If your direct mail pieces are not getting the interest you want, you may want to think about the packaging you send your direct mail in. Are you sending letters in plain white envelopes with just the recipientâ??s name and address printed on the front? A boring package could be your problem.If you have a great offer, but no one is opening your mailer to get to that offer, try putting your postcard, brochure or whatever mailing piece in a box. Actually, it does not have to be in a box, it can be in anything that is not flat. Tubes and boxes are generally the most common dimensional mailer and both are regulated for postage by the United States Postal Service. These mailers will cost you more to ship, but you are more likely to get a higher response rate so it is worth the extra cost. Check out the U.S. Postal Services Web site to find out what shapes are okay to send: http://www.usps.com/businessmail101/mailcharacteristics/mailpieceShape.htm.Unfortunately, the Postal Service can limit your shape choice. For instance, you cannot mail a round postcard. You can find out more by visiting the aforementioned Web site.The good thing is that with boxes, you can print just about any design you want on them, which will help you attract more attention to it. People are more likely to open dimensional mailers because it is like Christmas or a birthday â?? they feel like they are opening a present!Dimensional mailers tend to get past receptionists and are hardly ever seen as junk mail because they look important in their box or tube. These mailers also help you to stand out among your competitors. Some marketers have reported response rates of 25 to 50% from dimensional mail, so it is worth a try.You can also tie your dimensional mailer to other marketing materials, like your business cards. Ask your business card printing company if they can create a dimensional business card. Many can create 3-D business cards, so just check online with several printing companies to see what they can do.So, what should you put in your box or tube? You can send a sample of your product, or you can send something that makes noise or plays music. You could record a message for your recipient to play once they open the box and see the recorder (you can get one-time recorders pretty cheaply). Aprimo Inc, a software creator, sent a box to business prospects with a wooden train and tracks inside along with literature headlined, â??Wondering how to keep your organization on the right track?â? The trains had labels with Aprimoâ??s name on them and the trains were nice enough to display on an executiveâ??s desk. This creative package helped ensure receivers would be open to a follow-up call.The biggest downside with dimensional mailers is that they cost so much to mail. This is why you should only send them to a small target market. This target market should be potential customers that are very well-qualified and likely to do business with you.Tips for Creating Dimensional MailHere are a few things to keep in mind when creating your mail pieces:1. Keep the packaging, the wording, the color palette and everything else consistent with your brand image. Use your logo and brand colors on the package.2. Include printed material along with the object you send in the direct mail box or tube. This mailing should relate to your overall marketing message.3. Include your return address. With everyone on high alert for packages that could be bombs, your package may end up getting blown up if not properly labeled!4. Include a call to action on the object or additional mailing materials.Make sure to follow up by making a phone call within a week after your mailer has been received. Many people will be happy to take your call to thank you for the interesting item you sent!For comments and inquiries about the article visit:  Business Card Printing

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing differs greatly from business-to-consumer marketing. Generally, services and products sold to businesses are multifaceted and cost more than services and products sold to consumers. The buying and selling process usually includes many more steps and involves more than one person.For these reasons, you should expect your direct mail marketing pieces to generate leads, not close sales. Businesses don’t make impulse purchases like consumers do, so you can’t rely on that aspect of marketing. Because you don’t know where buyers are in their buying cycle, your direct mail pieces need to generate interest no matter where they are in the cycle. And how do you get the buyers to pay attention to your marketing materials? There’s one answer:Give them a great offer. Your offer is the reward that you give prospects for responding to your direct mail piece. Offer something tangible, like a free item for visiting your store, or a discount for visiting your Web site and registering. Give prospects a benefit – whether it’s a time saver or a money saver, or information that they couldn’t get otherwise.Read on for examples of direct mail offers that have produced leads for B2b marketers in the past:Article. Send an article written by a third party about your business that highlights your great qualities. Or include an article with your direct mail package that talks about your prospect’s business challenges. Paperclip a brochure, catalog, or some kind of marketing piece that can help solve this business challenge. Highlight or circle what you want the prospect to see in your marketing piece to draw direct attention to your solution.Book. This works especially well if someone in your company has written a book about the industry. This also gives your company credibility. You can also send a book that is about your industry that is not written by your company that you think the buyer would appreciate. Fully use your business card printing budget, and stick a few business cards into the book.Booklet. Send a booklet that tells your prospects about their industry trends and how you can help them be the leader of these trends.Newsletter. Mail or email prospects a newsletter that is full of useful information. Include news and advice that pertains to your industry and try to tie that into other prospects’ industries. Newsletters work well in B2B marketing because they let other businesses check out your company without committing to buying from you. It’s a good idea to feature a case study or success story in the newsletter that boasts something your company did well.Report. Many companies send reports that deal with the current hot-button issues for your prospect’s industry. You can buy reprint rights from an industry trade publication or sponsor your own report. Again, include a few business cards to let them know where the report came from. Sending a report can show that you are up to date with industry news.Your product catalog. Mailing a free product catalog is the best way for business prospects to learn about all of your products. If you have a large catalog, use Post-It notes to direct attention to items you think would be of most interest to the prospect.Keep in mind that with B2B marketing, the more information you can send the better. This doesn’t mean to clutter your brochures, flyers and other materials with information, but to send out multiple marketing materials that show off all your great qualities. Send a few of these items every month to buyers to produce leads.For comments and inquiries about the article visit:  Business Card Printing