Do you ever get that “Um, now that’s interesting” Thought?

Recently I was reading George Bush’s book, Decision Points. Now, before you think this is a politically bias blog, please read on, it’s not.  I was reading about Bush making decisions around the Afghanistan situation and 9/11. He mentions in the book during the 2000 campaign, he and Al Gore debated and campaigned on the most important issues to the US at the time. During the campaign Afghanistan, al Qaeda, nor Iraq were ever mentioned in their debates. 

As a note I read this passage twice and for some reason dwelled on it for a moment. It was unusually quiet in my house as my 2 year old was napping, the 8 year old at his grandparents, and my wife was out at an afternoon get together. In the quiet, I pondered and thought about that. Here is Al Gore, Vice President of the United States and George Bush both wanting to become the most powerful person in the free world and neither felt Afghanistan, al Qaeda, and Iraq were in the top three issues to debate in 2000. Fast forward to October 2001, post 9/11 and how dramatic the top issues in our country changed. 

What was profound to me is how life on a world stage can suddenly and in an instance change lives, directions, goals, and policy. For some reason, that realization hit me in an unexpected way. Two men vying to become President did not see these issues as worth debating.  Now if Bush and Gore did not have the information at hand for these issues to be on the forefront, why should we be surprised when things catch us off guard in our daily lives. 

We have all dealt with surprise and shock. It may be a lottery winning (for those that are very lucky) or an unexpected death. Both of these extremes are unforeseen and create chaos in life, both good and bad. What I am getting at here is that no one ever has all of the information necessary to make perfect decisions all the time.  In our lives, both personal and business, we need to be prepared to face those things we expect, but also be prepared to deal with surprises. Dealing with surprises does not mean be scared to commit, just simply understand that you make decisions based on what you know. What I learned through thinking through this is there are others out there making decisions on their information and their decisions may be disruptive to mine, but there is no way to know that in advance.  For example, how do you think the buggy whip maker felt about what Henry Ford did? Bottom line is that life is full of surprises and all any of us can do is navigate the waters the best we can and be prepared as possible to handle the surprises.

Tags: address, business blog, business strategy, database, direct mail, duplicates, email, mail, marketing, postmark

Happy Trails

People who travel for business can be classified in a variety of ways.  There are those who board planes every week, some who travel locally, and then those who travel out of town occasionally. Personally, I fit in the latter two categories. No matter the frequency of travel we all face potential frustrations including heavy traffic, bad meals, delays at the airport, etc.  We all have horror stories about travel and tend to share those more frequently than our good stories.  The purpose for this blog is to remind you that during your travels there is always something positive that can recognized or created.

This past summer on a drive back from Ohio, I had an experience in West Virginia that makes me smile every time I think about it. Travelling home on I-77 I was nearing a toll booth trying to dig my wallet out of my pocket and getting my cash ready. I get to the toll booth with money out and the toll booth attendant did not accept the money, rather he handed me a note. The note said the car in front of me had paid my toll and to have a nice day. What that incident did for me was help me realize that good things happen to us when we least expect it. Beyond that, there are people out there who care about their fellow man even on a hot day in July.  Within 20 minutes I was driving through a very heavy rainstorm. However, because of what happened at that toll booth the rain did not bother me that afternoon, it was just part of the trip.

About a year and a half ago on a trip to Nashville, TN I decided to pay for a soldier’s lunch. I was in a restaurant in the airport in Nashville and asked the waiter for the ticket for the gentleman at the next table who was in his Army fatigues. I quietly paid for his lunch and while I was leaving, just leaned over and said lunch is on me and “thank you for your service.” I have no idea who he was, but because he was serving our country buying him lunch was the least I could do since what he does protects my family and I allowing us to live freely.  That particular act made two of us feel great.  Who doesn’t like a free lunch and I felt great by going something good for someone.

