When the unexpected happens, it puts customers in a position of complete helplessness which is an uncomfortable feeling for us as humans. Of course, customer impact varies greatly, from the late arrival of a coupon or event invitation to supply chain customers who are totally dependent on supply deliveries needed to conduct business. Customers rely on you to mitigate the impact delivery delays for them. These storms and delays also can have a major impact on your organization itself. Delays can erode your business’ reputation, customer retention, and bottom-line results. So, how prepared is your business before the next major weather event hits?

According to a UPS study on customer experience preferences, consumers want to be notified of delivery status and delays. Brands that alert customers to problems build loyalty, trust, and long-lasting connections. You may have systems in place so your staff is aware when mailings and parcels are delayed, but that’s not good enough, knowledge is only useful if you act on it. Can you quickly answer these three questions?

1. How will you communicate delays with your customers?
2. What will you say or offer to your customers?
3. Who else in your organization is aware of what to do or say?

If you’re still staring blankly at the questions no worries, we’ve got you covered. Creating a customer communication plan takes thought and preparation, but once in place will bring peace of mind next time Mother Nature decides to throw a curveball your way.

Three Steps to Create a Customer Emergency Communication Plan

1. Implement an alert system so your team is aware of possible delays in advance. Sophisticated mail firms will have this option available. At Three Dog Logistics we developed OBBAgistics, a real-time tracking system that knows exactly where your mail is at any time, has built-in delay alerts, and projects/confirms in-home delivery dates.
2. Develop an internal customer communication plan. The plan will include outreach methods, customer data sources, message templates, and designated staff to execute the communication plan when necessary. Communication platforms vary based on business type, but options include email, text, social media and website postings – and don’t forget good old-fashioned phone calls. Make sure that your team has easy access to current customer data necessary for alert distributions. For example, if the alert method is email, do you have current customer email addresses and do employees know how to access them? No matter what method you choose, personalized and timely is critical. Send alerts only to those who it’s relevant for and as soon as possible. Sending an email about delays after the customer has received the item just makes your company look unprofessional and disorganized. Pay special attention to critical supply chain customers who depend on deliveries to run their business and prepare in advance to assist with their specific needs and concerns.
3. Train employees on how to assist and provide answers for customers. Emergencies tend to make customers reactive and that means they’ll want answers quickly. Train staff on the delay communication plan, include them on all alerts sent and provide an FAQ source to assist with answering customer questions. Be strategic; assign specific staff to dedicated posts like email response, social media replies, and phone calls. During emergencies, an organized team able to reassure customers and provide them with answers builds confidence and trust.

Crafting Delay Messages that Create Good Will with Customers 

• Consider multiple outreach methods. Depending on the severity of the situation, an email followed by a call shows you understand how serious the issue is for them.
• Sincerely apologize, leave out the buts. Sounds rudimentary, but a sincere apology without the typical “but we can’t control mother nature” will go a long way.
• Explain the situation honestly. Be transparent, tell customers what happened, how it will impact them, and what the next step is.
• Give customers options. If you can do anything to remedy the situation, offer it to them. If not, tell customers what you will do for them once the delay has cleared.
• Only promise what you can realistically deliver. Don’t offer false promises that you can’t guarantee, it will make the situation worse.
• Keep customers informed as things change. Multiple alerts sent as more information becomes available helps clients feel in the loop and may decrease their anxiety.

At Three Dog Logistics, our experts can ensure your team is prepared for the next big weather event! We’ll help you take full control of any mail and parcel deliveries, so you know when your mail is delivered, and have full visibility throughout the process. Remember, at Three Dog Logistics we take the bite out of postage and freight. Contact us at threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 ext. 250 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Prepare for Delays BEFORE the Next Big Storm first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

If you just read this and think I’m crazy, good. I’ll take this opportunity to share why direct mail has a leg up on email and other digital forms of marketing. Better yet, the use of direct mail as part of an integrated digital campaign consistently delivers higher ROI and response rates than digital efforts alone. If all your eggs are currently in the digital marketing basket, I’d strongly encourage you to reconsider the seemingly odd partnership of direct mail and digital that together produce significantly better results.

