Mini Slim Offers Effective, Low-Cost Catalog Option

With postal rate hikes putting the squeeze on catalog mailers, some alternative print formats are worth a second look, suggests a recent Target Marketing magazine article. One option is the "mini slim" catalog. It uses USPS-approved spot tack closures with fugitive glue for easy opening without page tearing and avoids the expensive, hard-to-open wafer seals of "slim jim" catalogs. The mini slim is also less costly to produce because of reduced page count compared with full-size and even slim jim catalogs. Plus, mini slims offer significant postal savings. While a typical 10.5" x 8" catalog mails at standard "flat" rates, the mini slim catalogs are slim-jim size (10.5" x 5.875") and under 3 ounces with up to 10 pages, which qualifies for standard letter rates and reduces postage 10% to 20%. What about response and sales? The Target Marketing article quotes at least one catalog mailer as claiming to reap sales as good or better from a mini catalog as from a standard 84-page book, in addition to driving prospects to the website -- all for a cost close to that of producing and mailing a postcard. A caveat: The author is a direct mail printer, who acknowledges that mini catalogs are no replacement for a full-size effort. But his piece is a timely reminder that online isn't the only alternative to mail; there are cost-effective supplemental print ideas out there. For more, see the article at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/a-catalog-strategy-offset-usps-rate-hike/1

Do You Follow the 3.33 Rule of Direct Mail?

Do you know the 3.33 rule for direct mail? Studies have shown that direct mailers have three minutes and 33 seconds to engage a potential customer: three seconds to catch a recipient's eye out of the stack in the mailbox, 30 seconds for the recipient to get the mail piece open, and then an additional three minutes for the potential customer to read and decide on response. We thank Pat Friesen of Direct Marketing IQ for reminding us of the challenge. The 3.33 rule applies more to solo pieces and self-mailers than catalogs, but the principles of making sure your message doesn't end up in the trash still apply. With the U.S. Postal Service requiring mail to be tabbed, wafer-sealed, spot or continuously glued for delivery, ease of opening is more than a printer, production and design issue;  effective marketers need to worry about those 30 critical seconds for openability. More important, marketing must focus on compelling creative and offer to make recipients want to spend even a few seconds of time and effort to engage with a piece before it's tossed. For Pat's apt comments, go to http://www.directmarketingiq.com/article/3-tips-deal-with-sticky-business-direct-mail/1