Amid the ongoing debate about whether direct mail or e-mail is the best method to market to customers and prospects, very little is being said about the one thing that is crucial to the success of both--the message. Unless the message is relevant to the audience and persuasively presented, it doesn't matter how it is delivered. So while the discussion about direct mail versus e-mail continues, focus on developing good content and honing your writing skills.
The objective of both direct and e-mail marketing it to persuade a customer or prospect to take action, either now or later. When a seller consistently and regularly sends a communication such as a mailed post card or a newsletter (either mailed or web-based), a buyer is more likely at a future time to take the action desired by the seller. In other words, direct or e-mail marketing is less about an immediate sale than about positioning the business or organization to be top-of-mind when the potential buyer is ready to make a purchase.
This is important in business-to-business selling where the sell cycle is often long(especially when compared to business-to-consumer), and it is hard to stimulate demand. Direct mail is also important during an economic downturn when either budgetary constraints or the unwillingness of the purchaser to spend money creates a long sell cycle for both businesses and consumers.

An outgrowth of the capabilities of variable data printing is personalized URL's (PURLs) on direct mail marketing pieces. A PURL is the web address of a landing page that is unique to the individual recipient of the marketing piece. A PURL combines a response device with a web site.
When a recipient goes to the PURL landing page, the response device is immediately filled with the recipient's contact information (such as name, address, telephone, email). With the click of the mouse, the recipient can request information or take advantage of the offer. As soon as that happens, the PURL generates an e-mail message that is essentially a sales lead.The novelty of the PURL, combined with the ease of responding, is said to increase the response rate.
Some Applications for PURLs include requesting a free sample, information, or trial; to take advantage of an offer or a discount; to RSVP or register for an event; and to complete a survey.

Variable Data Printing
High Speed copying in both black and white and color has been a standard service offering here at B.C. Printing for some time. Once digital printers began to replace analog copiers, the possibility of variable data printing was realized.
VDP enables various elements of a document such as text, graphics and images to change from one page to the next with no degradation of print speed or quality. From a production standpoint, VDP is a continuum from the simplest mail merge(changing the name and salutation of a letter) to versioning (customizing the document for a defined group rather that for a specific individual) to 1-to-1 printing where each document is completely unique. An example of simple VDP is a post card that is printed with the name and address of the intended recipient. If the photograph on the post card and part of the sales message changes depending on the demographic characteristics of the recipient, that is known as versioning. If the post card contains a photograph of the recipient as well as text with personal information, that's 1-to-1 marketing.

QR Codes are the new way for customers and prospects to reach a web page,a location, or obtain information about products and services. Add a QR code containing contact information to your business card and someone can add you to their contact list by reading the QR code with their cell phone or computer. Add a QR code to individual products on your web site and enable customers or prospects to download product details and a phone number for ordering, or link to a You Tube Video.
Another example of how QR codes are being used is the Google program Google Places, a way for businesses to manage their presence on Google. Any business selected by Google as a Favorite Place receives a window decal that includes a QR code that takes the viewer to the Google Place Page for the business. As of July 2010, Google has already distributed 100,000 Favorite Places decals and is planning a second round of 50,000 more.
With Google promoting QR codes, they are likely to become very important in search marketing. Google suggests that if your web site contains a QR code, search engines will see a new image and index it, and might in the future index the content in them.

The term Old Media and its companion legacy media refer to traditional ways of communication with customers. Printers are generally considered to be part of old media, along with other paperbased industries like newspapers, magazines, and books as well as radio, television and movies. In contrast, new media is digital and includes the Internet, websites and most computer-based forms of communications.
New Media is exciting because it brings new tools to the process of communicating with customers--tools like full color printing, highly personalized sales messages and interactive outreach--as well as empowering prospects and customers to quickly and easliy find reliable information about products, services and vendors.
One of the more exciting examples of new technology is the QR code. QR stands for Quick Response, aptly named because the contents of the code can be decoded at high speed by devices including mobile phones equipped with a camera, net books and laptop computers, desktop computers, cameras and televisions.

Is Direct Mail bad for the environment?
Contrary to what you may have heard from proponents of various "Do Not Mail" coalitions, direct mail is an environmentally responsible way to advertise. Yes, trees are harvested to create the pulp from which paper is made. But the harvested trees are grown specifically for that purpose on tree farms known as managed timberlands. The trees are an agricultural crop, like vegetables on a farm; the trees are not cut down from neighborhood parks or wilderness areas.
America's forestry and paper industries plant more than 4 million new trees each day (or 1.4 billion per year)-that's three new trees for every one harvested.
Recycling is another reason not to fear direct mail. Paper is one consumer product that is fairly easy and inexpensive to recycle. After first use, paper products can be made into corrugated boxes, packaging, newsprint, tissue and even writing paper. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, annual recycling rates for advertising mail have increased 700% since 1990. In 2008, 57.4% of all the paper consumed in the United states was recovered for recycling. This is the equivalent of nearly 340 pounds of paper for each man, woman and child in America. The paper industry has set a goal of 60% recovery by 2012.

Combine direct mail with e-mail marketing.
The best strategy for communicating with customers and prospects is to use a combination of direct mail and e-mail marketing. According to an Ipsos survey conducted in 2007, 67% of respondents performed online searches for more information on a company, service or product after receiving an "offline" message.
Results from ExactTarget's 2008 Channel Preference Survey supports the strategy of combining direct mail with e-mail. Respondents in that survey gave direct mail a score of 3.9(out of a possible 5) as an acceptable marketing method and gave e-mail a score of 3.7. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) said they made a purchase because of a marketing message received through direct mail, and 65% said they made a purchase because of an e-mail.
Print is here to stay, despite the pace of change affecting printing, it remains a proven way to communicate with customers and prospects. Direct mail marketing, when combined with e-mail, is more effective than e-mail alone. And the affordability of full color means that direct mail pieces can be eye catching and appealing to the target audience.