Direct mail campaign goals have changed a whole lot over the years. It used to be that a direct purchase was the only successful outcome, now success is measured by driving traffic to your web site or store front using multiple medias and various touch points. This transition makes direct mail so effective when paired with digital, it acts as a catalyst for action that’s difficult to drive using digital mediums. What’s the primary reason digital outlet response rates are lower than direct mail? The consumer doesn’t see or interact with the message. Keep reading to learn why direct mail should be a regular tool in your marketing arsenal.

Why Direct Mail is More Effective than Digital

Junk Email Boxes and Spam

While email had its day, now people ignore them or they’re re-routed straight to a junk folder. Almost everyone I know has two email accounts, one for promos/email sign-ups and the one they actually read. Efficient yes, but it means they probably NEVER see your email unless they go in search of something they don’t know they received – pretty sure that’s not the case. Add in spam and other reasons email is rejected, the odds increase for non-deliverability making it tough to respond to a message never received. On the other hand, direct mail is trackable, delivered every day, and sits on your counter staring at you.

Our Multi-Tasking World

So, I’m not a doctor, but I feel comfortable diagnosing consumers with electronic-induced ADD, a condition that makes it virtually impossible to capture attention for more than a few seconds. Checking email is a multi-tasking battle, between social media pop-ups, web ads, texts, and other distractions that cross our devices, most people only read the email subject line, and that’s if you’re lucky. The mailbox at your home only has one purpose, mail. This lack of competition for attention helps direct mail stand out with almost no effort on the recipient’s part. 79% of consumer’s act on direct mail immediately vs, 45% of email recipients, these statistics suggest the recipient is paying attention and actively engaged.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Let’s face it we all take the path of least resistance, it’s inherently human. Which means if we must open, read, and print out an email it feels like too much work. If the email was received three days ago forget about it, another sad victim of the giant inbox vortex. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Compare this to direct mail, which if a postcard, doesn’t require opening and then lays around till action is taken. QR codes on printed matter increase the likelihood for action using a mobile device without having to take any extra steps, genius.

Hackers and Suspicion of Online Media

Thanks to hackers, trust in electronic communication is quickly eroding. Links are now a way strangers can see what you’re doing, capture your passwords, and harvest personal information to sell to even more bad guys. Email attachments are even worse, only download if you like computer viruses.  Since people are now wary and careful in the online world emails are suspect and links to act seen as a threat. Obviously not good for email response rates which currently stand at a paltry .012%. Printed matter is in no way affiliated with danger, even if the call to action is online, typing URLs directly into a web browser is considered safe.

Response Rates and ROI

A recent study by Royal Mail found that response rates and ROI for direct mail is far superior to email and that 92% of recipients are driven to online or digital activity. The direct mail response rate of 4.4% stands in stark comparison to the .012% of email. When it comes to financial results, integrated campaigns with direct mail deliver a 57% ROI against 45% for digital only efforts. If money is important to your organization, and frankly I don’t know many who would say it’s not, then direct mail is the obvious choice.

Personal and Emotional Connection

Since childhood, mail is built into our memory bank and has a special place in our psyche. Holiday packages, birthday cards, even exciting direct mail. By its nature, DM is more personal than email making it a great vehicle for your message as part of an integrated campaign. Mail also integrates more senses than just sight including touch, encouraging the recipient to engage with the message on a deeper level.

Variety Required to Capture Attention

Even with new formatting tools, emails pretty much all look the same. Simply put, the canvas is limited making it easy for readers to gloss over the message. Going back to the consumers with ADD, variation and the ability to shake things up regularly is crucial to get their attention. Mail options are only limited by your imagination. From postcards to letters, “lumpy mail,” booklets, or parcels, changing the WOW factor including size, shape, and look grabs attention and increases response rates.

Now that you know how effective direct mail can be, why not give it a try? Remember the role of direct mail now is to be the enticing messenger, not the pushy salesperson. This is where the “new direct mail” looks nothing like its old self, strictly designed to work as a cog in the integrated machine instead of the solo selling technique. Be bold and creative, your customers will show their appreciation with impressive results.

Ready to develop an integrated marketing campaign that includes direct mail? At Three Dog Logistics, our consultants will help develop a plan that delivers client solutions at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post How Direct Mail Succeeds Where Digital Doesn’t first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

What makes digital web printing different than the traditional process? Digital web printing uses design software and digital images while traditional presses use metal plates and ink to create an image. Think about the complication of creating metal plates for each layer of color in your piece and the tight registration required to produce a high-quality image. The use of digital images today offers an enormous range of colors, project sizes, and the ability to easily personalize a piece by merging lists with the art prior to printing. Digital web printing has revolutionized the print industry over the last 25 years.