 How often do we let things bother us where we have no control, flight delays or traffic congestion or weather?  Next time you feel that travel frustration coming on reach back in the memory bank and make a withdrawal on a time when you had an unusually good experience on a trip or even better create a good experience for someone else with a random act of kindness. It is amazing what a random act of kindness can do for your attitude and view on the day.

I relate these two stories because as we head into the holiday season we tend to think more about others during the holiday season than other times of the year. My challenge to you is to share your positive experiences with others rather than the negative ones.   Don’t forget to provide people with a random act of kindness from time to time.  Happy Holidays! Happy Attitude! Happy Thoughts!

Tags: address, addressing, business travel, customer service, database, direct mail, direct marketing, email, list, mail, marketing, postmark

Stuck on You

“Consider the postage stamp, my son.  It secures success through it’s ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.” – Josh Billings

 This quote is from Josh Billings who was an American Humorist in the early 1800’s.  It is somewhat intriguing to realize the postage stamp itself has been in existence that far back in history.  I wonder if Billings would have thought of the idea of sticking to one thing in our fast paced multi-tasked world of today? 

In direct mail the “stamp” is used in various styles on all types of mail pieces and in all classes of mail.  Be it standard, non-profit, or first class the options of getting the postage paid is different depending on the need or the specialty design for the targeted market.

Listed are a few of the different stamp options each mailer has in determining the best fit within their direct mail campaign.

• Indicia – This is the most popular option with mass mailings.  The indicia can be printed on the mail piece and then the postage is handled through a permit account.  The proper funds must be in the account and the postage reports that are generated with each mailing will determine the exact amount to be deducted from the permit number. 
• Meter – Some mail campaigns like the look of the meter mark on their material.  It looks official and can be used in any size mailings.  The mail piece is processed with a seal and meter machine and can be dated for first class mail or have a blank date for standard and non-profit mail.
•  Stamps – Stamps are used mostly for specialty mailings because of the pricing and timing involved.  Of course, stamps come in first class, standard, and non-profit.  The evolvement of self-adhesive stamps makes the world much easier for processing whether you are applying one or thousands.

Each option still in today’s world has to stick to the mail piece through its travel and remain on the mail piece until it gets there.  Without evidence of the stamp the post office can not deliver. 

 The price of the stamp and the options to replace the stamp as noted above has increased with time and has opened up many new ideas for direct mail campaigns.  The idea behind paying for the delivery of your mailed items regardless of the method is still the same as it was in the 1800’s. 

So, I guess Billings was correct in his idea that the post office has secured success through its ability to deliver your mail no matter what kind of postage option you may choose.

And you know the idea of sticking to one thing and doing it right to the end is timeless in all areas of our lives.

Rhonda Cathey – American worker and Direct Mail supporter

Tags: address, direct marketing, duplicates, list, mailing, marketing, postmark, share ideas

Day in the life of Customer Service at PostMark, Inc.

What is it like being in Customer Service at Postmark? Well, I can answer that question for you. Some days it maybe smooth sailing, but other days words really cannot describe what one may be experiencing. To attempt to clear the murky waters behind my statement, I will give you a few things that maybe going on to cause the fogginess.

            I arrive a little early to get my thoughts together to tackle the work, well my desk is already loaded with files from the previous day that I need to QC for production. That’s strike #1. I’ll get my computer going and click on Outlook Express and I see the blurb…”receiving 20 messages”…maybe most of that is Spam (NOTTT!). Well, that’s strike #2! I haven’t even gotten my cup of coffee yet! Then my phone starts ringing….it’s Eric, asking if I have seen the email he sent 5 seconds ago! My thought during, before and after his phone call is, “Today is definitely going to be a hectic day!” O M G!…I forgot Jon’s out of the office today! Those frantic phone calls and miniature fires now belong to me instead of Jon. Well, I guess I’ll just put my “S” on my chest and handle whatever comes my way. Hopefully, we don’t have any wildfires come through, but if we do I’ll be there with my water hose.

