Direct mail promotions are designed to be one-to-one communication vehicles. Sometimes the "direct" portion drops off the map, and we end up producing unplaced promotional brand ads in an envelope. To boost returns from your direct mail program, make sure the "Direct" gets full attention.

This article addresses the strategic approach to reaching top executives with the right message in a receptive framework.

Want to boost response in your B-to-B mailings? Need to break into new markets, find a new application for an existing product to a new audience? Need to reach out to hard-to-get-at executives and get their attention? Need to increase your response rate to the tune of 300% while increasing ROI?

In an ideal world, marketing activity would be self supporting, always pay back multifold what it costs to execute, and be effective in reaching every potential buyer in the appropriate sector all the time. But in the world where the sky is blue, marketing activities are driven by several factors.

The visibility, awareness and effectiveness of your organization's brand directly impact your ability to recruit and retain members. If your organization isn't the first thing member prospects think of when they turn to industry issues, there's work to be done.

The term "Branding" has been in use in American marketing vernacular since the 1800s, first being used for cattle in the west to identify members of the herd belonging to a single owner, but branching out to consumer goods shortly thereafter . . .

In Part One, we discussed using in-depth member survey work to boost the visibility, awareness and effectiveness of your organization's brand, and how it can directly impact your ability to recruit and retain members. If your organization isn't the first thing member prospects think of when they turn to industry issues, there's work to be done.

Despite postal increases, paper price increases, regulations tightening for security and machineability reasons, direct mail is still the most effective way to reach a defined large scale audience, build sales and brand awareness, and move units. It is direct, it's accountable, it's relatively predictable and efficient, and it can be tested and refined to maximize results.

Without the underpinnings of solid market research or customer data, the best creative design and execution is just pretty pictures. To drive response, design must be anchored with accurate reliable customer research data . . .