Any printing business that is not yet offering digital print services is missing out on this future. There is a tidal wave of change happening that cannot be denied. Digital technology has even grown the consumer demand with the world “going green”. There are more artists, photographers, and entrepreneurs in need of services simply because access to design and print services is readily available for literally almost everyone.

Still need convincing arguments about why to invest in digital technology? The benefits of digital web printing are substantial for both businesses and consumers in the ways below:

Very Cost-Effective: Digital printing can produce short or long-run jobs with virtually the same level of effort, meaning that the difference in cost to produce black and white vs. color jobs is negligible. Jobs can be run on various material sizes depending on the equipment, which enables printers to offer a wider range of products than ever before.

Faster Turnaround Time and Simplified Edit Process: Using digital files instead of constantly changing metal plates reduces preparation and run time for a job. Because all color is applied at once, the drying time is greatly reduced in digital web printing. With traditional printing, each color has to dry before the next can be applied. In the likely event that edits are needed, changing a digital image is quick because there is no need to create a new plate each time.

Improved Technology Retains High-Quality Results: Early web printing produced sub-par quality results, primarily because with traditional methods the ink actually soaks into the page for a richer result while digital print ink sits on top of the paper. Smearing and blurry edges were common. Digital equipment today offers optimization technology which matches gloss levels of the printed image to the material it’s printed on, as well as fuser fluid that seals ink to the page via heat or UV light processes, creating vivid, offset-like products. Digital results now would be hard to distinguish from traditional for even the most discriminating clients.

Simple Staff and Designer Learning Curve: Since a digital press is basically a computer using design software, it’s very familiar to most workers out there. Training time for staff and designers is greatly reduced as compared to the complicated traditional presses. Digital files also make it easy to collaborate with many players, allow for remote editing access, and expedite the proof and approval process.

It’s Better for the Earth: Digital technology disperses less harsh chemical emissions into the air and uses far less paper than traditional. Electronic proofs mean paper is only used for the final job.

Web technology means printers can produce an incredible array of deliverables today. That means more opportunities to add to your bottom line with less staff and investment than ever before.

Opportunities to Build Your Bottom Line with Digital Printing

Direct Mail Personalization – Enables art to merge with personalized data points to catch the consumer’s eye and increase response rates. Personalization can be anything from their name to a picture of their car model or mention of a recent trip taken. Any data points collected are simple to add, the sky’s the limit!

Fine Art and Photos – High-end digital printers can produce artwork on any specialized paper using high-pigment inks for amazing results. Art and photos can be quickly retouched, corrected, or colorized to meet the needs of the client.

Print on Demand: Allows for the production of one or many items submitted on demand. Think photo books, personalized children’s stories, or small-run book publishers. Consumers love items that are uniquely made just for them, just figure out what to offer.

Advertising and Signage: Not only can you do standard brochures and annual reports, but signage, banners, point of sales materials, and custom mailing labels are available as well. Don’t forget the latest trend: architectural design where media is fashioned to the walls, floors, or outside of a building to grab attention.

If these projects sound like you, it’s the right time to investigate digital printing equipment for your business. Moving into the future with digital printing will pay off handsomely for your bottom line.

Ready to consider digital printing for your business? We suggest contacting Print and Graphic Communications Association or your local printers association for guidance.  Another great resource may be your vendor of choice for your printing equipment needs.  When you are ready for Direct Mail, remember, Three Dog Logistics takes the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Digital Web Printing is the Future – Are You In? first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

Online buyers continue to grow at an incredible rate with a recent Fortune Magazine survey reporting 51% of shoppers now make their purchases online compared to only 47% in 2014. Consider for a moment holiday shopping now versus just five years ago, Black Friday online deals and Cyber Monday have virtually obliterated in-store sales for brick and mortar retailers. By 2019 digital shoppers are forecasted to reach 224 million and every single one of them wants free shipping.