The ultimate goal of customer service here at Postmark is to take care of our customers. While making sure the customer is happy, I always have to make sure I stay in the good graces of our production guys. It gets hectic, but we work together as a team. We do know that things happen, but however we can be proactive in any situation is our approach in customer service. So to all of Postmark’s customers and prospects, we look forward to working with you, and please know that we have your best interest at heart.

Tags: addressing, customer service, database, duplicates, mail, marketing, postmark

Not Your Grandfather’s Direct Mail…

A lot has changed since I first joined PostMark in November of 1998, yes 1998, the once fresh faced Eric Cathey has been at PostMark for 12 years. So much has changed not only with PostMark but also with the direct mail industry.

To keep this readable and you interested we will focus on a couple areas that I feel have changed the most.

Variable Data, in the past direct mailers were able to drop variable data into personalized letters, changing out different lines of text. Now direct mailers have the capability to customize entire direct mailing campaigns. We are seeing images, text, and every other thing dealing with postcards or brochures change, expect paper and final size. This has been a great advance in mailing since you can customize the piece to the individual targeted for your product or service. One of the most important things to consider before you start a variable data project is making sure you have all the information possible about your client or prospect.

Email campaigns were not as prevalent in 1998 when we all had dial up and if you are like me the sounds of AOL connecting is burned into your head. Twelve years later the term “spam” is just as hated as “junk mail” was in 1998. However, an email campaign combined with direct mail can make the impact you want. A rule that is a staple in any marketing campaign is multiple touches. Not often does your customer buy after one contact, so how do you make sure you are fresh in their minds when it is time buy or they need your service? Multiple touches is the answer. Leverage technology of direct mail, web, social media, and email can be the best way to make sure you are fresh in the minds of your customers and prospects.

 At this point, you might be wondering what the significance of the title is. Some of you may know that my grandfather, Jim Cathey started a company (JC Services) that eventually became PostMark, Inc.  In 1992 my grandfather retired and Dick Vann became the President and owner of PostMark and to this day we are still very much a family run company. I remember helping at PostMark as a child and I hope that Dick Vann’s grandchilden Andrew and Peyton Bowman have some of those same memories that I had.

Eric Cathey

Account Services

Tags: address, database, direct mail, email, mail, marketing, postmark

What is a duplicate?

No one wants to receive duplicate advertisements or newsletters.  Not only is it inconvenient, it is not helpful to the environment.  If you are the one doing the mailing, it’s also not economical to be paying for the extra postage and printing, so it is a good idea to consider what it means to eliminate duplicates. 

While details on how best to construct mailing lists will follow in future blogs, let’s just consider checking for duplicates in an existing list. 

Normally duplicate checks are done by the individual (full name and address), household (last name and address), company (company name and address), or just address (really can create errors – think of all the different people at your local hospital, college, or manufacturing company).  The quality of the address and the quality of the names have a dramatic impact on the results.  To help with that process it is good idea to use postal software to standardize an address, attach postal information (such as ZIP+4 and carrier route), and have it checked for address changes via National Change of Address.  This won’t solve all the problems, but it will get the list in its best shape for duplicate checking.

As you can see, there are lots of tools to help, but it is still a “fuzzy” process.  No matter what one does, there are always errors left in the list or if one gets aggressive, there are people removed from the list that should stay.  It sounds strange, but the first step is to consider where one wants the errors.  Consider where the following might be on a mailing list:

• John Smith Jr, 101 N Main St
• John Smith, 101 N Main St (is this the same guy or his father?)
• John Smith, 1001 N Main St (is this the same guy with a typo in the address or someone different?)
• Bubba Smith, 101 N Main St (John’s nickname or someone else?)
• SMITH JOHN, 101 N MAIN ST (which is the first name and which is the last name?)
• J. Smith, 101 N Main St (same guy or Jasmine Smith, his sister?)
• Mary Smith, 101 N Main St (John’s spouse or the previous resident that moved and didn’t report the move)
• Mary Jones, 101 N Main St (is she part of the family or did they leave an apartment number off?)
• John Smith, PO Box 15 (same guy that gets his mail at a PO Box?)

