking without a compass, so why venture into direct marketing without an experienced guide? Throughout history there have been countless explorers who have set out to find new territories, but needed help from others who knew the lay of the land. In fact, Lewis and Clark would have never seen the Pacific Ocean without the help of the Native Americans.

To help our clients navigate the changes in rates coming from the United States Postal Service (USPS), we have broken down what this will mean for them.

Last year the USPS requested to raise postal rates 5.6 percent to help with their budget shortfall. Because the request was above the rate of inflation, the USPS needed approval. But the measure was struck down. Now the USPS has resubmitted a new postal rate increase which is less than the rate of inflation. So, on April 17 postage will be going up 1.7 percent.

It is not much of a raise, but it will have an effect on some types of postage. Here is how it will work:

• The cost of first class mail will remain unchanged at 44 cents.
• Heavier first class mail will be changed to 20 cents from 17 cents per additional ounce.
• Postcards will be raised from 28 cents to 29 cents.
• Letters to Canada and Mexico will increase to 80 cents, and other international rates will be left at 98 cents.
• The price increase for presort standard letter-sized pieces is on average 1.8%, for flat sized-pieces it’s 0.8%.  Non-personalized, saturation rate mailings will increase 0.6% for letter-sized pieces and 0.4% for flats and parcels.

We do not see the changes having any type of effect on the growth direct mail is expected to see in 2011 or on our clients’ marketing budgets. This raise was not a surprise to commercial printers and mail houses (we are both!). Because we have implemented the latest in printing technology we offer options like variable data printing, which can deliver much higher response rates, with fewer printed pieces being mailed.

In case you need some help finding your direct mail direction, we can help answer your questions at Kopytek. Direct mail is the most cost effective and targeted way of reaching potential customers and growing your business. We would like the opportunity to show you how.

On April 1st it’s not easy to know who you can trust and who you can’t. In recent years there have been spectacular April Fools Day pranks on TV, in the newspaper and on the radio. No matter how large these pranks grow, nothing good seems to come out of them, except for a few laughs.

But dating back to 1840, there is one prank that is thought to be responsible for creating a cornerstone of the direct mail industry, the postcard. A writer in London named Theodore Hook, received the first known hand painted design on a card. While that doesn’t seem odd, many believe he sent it to himself as part of a prank, since the picture on the card depicted a satirical image of workers at the postal service.

Whether or not Hook was playing a practical joke, we will never know. At Kopytek, we wouldn’t kid around about postcards, because they are one of the most effective, easy and affordable ways to reach an audience. Here are a few tips to consider about postcards when planning your next campaign.

• Solid Idea: Before you begin writing copy or sketching your design, make sure you have an offer that no one can resist. Strong substance is what your audience is really concerned about. Once you have this, we can assist you with the copy and design, so they are equally as impressive.

• Headline and Picture: The picture and headline gives you a quick chance to show the value your product can bring to your audience. Your headline should be short, interesting and grab them immediately. The picture should reinforce your headline and let them know instantly what your product is.

• Simple Copy: You have a solid idea, simple headline and picture. Now don’t let your copy put your audience to sleep. Bullet points or even a few sentences should be enough to deliver your details. Anything extra can look like a wall a reader will never attempt to hurdle.

• Strong Call to Action: Now that you have their attention, tell them the next step. Be clear in your call to action with statements like “call us today at 314-432-2700” or “to place an order visit us at www.kopytek.com.” Where ever you send them, be sure that it is simple to remember and access.

Postcards have shown results for a wide variety of companies and services. The strength of the postcard is its simplicity and flexibility. With printing processes like variable data, each postcard can be tailored to each person on your mailing list. If you have any questions about postcards and how they can help build your organization, give us a call at Kopytek.

Rock concerts are awesome, with their pyrotechnics, flashing light and loud music. But try having a conversation during a concert – it’s not going to happen. That’s because some rock concerts are so loud they are deafening. In fact the band Kiss hit 136 decibels at a concert in Ottawa. That’s louder than a jet taking off!

While a loud environment is great for concerts, it isn’t good for marketers. Last holiday season technology giant Sony turned down the volume of online marketing for an effective direct mail campaign.

Finding online marketing to similar to a Kiss concert, Sony created full-color inserts, which they had inserted in newspapers across the country. Taking advantage of innovations in digital printing, Sony was able to personalize their printed pieces for the local markets.

After looking at the data it is no surprise Sony would put more resources back into direct mail. During 2010, marketing spending on direct mail grew 3.1 percent to $45.2 billion and insert media grew 2.4 percent to $800 million. Direct mail is expected to grow 5.8 percent 2011, with insert media growing 9.1 percent and response rates are expect to grow 2 percent.

To give people a place to engage in conversation and further heighten response rates, digital printing allows marketers to include PURLs and QR Codes in their printed pieces.

PURLs, which are pronounced “pearls” are personalized website landing pages that are created specifically for each prospect on your mailing list. PURLs have reported a 20 to 30 percent increase in response rates, in part due to the nearly 33 percent of people who respond to direct mail by going online, according to the Direct Marketing Association. By bringing your recipient to a webpage, you can capture additional information, as well as web analytics to measure effectiveness.