While there are tons of shipping services out there, the truth is, unless you ship at a large box store level you’ll never find rates as low as an experienced parcel mail firm can offer. Shipping is not an equal opportunity business, those with the greatest volume get the best pricing, no exceptions, ever. Working with an experienced mailer grants access to volume discounts through their private shipper contracts and consolidation of multi-customer shipments into big company-like quantities. Besides saving money remember, that your job is to deliver WOW with every delivery. That means the order is accurate, well-packaged, and arrives by the date promised. Keep reading to learn the secrets of cost-effective and headache-free shipping.

Tips to Reduce the Cost of Free Shipping for Your E-Commerce Business

1. Select an experienced parcel mail firm that offers the lowest cost, warehousing, and real-time delivery tracking. Specifically, the firm must have experience with all private carriers and USPS to guarantee optimum deliverability. The more sophisticated the firm the better for your financials. For example,  Three Dog developed a proprietary processing tool that compares rates for the specific delivery zip and box dimensions ensuring the most cost-effective shipper is selected for each order. In addition, they use a drop-ship model utilizing private carriers to get the package as close to the destination as possible, then using USPS local service to drop in to the final destination. Deep USPS discounts using the drop-ship model can reduce shipping rates by 50% or more, making “free” shipping easier on your wallet.
2. Consult in advance with your mail firm to keep shipping cost low. Ask for packaging recommendations like size, weight, thickness, materials, and coating to reduce cost and guarantee your package won’t be rejected by USPS automation. A good mail firm should offer consulting expertise like this included with every project so call them in the design stage.
3. Verify shipping lists have optimum deliverability. Sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be shocked how often organizations assume their parcel was delivered all while scratching their head reviewing horrible customer reviews. Verify your mailing includes gratis NCOA/CASS certification of every list, virtually guaranteeing clean lists with 100% deliverability.
4. Avoid management of warehousing components and processes if at all possible. Warehousing logistics can play a huge factor in the cost, delivery, and success of parcel mailings, not to mention a colossal waste of time for your company’s internal resources. Select a mailer with capacity for warehousing, package fulfillment, and finishing services. I promise you’ll save yourself an incredible amount of pain and hardship. When negotiating be sure to include fulfillment services in your contract so free shipping becomes a predictable fixed expense.
5. Secure real-time tracking for every shipment. Parcel tracking is like a crystal ball, allowing verification that parcels have shipped and reached their destination on deadline, thereby fulfilling your promise to the buyer. In addition, tracking allows real-time staff planning for customer service/order-taking call centers. Again here the tighter you can project the actual dates support is needed, the less waste for the organization. Three Dog developed ObbaTrack to give their clients real-time visibility into every mailing. Available via the web, ObbaTrack allows clients to view every step of a parcels journey to its final destination.

Why not do some comparison shopping and see how much you can save in shipping expenses? Who knows, the next order that ships out from your company may feel just a little bit closer to “free.”

Ready to try Free Shipping that doesn’t take a chunk out of your bottom line? At Three Dog Logistics, our consultants will help develop a plan that delivers client solutions at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post There is No Such Thing as Free Shipping first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

Direct mail has changed, but it isn’t going anywhere.  With the saturation of Email, direct mail is still the #1 way to get your message into someone’s home and even in their hands.

The questions are just different now.

Who are you targeting?

As recent as 10 years ago, I remember getting direct mail pieces that clearly didn’t target my demographics.  I wasn’t in the market for baby food, I wasn’t a recent college graduate, and the local watering hole was not my weekly stop.  Today, talented marketers have figured out the secret of success – choosing the right list… and getting granular.  Knowing your target is key – what age, hobbies, interests, buying habits or online behaviors they have.  Why waste money sending an expensive furniture catalog to a recent high school graduate or baby promotions to an 80-year-old man? It is important to be smart about your list spend.

Is the list clean?

No matter where you get the list, recognize it is already outdated.  According to Melissa Data, the Census reports that an average of 14.19% of people move annually.  Another shocker to us is even when the client keys in their own address, the return rate for the undeliverable address is high. Imagine how data collection practices can easily produce inaccurate information.  Getting it delivered to the right person and the right address is important after you spent all that time making sure you targeted them correctly.

At Three Dog, we added a service to our Pick, Pack & Ship process as an added benefit to our clients. We cleanse the data, even if provided by the purchaser, to reduce the return factor on the items we ship.  Who would have guessed people don’t know how to key their own information… but it happens every day!

