The 50 Best Tips of 2008

19. Assign separate IPs to your promotional and service-based e-mails.
Because marketing messages are sent in high volume and more likely to be miscategorized as spam by recipients, they’re more susceptible to reputation issues. By isolating your promotional e-mails from your transactional e-mails, you can better protect the reputation of this critical communication channel with customers.
StrongMail
“7 Ways to Improve E-Mail Deliverability,”
Aug. 26, Catalog Success: Tactics & Tips

20. Test ‘flat’ shipping as a promotion to drive traffic to the Web.
Instead of offering promotions such as free shipping, which can eat away at profit margins, or free shipping when a customer reaches a certain threshold value for purchase, where customers frequently reach that number and then stop shopping, set a flat rate for shipping.
Stephen R. Lett, Lett Direct
“10 Tips to Maximize Multichannel Sales,”
Sept. 16, Catalog Success: Tactics & Tips

PARCEL SHIPPING

21. Use myriad service choices wisely.
New technologies for shippers to optimize service and costs let shippers approach service selection in a mode-agnostic way. Avoid selecting the service type; select the lowest price service that’ll get the package to customers within the chosen delivery commitment.
Mike Erickson, AFMS Logistics Management Group
“Advantage: Shippers?”
July, Catalog Success

PRODUCTION

22. Postcards for prospecting.
Mail postcards with a clear offer and actionable message to prospect for new customers. Postcards cost 15 cents to 25 cents to mail — a far cry from the cost of a full-blown catalog.
Dawn Flook, Catalogs by Lorél
“12 Creative Tips to Pump Up Sales and Cut Costs,”
January, Catalog Success

POSTAL, PRINTING, PAPER

23. Selective paper trimming.
In response to rising paper costs, some catalogers are targeting only specific pages within their books to reduce basis weights. One way to cut the weight of an order form is with a hybrid sheet, which features a blend of kraft pulp and mechanical pulp.
Carolyn Heinze, writer
“Get Fit to Print: Lightening Paper Weight is Trickier Than It Seems,”
March, Catalog Success