BE PREPARED + DON'T BLAME ME
"BE PREPARED"
That’s the slogan of the Boy Scouts. But it’s obviously been taken to heart by at least one non-profit organization.
About a week after Cyclone Nargis hit, I received a package from UNICEF. The outer envelope featured a stenciled, “URGENT Emergency Appeal” ‘stamp’. Through a second window I could read a headline on the enclosed letter – “Children in Crisis: Myanmar/Burma Cyclone”.
The return envelope had a line under the logo reading, “Thank you for responding to our emergency appeal.”
The entire package seemed to be designed around the tragic cyclone. But, of course, UNICEF has a kazillion OEs and BREs sitting in warehouses just waiting for the next crisis in the world. Then they just need to bang out a customized letter and pop the package in the mail.
TIP: Planning – and printing – ahead can not only save you time; it can save you a whack of money. Take a look at your own future mailings and see if you can print some common components in advance.
DON’T BLAME ME
I received a folder about the 2008 Search Engine Strategies Conference, and I could tell that some adhesive had to be dealt with before I could open it.
I thought that two panels were glued along the bottom, so I started trying to separate them. But I only succeeded in nearly destroying the whole piece, as I pulled and tugged and uttered epithets at the sponsor of the mailer.
Eventually I figured out that it was held together by two clear stickers and that I should have simply used a letter opener to slit them.
TIP: There are a lot of people out there who race through the process of opening their mail. So instead of using clear stickers that befuddle the minds and fingers of souls like your scribe, why not let them know that there are stickers involved? Use coloured stickers so your target audience has a better idea as to what they’re up against. Then you’ll be applauded, instead of cursed at, by recipients like…
Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net
That’s the slogan of the Boy Scouts. But it’s obviously been taken to heart by at least one non-profit organization.
About a week after Cyclone Nargis hit, I received a package from UNICEF. The outer envelope featured a stenciled, “URGENT Emergency Appeal” ‘stamp’. Through a second window I could read a headline on the enclosed letter – “Children in Crisis: Myanmar/Burma Cyclone”.
The return envelope had a line under the logo reading, “Thank you for responding to our emergency appeal.”
The entire package seemed to be designed around the tragic cyclone. But, of course, UNICEF has a kazillion OEs and BREs sitting in warehouses just waiting for the next crisis in the world. Then they just need to bang out a customized letter and pop the package in the mail.
TIP: Planning – and printing – ahead can not only save you time; it can save you a whack of money. Take a look at your own future mailings and see if you can print some common components in advance.
DON’T BLAME ME
I received a folder about the 2008 Search Engine Strategies Conference, and I could tell that some adhesive had to be dealt with before I could open it.
I thought that two panels were glued along the bottom, so I started trying to separate them. But I only succeeded in nearly destroying the whole piece, as I pulled and tugged and uttered epithets at the sponsor of the mailer.
Eventually I figured out that it was held together by two clear stickers and that I should have simply used a letter opener to slit them.
TIP: There are a lot of people out there who race through the process of opening their mail. So instead of using clear stickers that befuddle the minds and fingers of souls like your scribe, why not let them know that there are stickers involved? Use coloured stickers so your target audience has a better idea as to what they’re up against. Then you’ll be applauded, instead of cursed at, by recipients like…
Dr. Bob
symbiomarketing@telus.net
posted by DoctorBob | 2:54 PM
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