Have you invested in deduplication?

With all of the technology available, I am still amazed at how many well-known, successful catalogers send multiple, identical catalogs to my house.  What a total waste of money for the printing and the mailing.  Don’t go through all of the trouble in list selection and cleansing and not dedupe.

It’s open, now what?

Three Dog’s “Retriever” product has been a success because it can’t help but be opened.  Once it is opened, the marketer must make sure that the message is compelling and the call to action captivating.  Don’t forget that the best success is reached by cross promotions between direct mail, websites, social media and even telemarketing. No matter the vehicle you choose, open rate and response rate are the final measures of success.

Have you saved all you can?

Three Dog’s business is built solely on the idea that the mailers highest campaign cost is postage and we know how to save them millions a year.  We keep up with the latest changes to USPS regulations and programs so you don’t have to.  It’s an ever changing world and we are committed to being your resident expert.

So like many things in life – what is old is new again – just new and improved.  Direct mail will always be impactful because by its nature it is more personal. The key is capturing that.

The post Direct Mail has definitely evolved over the years, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s gone.  first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

For the Three Dog audience reading this, why does this matter to you? It matters because opportunity is knocking loud, but often we don’t hear it. As a printer or agency, you’re likely focused on offering customers the services you already provide, after all that’s what you’re in business to do right? Absolutely not. The role you offer is that of an expert consultant. Customers turn to you for assistance with activities they aren’t capable of such as printing, mailing, fulfillment, design, SEO, marketing, the list goes on and on. What might happen if, instead of waiting for an existing customer to come to you, you embark on a proactive campaign to partner with them by asking the right questions. Strategic partners listen and solve problems even if it’s not their core business. Think big. Join forces with other vendors, manage and bill for the entire process, and solve tough problems for your customers. Your bottom line and worn-out business owners everywhere will be eternally grateful.

There are millions of details in any business, for this discussion let’s focus on questions to identify operational concerns surrounding online e-commerce and fulfillment.

Strategic Partnership Questions to Ask Your Customers

1. What made you start this business?
2. Where do you envision the business growing? Are you on track to your goals?
3. What are your greatest obstacles? If you could shed anything, what would it be?
4. What is your current order fulfillment process? Is it working the way you want?
5. Your time is valuable, are you spending it on tasks that you consider valuable to the future of the business?
6. Are there expenses adversely impacting your bottom line I might be able to help with?

You’ll notice I didn’t mention any specific areas above, that’s by design. Open-ended conversations generate opportunities. Simply let the entrepreneur talk and note key areas your company might be able to improve an existing process or reduce cost. Then quickly find an experienced fulfillment or shipping partner to help deliver the perfect solution and earn immediate super-hero status. Who do you think they’ll call next time? A great example of this approach, a printer did what they do best printed a book for their client, but didn’t offer delivery services. So, the client used a large national express carrier for shipping at an enormous expense. This smart printer partnered with Three Dog to explore other options and presented delivery via USPS bound printed matter saving their client thousands of dollars per year. Slightly marking up delivery services on the client invoice increased their revenue while still delivering nice savings to their customer. We affectionately call this a win-win in the business world, of which typically earn lots of word-of-mouth referrals.

Complicated operational functions creating hardship for online businesses include website design, SEO optimization, e-commerce integration, product fulfillment including pick-pack services, warehousing, and domestic/international shipping. Most business owners start small and handle every aspect of the business on their own, perhaps from their garage until it gets so big they can’t keep up. This is the magic junction where businesses need partners capable of scalable solutions or they risk their reputation and future growth. To grow your consulting partnership (and bottom line), canvas your network in advance and select external partners with expertise so you’re ready for action after your next client meeting. Alongside your new partners, you’ll be positioned to advise your customers on the best strategy and cost efficiencies for their business.

Ready to join forces with a new fulfillment and shipping partner? At Three Dog Logistics, our consultants will help develop a plan that delivers client solutions at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 220 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Grow Your Business by Asking the Right Questions: E-Commerce and Fulfillment for Business Start-Ups first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

This would be the perfect service for printers and mail shops to offer their local retailers, churches and home service clients as a way for them to boost end of year sales and provide you with a bottom-line bump yourself.