A QR Code looks nothing like your traditional barcode. Instead they look more like a random assortment of small black boxes inside a larger box. QR codes are generated and contain embedded information, which the creator intended to share. The information can be accessed by simply scanning the QR Code with the camera on your smart phone. The embedded information can be URLs, email addresses, or even phone numbers.

Direct mail is targeted, personalized and cost effective for any marketing budget. We can help to build your campaign from start to finish, delivering results. If you are interesting in breaking through the marketing noise, give us a call at Kopytek.

Companies are working on tighter marketing budgets than ever before, so every marketer is looking for ways to get more bang for their dollar. Direct mail campaigns using variable data printing can help do just that. Kopytek President John Peterson will explain what it takes to create a successful campaign, and review a case study for one company who has increased response from 1/2% to 7%.

Breakout the shamrocks, kilts and bag pipes, it’s St. Patrick’s Day! But did you know that this luckiest of holidays was actually started in the United States? I guess that adds clarity to the motto “everyone’s Irish on March 17.”

St. Patrick, who was English, is the patron saint of Ireland and closely tied with the country’s national identity. Even though he is widely celebrated, little is known about the Bishop beyond a few details about his life. Even his burial place is in controversy. Which got us thinking, would we have enough information on St. Patrick to send him a variable direct mail piece?

Obviously, the modern printing presses had not yet been invented, plus St. Patrick did not have a fixed address. But consider if he were alive today, would we know enough about him to send him a variable direct mail piece? We know his age, gender and even his profession (presumably his income), but not the information that really matters.

According to John Schulte, president of the National Mail Order Association, you really need to know your customer before sending them a direct mail piece, their “age and rank” simply isn’t enough.

He suggests knowing information like your customers’ hobbies, because it gives a lot of insight into people’s interests and the way they live. More information can also help you put a better value on a customer, so you can make judgments on mailing presentation, delivery method, offers and frequency.

Since your mailing list is an important part of your business, consider capturing additional information with questionnaires or surveys, to get a full profile of your customer. If we were to ask St. Patrick his hobbies, he might list picking shamrocks and warding off snakes. This would lead us to know he spends a lot of time outside and has an interest in nature.

This year between bites of corned beef, think about what you can do to better know your customer. Just because you celebrate someone who is a mystery, doesn’t mean you should take the same chances with your direct mail recipients.

As baseball season is just beginning, it seems that our favorite sluggers will not be the only ones swinging for the fences. This year, direct mail is expected to hit a huge homerun for marketers, with direct mail spending growing 5.8% to $47.8 billion.

While the crowd is obviously going wild for the jump in growth, the truth is direct mail has been a pillar of marketing campaigns since 1954. If direct mail were a baseball player, it would have played in 9,072 regular season games since its “rookie” season, crushing Cal Ripken’s streak of 2,632 games.

While any other player would have long retired by now, direct mail is continuing to evolve and adjust with the times. Today, techniques like variable data are helping boost response rates and reduce spending.  By utilizing variable data, printers can create direct mail pieces in mass customization, instead of mass production. That means that less pieces are printed, but every single piece is customized to its recipient.

For example a mortgage company we work with printed a variable piece, showing their recipients the price of their home, the mortgage rate they could expect and their estimated monthly payment. This customization has shown to be impactful, raising their response rates to seven and a half percent, an outstanding return on investment.

And keeping up with the young and tech savvy, direct mail has proven to be a strong companion websites like Facebook and Twitter. In fact, campaigns combining direct mail and the Internet yielded up to 25-percent higher response rates than Internet alone. Social media sites like Facebook are different from traditional marketing because it is a conversation. This gives marketers the ability to listen and respond to their customers’ needs and make adjustments to their campaigns.

This spring when you hear the crack of the bat and sound of fans cheering, think of the tearing open of the envelope and the excitement people will have, as they open your direct mail piece. We are one of direct mail’s biggest fans and would like to share our passion with you. Please give us a call or email us with your direct mail questions.

The first hurdle a direct mail piece must overcome is getting people to open the envelope and read the direct mail piece inside. It goes back to that age old Shakespearean question, “to be, or not to be, that is the question.” While Hamlet was considering something a little more serious, the idea to act is similar.

If your direct mail piece is not opened by the reader, its effectiveness lessened. That is why a lot of thought goes into an envelope, including the size and design. Every little detail will make a difference in the reader’s eyes. It would seem easy to “trick” them into opening your direct mail piece with deceptive messages, but that can erode you organization’s brand. Instead a clear identity with a logo and statement will deliver the best results.

The design of an envelope is one of the best ways to get your reader’s attention and make a good first impression. We are often asked if conservative envelopes or colorful envelopes with intricate designs, work best. There is not a right or wrong answer, but a “what works best for your business.”

Plain envelopes are great for established businesses, where their product is well known. For marketers looking to introduce a new product or company, elaborate designs or including a picture of the product on the envelope will let people know who you are.

Also, don’t wait for people to open your direct mail piece. Put the best offer with its benefits right on the front. Often potential customers will need more than just a logo and address to show them what you can do for them. For example a statement like: The TV 3000 has the best picture in its size at 50 percent off this weekend. That type of offer adds motivation to learn more about the marketing piece inside.

