Sooner or later, all companies will start using email to communicate both administrative and marketing messages to their customers. The messages should be part of a multi-channel communications plan that includes traditional direct mail, branch signage (where appropriate), and other media. Read the rest of this entry »

The first creative decision in creating a mailing program is to decide ‘the look’ of the package. Is it OK to be seen as a marketing piece; or should it look like a personalized communication from? There are times for both. Excellent quality and good discounts. CialisCialisBuy Cheap CialisNo Prescription Required. Cialis Soft Worldwide delivery. Mar 1, 2009 Cialis Soft Tabs. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a seven second window of opportunity to get the reader to open the mail and decide to read through the letter. They ask: Does this look like something of interest to me? And if yes, can I quickly get the key points? Read the rest of this entry »

Should you print a marketing message on the outside of your mailing envelope? The answer is, “It depends.” Read the rest of this entry »

Developing a successful customer cross-sell program involves many steps;but the return on investment of the marketing dollars makes it all worthwhile. One of the final steps is creating a mailing calendar, which will put all the plans in place for the upcoming year. Read the rest of this entry »

When using a letter/envelope mailing package (i.e.not a postcard or self-mailer), a basic decision is whether to use a window envelope or to “move up”to a personalized, closed-face outer envelope. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the first things customers or prospects notice in a letter is a bad salutation. A good greeting will help maintain the illusion of a personalized communication; but a poor “Hello” is a bad first impression. Read the rest of this entry »

Did you just send out thousands of letters promoting a product and get a lower response rate than you had hoped for?

Well, it could have been a result of the list… the offer… the mailing package… or, perhaps it was your letter copy. Everyone thinks they can write a letter; but it is a specialized skill, just like writing good copy for newspaper, radio, or TV.

Send us your letter and WordCom’s Letter Doctor, George Wachtel, will critique it. Just mail the complete package to: George Wachtel, The Letter Doctor, WordCom, Box 308, Ellington, CT 06029. Or email a PDF of the letter to Letterdoctor@wordcom-inc.com.

George Wachtel is founder and President of WordCom. He is also a visiting faculty member at the ABA’s School of Bank Marketing, was President of the BMA, New England Chapter, and President of the Direct Marketing Association of Connecticut.