You’re not just limited to postcards – qualifying EDDM specs include multi-page booklets, tri-fold/bi-folds, and many very large and unique size postcards. There are no mailing lists to purchase because campaigns are targeted based on postal carrier routes and delivered to every resident on the route. USPS has an easy on-line carrier route selection tool, making it simple to saturate any local market desired. Best of all EDDM guarantees 100% open rate. Because EDDM is delivered by the postal carrier no envelope is necessary; the piece is delivered already opened removing a huge obstacle in the direct mail world.

Here are some tips to share with your retailers, churches, home service and restaurant clients, or anyone trying to saturate a local targeted market:

Now that we’ve solved how to get the holiday campaign in the mail, let’s turn to what and why. What is it that you would like to convey to the recipients and how do you want them to feel after hearing from you? It’s important to bring emotion and sincerity into any campaign during the holiday season. Why should the recipient do business with your company, and what unique reason have you given them to take action?

Ideas for Holiday Campaigns that Make Customers Feel Special

Idea #1: Send a Gift with No Strings Attached

No matter what it always feels good to receive a gift just because someone appreciates you. It’s important to select a real gift with value that doesn’t require all kinds of hoops to jump through just to get it. Use the gift campaign as an opportunity to thank your customers for their loyalty. You can ask for some type of action to receive the gift, but make it simple and gracious. For example, a free item/service with any visit to your shop, special commemorative gift for donors, or home-baked goods delivered with your holiday card will all make a positive impact. Even in today’s fast-paced digital world, good will goes a long way.

Idea #2: Host a Thank You Party for Your Most Dedicated Clientele

Make an impact by throwing a holiday party only for very special customers every year. If embarking on this plan make sure it’s classy and not designed around pushing sales while clients are at the party. There is no better way to engage with and learn more about your clientele than enjoying a cup of holiday cheer together. It would certainly be acceptable to offer a VIP discount for products/ gift certificates during the evening, but using a soft and unobtrusive approach would be best.

Idea #3: Become a Drop-Off Site for a Give-Back Campaign of Your Choice

Offering your facility as a charitable drop-off site gives people the opportunity to interact with your company in a very different way. Trust me, the amount of loyalty and goodwill an event like this generates will shock you. Whether it’s a food drive, Toys for Tots, clothing drive, or gift drive for local military officers that can’t get home, make sure it’s a cause that’s close to your heart. It’s a great opportunity to involve your employees in the selection of the cause, organization of the event, and to experience the great feeling that comes from helping others.

Idea #4: Focus Campaign around Guaranteed Completion by Specific Holiday Deadlines

People are stressed at the holidays with way too much to do in too short of a time frame. Make their lives easier by guaranteeing your service/product will be complete or delivered on deadline. A few examples could include kitchen remodeled in time for their holiday visitors, new carpet in time for their big holiday party, or cleaning service available with only 24 hour notice for last-minute holiday get-togethers. Consumers have plenty of options, but not everyone will work around what’s important to them and guarantee it. This approach is an excellent call to action that will make you stand out against your competition.

Idea #5: Announce your holiday hours

Are you open later or on special days, do you have a calendar of events leading up to the holidays, do you have services during special times or in additional locations?  Create content that invites your client to participate and educates them on the details of what, when and where. Don’t forget times, locations, dates, and all the specifics that matter most as well as websites, phone numbers and email addresses that are relevant.   Always read your content like the recipient who has never met you before to make sure you have answered all the questions before they are asked.

Ready to give EDDM a try? Set-up is a snap and we offer dedicated support every step of the way. Remember, at Three Dog Logistics we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 340 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post The Procrastinator’s Guide to Last Minute Holiday Campaigns first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

If you’re still not convinced consider the fact that Canadian and international markets receive far less direct mail than U.S. consumers. Not only will you stand out and get opened, but in many countries the concept of direct mail is still very new and folks are actually excited to receive your offers; best of all they also typically pass it along to family and friends. U.S. consumers receive an average of 290 pieces of direct mail per year, Canadians an average of 130, and international markets an average of 15-70 annually. These numbers make for pretty good odds that your piece has a much better shot anywhere else other than the U.S.

A majority of the world has a high percentage of English speakers and most are interested, if not enamored with American products. I’m not suggesting a strategy where English is forced down their throat; tailoring your message is always the best plan, but international consumers are very comfortable doing business with a U.S. company.

