What is the most important word in a Subject Line?

As with direct mail,  “You or Your” remains a winner.

Here is an article in eMarketer Digital Intelligence discussing that. Other keywords that work in direct mail are good too.. but.. the word “free” is just a knockout by many servers and their spam filters.

http://ow.ly/1prsb

9,146 individuals

The Scottsdale National Gender Institute offers practical tools to help employers break through gender barriers that effect productivity, worker retention, and male-female communications in the workplace.

This list has proven itself for many training, seminar, book buyers and publications.

The file was recently updated.   Take a look:

http://www.bethesda-list.com/datacards/ScottsdaleNationalGenderInstitute-listrental.htm

Direct marketing has always been on the early edge indicator of the health of the economy. Perhaps things are beginning to show “some green sprouts.” A few things I have noticed.

• WOMMA announced in their eNewsletter that a survey of Linked-In jobs listings in the Advertising area found about 1,700 jobs being advertised. This may be a big change.
• Linked In has become a defacto spot to list new jobs. Today, Sears was spotted using Twitter to announce jobs says the LA Times
• Direct Mail seems to be increasing (or will be) ..we are seeing a slight increase in average order size.  And, the occasional “good order” is beginning to show up again.
• The Census is using direct mail to increase response to the Census’ fill out and return percentages. Imagine sending close to 100 million+  pieces of mail
• eMail now seems to be used along with postal to boost response.

What are your signs of how the economy is doing?

3,997,564   Executives and professionals in the United Kingdom are available. Lots of selections in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland!

• Job Title/Job Function

•  Business/Industry 

•  Geography

• Company Size

•  Sales Volume
  

• 
  

• Telephones

•       Gender

This list has been used by major financial services companies, publishers, fleet car and insurance offers and many general business mailers.

Full details are to be found here:

http://www.bethesda-list.com/datacards/UKBusinessLeadersPostalEmail-listrental.htm

Classic direct marketing letter – watch for the big survey next week.

Well, just sending that letter means that they will get more folks to pay attention and respond. And a follow-up reminder after the due date will bring in even more responses. Who says the US Government does not understand direct mail?

Some claims are that the approximately $50 million it cost the Census to send the announcement letter will be more than made up by the increase in forms returned.

Saving money with direct mail means fewer visits  make to get folks to fill out the forms and return them.

Perhaps the same can be said of your product and service as well?  Your thoughts…

Introducing a new list for non-Canadian clients who wish to reach most of the business professionals in Canada, Business Executives and Professionals in Canada.

This postal list of 1,389,706 names is full of details:

• Job Title/Job Function
• Business/Industry
• Company Size
• Sales Volume
• Gender

Reaching the exact audience you need is easy across our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada, with this list.

Full details:    http://ow.ly/1l8oL

This article is written by someone who lives and breathes this stuff.

Hard to imagine starting at age 16 doing this, but being young he has the energy and time to really devote to the in’s and outs of this topic. This article is really one of the best I have seen on this topic.  http://ow.ly/1aQVi

Tweeter and Corporate Blogging Guru Debbie Weil has a series of talks in Washington on social media topics. Last night the speaker was Anil Dash of MacArthur Foundation funded Expert Labs.

The location, a wired cupcake shop in Georgetown with a pink bike parked out front, thus the name of the series.

Dash says the goal of Expert Labs is to open government (gov 2.0) using social media to LISTEN as well as talk to their audience. His company is currently working with the White House Science and Technology office. So far, no other gov’t agencies, Congress, etc.  Of course, he saw applications in the commercial sector as well.

During the discussion of his project, there was discussion about citizen participants having  to “put on a tie” when talking to gov’t. Really some form of identification and a call for responsible comment.

IMHO, not the way to get folks to participate.  Especially in this over-media hyped environment. Dash mentioned that most issues now activate the legalize pot crowd when comment is called for. So his software is able to collapse issues and summarize.

This new software is designed to have a civil conversation and learned discussion. Good idea, hard, if not impossible, to impliment. That is where Expert Labs software and cloud computing coming in.

Other attendees, in discussion with me, felt the whole conversation with all 305+ million Americans, in theory, was 20-30 years away due to computer limitations. I don’t think it’s the computer limitations but the fear of government, the certainty that everyone thinks they know best that is factor to slow this “group listening.”

I live and work in the Washington area and see plenty of boldface political people in  everyday life – at the supermarket, the gym, getting coffee and whatnot. They generally seem to be genuine but all too often, their objectives are driven by many things, the least of which is direct public input. Even for good ideas.

That is hard nut to crack. Did the Constitutional founders expect us to run everything by opinion poll? Or was it their belief that even a “common man” can do the job of representative in Congress by voting and shaping legislation he believes best represents his voters and any other groups he is representing.

Well, the numbers of pieces of mail are down (mostly the recession), the costs of running the USPS are up, despite cost cutting.

Congress has to admit a few things:

•     Give more leeway to the USPS when it comes to decisions [not mentioned the  voting USPS workers in each and every Congressional district]
•     A large number of USPS employees retiring in the next few years
•     Many post offices are not profitable now, alternatives needed
•     Saturdays, does delivery make sense?
•     Legacy costs – health care, pensions, all sorts of stuff you can’t imagine are there

What the Post managed to avoid – you go to use a USPS machine and about 60% of the time, the thing is not working properly. Err, you have to wonder would that fly in a totally privatized company.

Here is the link to the Washington Post lead editorial for March 10, 2010.

http://ow.ly/1gJoC

As the direct marketing industry we need to make sure that we do our part to help the discussion to be more friendly to our position. Now, direct mail is about 52% of the volume. We should have some clout and the Direct Marketing Association and others have a great opportunity to develop a leadership role.

Led Zep, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Bowie’s Ziggy, Tubular Bells, etc…. Kinda hard to believe I remember when they all came out. Now the ever brilliant marketing department at Royal Mail has put them on stamps.

Having gotten a first day cover, they are pretty wonderful. They look better than the dusty albums in the box.

Nostalgia…

Brand Republic covered this –    http://ow.ly/1gi0J

Royal Mail  set up a special site http://ow.ly/1gi4g

Stamps who’da thunk they are so fun? Not the USPS generally.