And don’t limit yourself to just one side of the envelope. When people receive an envelope they always look at the front and then flip it over before opening. Not utilizing one half of your space is a potential missed opportunity.

Believe it or not the envelope’s size does matter to people. That is why marketers prefer the #10 sized envelope, with some marketers using it every time. Marketers also will use the smaller #9, but find the #10 delivers the best results.

Next time you get the mail, take a look at some of the pieces you receive. What gets you past the “to read, or not read” question? If you are still struggling with that age old question, feel free to call or email us at Kopytek.

Just because you’re not James Bond and own a car that doubles as a submarine, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a need to protect your data. In the business world, like the world of spies, information must be kept secure from loss, and possibly identity theft.

For most of our clients, confidential data has to do with medical history, financial information and legal settlements. Protecting data is a priority because of the growing frequency of identity theft, which affects approximately eight million people every year, costing a total of $52 billion. And once someone’s information is stolen, on average it takes victims 330 hours to clean up the mess.

Because the people committing these crimes don’t stick out like Dr. No or Goldfinger, having the security to deal with the threat is key. At Kopytek we understand that when you give us your database of contacts, it is more than just names and numbers, it is your business.

Understanding it has taken years to build your mailing lists, we know the same type of care must be taken to protect them. Even after your print run in complete, protecting you data has only begun. We protect all data, no matter the current status of any of your projects, because securing sensitive data is crucial to your business.

Often when clients come to us requesting confidentiality, they are planning to utilize variable data for their print run. We have the ability to lockdown and remove any data for a client, because of concerns of data loss. And once the print run is finished we take steps to ensure it secured.

As a first line of defense, we store everything on our secure database and servers. Our staff is well trained on confidentiality and our facility was built with security in mind. We are also bonded and insured against any losses of data.

Give us a call to discuss our comprehensive system to protect against data loss. We have never had a breech and take protecting all data seriously. We can further explain our process and how we can keep your data secure during printing, and after the job is complete.

The handshake has been around since the beginning of recorded history, first appearing as a way for people to show that they did not have weapons before discussing business. While the handshake doesn’t serve the same purpose today, it is still a way to convey trust and equality.

According to a survey of HR professionals, prospective employers said they’re more likely to overlook visible body piercings and tattoos than an ineffective handshake and twice as likely to remember you if you shake hands upon meeting. That is because it gives them an instant and lasting opinion of you.

In the business community, the business card in an extension of a handshake. It is the single most important thing you can give another person when first meeting them. It has become something that is expected and is the only tangible, lasting part of a first meeting.

When you exchange cards, it is often a conversation starter. Questions are asked like, what does your company do? What does your logo stand for? How long have you been in business? All are conversations which need to happen before building a lasting relationship.

The colors and construction of your business card also tell the story of your business and gives a deeper understanding of who you are and what you represent. A well done business card can help your company standout among the competition.

And in age of technology, the business card is alive and well. Offering a better connection than an iPhone bump, the business card is something tangible your contact can keep in their wallet or enter into their database.

Even as technology comes and goes the business card endures, similar to the handshake. If you are looking to tell your business’s story with a business card, Kopytek can direct you through the design process and give you the business card that will be the extension of your handshake.

Ever wonder what it would be like to bring the web to life? Well, that is quickly becoming a reality with QR Codes or Quick Response Codes. These codes allow you to get information instantly, whether you are walking down the street, opening your mail or watching TV, just by scanning a bar code with your smart phone.

Maybe you’ve already seen these odd looking barcodes. A QR Code looks nothing like your traditional barcode, they instead look more like a random assortment of small black boxes inside a larger box. And the information they supply is not random. QR codes are generated and contain embedded information, which the creator intended to share. That can be URLs, email addresses, or even phone numbers.

The best part about QR codes is that they are everywhere! They can be found on TV, computer screens and on direct mail pieces. And because more than one in two Americans use a smart phone, it is an essential way to share information.

Just think, next time you send a direct mail piece, you recipient can quickly scan your QR Code and have all of your information saved on their phone instantly. That way they can file your contact number or bookmark your URL until they need it.

And QR Codes offer a convenient way to make your business card really stand out. Instead of clients or potential business partners filing your card in an overstuffed rolodex, they can have your contact number stored in their phone, ready to call.

But how does it really work? Easy, most smart phones come with apps (applications) that use their phone’s camera to scan the QR Code and instantly give you information. And if your phone didn’t come with a QR app they are easily downloadable.

While QR Codes might sound like something out of science fiction film, it has been popular in other parts of the world. In Europe and Asia, QR Codes have been popular for some time, appearing on billboards and even on items in retail stores.

QR Codes are a quick and easy way for customers to learn more about what they are reading. At Kopytek, we are now offering to generate and incorporate QR Codes into your printed piece as they become increasing popular in the US.

Below is our QR Code, scan it directly off the computer with your smart phone and test how they work. We are sure that you will not be disappointed with the results. To find out more about QR codes call us at 314-432-2700 or sales@kopytek.com.