Some of the other cultural differences that make a substantial case for trying global direct mail include the CanSpam law and the fact that online/social media are engaging far less consumers than in the United States. CanSpam or the Canadian Anti-Spam Law restricts many forms of email marketing; steep fines and legal ramifications prohibit many companies from using email marketing. That’s a beautiful thing because tried and true methods like direct mail are still king. Online marketing and social media is far less popular as a means of engagement outside the U.S, again here less channels to market through means a greater likelihood that your global campaign will generate an exciting response.

How to Develop and Execute a Global Mail Strategy

Pick a Test Country to Start With

Start slow; pick a test country to cut your teeth on. Canada is ideal, with very few language or cultural barriers, its different enough, but not overwhelming.

Research Trends and Cultural Biases for the Country

Do your homework. Find out what trends are hot and if there are any cultural issues to avoid. In many countries overtly sexual images and messages are extremely offensive; best to take a very conservative approach overall. Find out what language is spoken and troll for slang buzzwords that may catch their eye. You could also save yourself some time and engage a reputable translation service to convert your message for the audience.

Plan Your Campaign Offer and Message

Same as in any marketing effort, basic campaign planning is critical to successful results. Define your target market, create an audience-focused message, develop engaging offers to encourage response, and lastly design an attractive, yet culturally aware direct mail piece.

Engage Experienced Global List Firms and Mail Vendors

It sounds funny, but this might be the most important step of all. The international market is very specialized and requires experienced vendors for a seamless execution. Once you’ve identified your core market, a good list firm can help select appropriate regions and demographics to reach ready buyers in any country. International addresses are longer, more lines, and harder to manage. Experienced list and mailing firms know how to label pieces for greatest deliverability. To actually get your piece into the hands of a buyer requires a mailer with deep knowledge of international mail processes, customs rules, and able to process paperwork required to guarantee the piece makes it to the final destination.

Be brave and cross the border with global direct mail. You never know what kind of awesome results you might get unless you give it a try!

Ready to cross over and try international direct mail? At Three Dog Logistics we offer a reliable international mail delivery that can save your organization time and money. Canadian and international mail can be sent at a single international postage rate. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com/international-mail/ or call 410-284-5494 extension 340 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Cross the Border – Expand Your Marketplace with International Direct Mail first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

Sophisticated direct mailers now have the technology to track each piece through the postal system, providing estimates for in-home dates and confirming actual received date in a real-time environment easily available via an online portal. From non-profits to print shops, this technology can reap significant rewards for any company investing in direct mail. Keep reading to learn how tracking direct mail helps companies to run more efficiently and to be prepared in any situation.

6 Reasons to Use Automated Tracking for Direct Mail Campaigns

1. Verifies the direct mail reached its audience
   Sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be shocked how often organizations assume their direct mail was delivered all the while scratching their head reviewing horrible campaign results. Just remember, the recipient can’t respond if they never received the piece.
2. Able to schedule direct mail follow-up campaigns with accuracy
   The ability to project in-home dates allows teams to plan for follow-up staffing, but confirmation of in-home delivery means the follow-up timing will be right on. Imagine hiring staff to conduct follow-up and beginning only to find out the mailing was delayed and no one knows what your outbound staff is talking about. Not just embarrassing, but a huge waste of effort and money.
3. Ability to plan for order fulfillment and call center staff
   Mail tracking is like a crystal ball, looking into the future planning real-time dates that staff is needed for order fulfillment, call center, or donor support. Again, here the tighter you can project the actual dates support is needed, the less waste for the organization.
4. Provide confirmation of mail delays that could impact results
   Mail tracking always tells the truth, no guessing or best case scenarios. If the campaign for your organization is delayed due to snow storms or other unplanned situations, you’ll know right away. This knowledge in advance allows companies to plan for response delays impacting orders, donations, and cash flow. In an unplanned event all anyone can do is control their response; when it happens, tracking mail can serve as a powerful tool in your arsenal.
5. Know how many responses are coming before they arrive
   Mail tracking also records business reply envelope (BRE) responses to know what’s coming back long before it hits the mailbox. For non-profits it can mean the ability to predict total donations yet to arrive and for any organization projecting orders pending receipt. How awesome would it be to see the future?
6. Evaluate and adjust campaign planning in real-time
   Tracking responses from BREs delivers business intelligence which allows your team to make future campaign decisions with less lag time. If response rates are exceeding expectations, then start planning the next one. No need to wait till you have orders in hand. On the flip side, if it’s an epic fail, cancel the next campaign planned and mitigate losses.

