Whether you are creating a direct mail piece, an email, or a social media post, FOMO, or "Fear of Missing Out," is a powerful tool. Harnessing FOMO can drive engagement and conversions by creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity, compelling customers to act quickly so they don't miss out on something good.

While we all know that personalizing your direct mail pieces can improve marketing results, the process can seem intimidating. What do you need to watch for? How can you make sure nothing goes wrong? Here are five tips for getting started on the right foot.

Direct mail is changing. This channel remains highly effective, but most people don’t have the attention spans they used to. Mail that is fast and easy to scan is winning the day. According to Who’s Mailing What! (WMW!), a database of nearly 300,000 direct mail pieces, the average word count used in marketing copy for envelopes, postcards, and self-mailers has dropped by 24%, 30%, and 29%, respectively, over the past 20 years.

There is little more comforting for many than a cup of silky, creamy chocolate mousse. Even looking at a picture of this delightful treat can make you hungry. Perhaps it is not surprising that Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025 is Mocha Mousse 17-1230, a creamy, velvety brown that looks like it belongs swirled in a dessert glass.

I hope this season can bring you the feelings of anticipation and excitement that are the stuff that dreams are made of.

Whether through direct mail or email, in-store signage, or highway billboards, the most effective marketing is tailored to your target audience. Recently, HubSpot compiled a list of questions to help you target your messaging with laser focus. Let's look at seven of them.

You have a tight marketing budget and want to focus that budget on your best customers. How do you decide which customers are worth the most significant investment? You might think that the answer is obvious—the ones who spend the most money with you. But which metric do you use to determine that?

Being thankful, gratitude, is one of the most healthy ways we can feed our inner selves.

A successful marketing campaign doesn’t require a big budget. It just requires creativity and strategy. Let’s look at seven smart ways to stretch your marketing dollars and get the biggest bang for your buck.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of customers say their favorite brands treat them as individuals (Marigold, 2024). When you create experiences that resonate with your customers, you win their loyalty. That requires more than experience and gut instinct. It requires data.

When you look at any printed material, what catches your attention first? Often, it's the bullet points. These concise and impactful lists naturally draw the eye, making them a key element in any layout.

Adopting a positive mindset in your marketing efforts will attract optimistic thinkers and unlock the potential for more success. Embrace the power of positivity and watch your brand thrive!

White space, often called negative space, is the space between and around design elements. While it may seem counterintuitive to leave parts of a design blank, white space is crucial in making a design visually appealing and effective. Here are five ways that white space does just that.

While personalization is all around us, not every marketer takes advantage of its benefits. A study from NAPCO Research found that if you aren’t personalizing your direct mail, you’re at a competitive disadvantage.

The demand for recycled paper products continues to grow, but not all recycled paper is the same. For example, when you spec paper with 40% recycled content, it might be 30% post-consumer waste and 10% pre-consumer waste. What's the difference? Does it even matter?

Direct mail marketing remains a powerful tool in the marketer’s arsenal, boasting high engagement rates and a tangible connection with consumers.

If there are two envelopes on the counter, one in color and one in plain white, which one will you look at first? The one in color, of course. There are many statistics on the value of color in marketing, including mailing envelopes. But our own experience is often the most powerful evidence of all. We know what a powerful motivator color can be.

As the temperatures rise and the days grow longer, it's time to embrace the season of sun, sand, and strategic thinking. While your competitors may be taking a marketing breather during the laid-back days of summer, you don't have to. Use this time to gain a competitive edge. While your competitors are cooling their heels in the sand, you can revamp your strategies for the months ahead.

In today's digital age, where we are used to hearing, "Go paperless! Go green," print unfairly gets a bad reputation. However, print is a sustainable choice for businesses looking to minimize their environmental impact. Let's look at some compelling data points that highlight the sustainability of paper.

Pay close attention to the envelope to maximize the impact of your direct mail campaigns. The envelope is your mail's first impression, and optimizing its design can significantly boost your response rates.