Even if one makes the right choice on any one pair of records, a similar choice may be wrong on the next.  Short of knowing everyone individually, there is no way to be perfect.  Think about your audience and the item being mailed.  Which problem would you rather have:  1) a few too many going out or 2) someone being left off the list.  Each project has different characteristics and may end up with different choices. 

One time a client demanded that there be no duplicates no matter what, but wanted no one left out.  They had gotten upset that in an earlier mailing a husband got a piece at his office and his wife got one at another office.  Different people, different addresses, different companies, and even different ZIPs, but they considered them duplicates because they knew they were the same household.  On following projects, a list of possible duplicates was generated to be manually reviewed and they were able to supply that personal touch to get what they wanted.  No computer system would identify these as duplicates, but understanding the needs of the client provided a technique to ease the problem.

Also note that in the world of email addresses there are no tools to do any of what I have described above.  We believe that email addresses are more volatile than physical addresses and are much more difficult to clean up.  Duplicate checking should be virtually impossible other than just the simplest check.  Many people have multiple email addresses and there is no national registry of email address changes. 

More information on basic data handling and duplicates, please see our video. http://www.youtube.com/user/PostMarkInc#p/a/u/1/lSgLeYbntV0

Tags: address, database, direct mail, duplicates, email, mail, marketing, postmark

But email is free…

As you might imagine at PostMark we have heard more than once, “yeah, I would like to do a mailing, but I can send an email for free,” or “postage is too expensive compared to email.” Since we don’t live under a rock we have developed capabilities to help manage mail and email together.  The purpose of this blog is not to debate whether to email or not to email as compared to postal mail. The discussion here is going to center around how can email and postal mail support each other.

 If  you are using email as a significant form of your marketing efforts you need to consider using an email software manager to send your email. One of the advantages of email is through tracking capabilities on the backside you have an opportunity to know who opened your email and even what links they followed.  Every time you email there will be bounces, non deliveries, and people who ignore it (yes, I recognize similar things happen with mail, too). However, having the capability to identify those individuals who did not open the email gives you an opportunity to send them a piece of direct mail for follow-up. Using the two media together can lift your response and provide you more than one way to reach your target audience.

 In the last blog we discussed whether you have a mailing list versus a database. By having a database you should be managing both email and postal mail addresses. Given the number of lists we see, our bias is that very few organizations have complete information on all of their contacts.  Additionally, most people have a preference on how they want to be contacted and it varies depending on the information involved. Being able to switch between mail and email can create additional opportunities for you and your business.  Combining mail and email also allows you to specifically target both sets of messages based on the individual recipient.

Tags: database, email, mail, marketing

Do you have a mailing list or database?

We may be splitting hairs on this one, but there is a significant difference between a mailing list and a database. I would consider a mailing list to be a list of names and addresses that may or may not have additional information about the contacts on your list. If you have additional data, but don’t use it you still have a mailing list. If you have additional data and use it to either target or segment your data then you have a database.

It is not unusual to have a conversation with a client in which they have name and address only on their mailing list, but desire to have more data. So, how do we go about building a database? The first step would be to decide what you want to know about the contacts on your list. If your list is comprised of consumers it is possible to append data such as income, home value, how long someone has lived in their home, interests and hobbies, and whether there are children in the home. If your target audience is businesses then you can append sales volume, employee size, business type, and additional contact information including name and title.

Gathering this information can quickly transform a mailing list into a database. Once you have a database it can allow you to better target your message and mailings. Many organizations such as non profits retain data such as donation amounts, years donated, and total donations. With this information they are able to identify their most important donors and can appeal to them with a different message than you would someone who has never contributed to the organization.

PostMark, Inc. has helped a number of clients append data to their file for a number of different reasons. Now may be a great time to consider whether you have a mailing list or a database. If you have a mailing list and need a database, don’t fret, you can get there. If you have a database, but unsure how to use it you are not alone. Dealing with data is not a straight forward process. We are here to help, let us know if we can.

www.PostMark.ws

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