Get your very own competitive advantage by using mail/response tracking on your next direct mail campaign. It’s like being able to see the future for your business… and who wouldn’t want that?

Three Dog Logistics is an expert at mail/response tracking technologies and will deliver your message at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 340 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Tracking Direct Mail is an Absolute Must first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.

Smart Mail is a tried and true direct mail campaign personalized and then integrated with web-based response methods offering fast and engaging platforms for the audience. We aren’t talking personalization like your name, there are now laser-like precision options available to engage the recipient; direct mail now has some amazing technology! Web-based response tools include QR codes, pURLs, and micro-sites optimized for mobile that make it simple to engage with each specific campaign – no searching or difficult navigation. Best of all they can respond without ever leaving their home! Keep going to read up on Smart Mail tools available, both full-service and DIY, to use right now.

Smart Mail Techniques and Tools to Increase Direct Mail Campaign Results

Contact Management Tools

No matter how smart direct mail gets, the list will always be the single most important factor to campaign success. Sending a campaign to people who don’t care about what you’re offering or who don’t match your client demographics is crazy. May as well save you the torture of waiting and just light up a wad of cash now. Segmented lists can be bought or compiled and are available based on a huge range of demographics. The trick is to spend time on your list, select demographics that match your current customer base, and if local, pay special attention to geographic regions. Compiled lists are often the most effective and easy to start. Many options for contact management software exists, players like ACT!, SalesForce, Google Docs, and others, make it easy to organize and update your lists regularly.

QR Codes: Quick Response Codes

I’m sure you’ve seen those little black symbols that look like an inkblot test, that’s a QR code. Print codes on direct mail pieces; when scanned from a mobile device it takes the user directly to the web site embedded in the code. No searching and you decide what information they see or action to request once they hit the web page. Consumers have zero patience today so QR codes make a lot of sense. Once a QR code is scanned, you know right away. Reporting built into the code/web site lets you know how a campaign is performing real-time even if nothing has yet been bought. Lots of free DIY QR Code tools out there, check out qrstuff.com and qr-code-generator.com to get started.

pURLs: Personalized URLs

Imagine a site that is customized just for you, that’s what pURLs do best. A custom pURL link might look something like this www.GolfMaster.com/John.Smith. When John goes to his site it contains campaign-specific content that includes anything relevant only to him. Let’s say you know what kind of golf club John uses those images and key words are all over his site. Personalization is only limited to what you don’t know about the recipient. Other ease-of-use options such as pre-populated response forms and showing locations near you can make the user experience very pleasant. Adding pURLs to direct mail pieces can boost response rates up to 30%. Even better, through web reporting you’re able to see how each specific user responded and navigated their pURL site learning more for use in the next campaign. Your direct mail provider can further guide you or DIY tools are available at Purlem.com or easypurl.com.

Micro-Sites Optimized for Mobile Devices

As opposed to landing responders to your main web site, consider creating campaign-specific micro-sites instead. Also called landing pages, micro-sites are typically 1-7 pages long, very simple and targeted only to the campaign message and actions you want visitors to take. Microsites also offer options to serve specific coupons/offers upon landing, request more information about the prospect (to update your lists), and generate auto-response contact based on user actions. For example, a user might fill out a short survey and receive a special coupon sent to the email just entered. It’s critical to verify that your microsite has been optimized for mobile devices, if not go ahead and burn more cash. A site that’s all squished or buttons that won’t work on a mobile phone is a complete waste. If good with web sites, make your own microsite, but otherwise ask your direct mail provider for recommendations.

Congratulations you’ve graduated from Smart Mail College; now get out there and blaze a trail into the future!

Three Dog Logistics delivers your message at the lowest cost and fastest delivery speed possible. Remember, we take the bite out of postage and freight. Visit www.threedoglogistics.com or call 410-284-5494 extension 340 to schedule a complimentary consultation today.

The post Smart Mail: The Future of Direct Mail Available NOW first appeared on Three Dog Logistics.