There are many things that contribute to a direct mail campaign's success and generally they revolve around The Format, The Offer, and The List. Still, at the most basic level, the first obstacle to making direct mail work is to get your piece opened.

Whether you are prospecting a cold list, following up on a sales prospect, or thanking a current customer there is one trick that will guarantee a good open rate—deliver it BY THE HAND hand addressed, hand stamped, hand signed!

We know. In a world where technology reigns, the handwritten direct mail piece seems old fashioned at best and a LOT of work at the least. You'd be right on both fronts.

But we ask you...when was the last time YOU threw away a direct mail piece you received that was hand addressed, handwritten, and/or hand signed?

Never, right? Well, that's the point.

Here's why it works:

It's polite. People are used to throwing mass mail in trash. It doesn't hurt anyone. But a hand addressed mailer. That's just rude. Even when the recipient knows the piece is promotional in nature, they'll open it. They'd never want to be caught having to say to someone..."No, I didn't get your invitation...I threw it away without opening it."

It's personal. Jotting off an email, text, or other quick contact method may be more efficient, but it also lacks a genuine "connection" with a person. The handwritten direct mail piece does take more time, but it says...you cared enough to take the time. And, there are many companies that can help you with it if you can't make it work on your own. XX is one of many!

It sets you a part. The handwritten direct mail piece is old fashioned. But, that is EXACTLY why it works. No one else is doing it. In the sea of mail any one person gets each day, the handwritten piece stands out. It just does!

Try it. You'll see.

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Some websites can get high rankings on Google for nearly any content they publish while other websites cannot get high rankings at all although they have optimized web page content.

A high trust level is crucial if you want to get high Google rankings

The reason why some websites do better than others is trust. Some websites have managed to reach a very high trust level with Google. That helps them to get higher rankings on search engines than you do.

Google doesn't want to list spam sites in the search results. For that reason, it is important to show Google that your website is for real, that you're not a spammer and that you plan to stay in business for a long time.

Here are some things you can do to show Google's algorithm that it can trust your website.

1. Things you should consider about your domain name

The age of a domain is important to Google. When you start a new online business, consider buying an old domain name if a suitable name is available.

If you start with a new domain, buy it with a renewal period of two years and more. You show Google that your domain is not a throwaway domain by doing so.

Check your WHOIS records and make sure that the contact information is correct. Do not use exotic top level domains. If you are in the USA, use .com, .net or .org. If you're in another country, use the official top level domain of your country.

Don't overuse hyphens in your URL. For example, www.keyword-keyword1-keyword2-keyword3-keyword4-keyword5.com might look spammy.

2. Things you should consider about your website content

Make your contact information easy to find on your website. List a full address and not only your email address on your website. The more information about your company can be found on your website, the more likely it is that it will be considered a real business.

Your website should have a privacy policy and terms and conditions (if applicable). Both should be linked from your sitemap.

Don't use doorway pages. They annoy search engine spiders and website visitors. Doorway pages are a clear indicator of a low quality website.

If possible, keep the HTML code of your web pages below 100 KB so that search engine spiders can crawl it easily. Regularly update your web pages to show Google that your website is alive.

3. Things you should consider about your links

Do not participate in automated linking schemes. If your website gets 2000 inbound links on a single day then Google might think that you try to game the algorithm with a link system.

The links to your website should contain your keywords but they should not all contain exactly the same link text. If all links to your website used exactly the same link text then this would be a red flag for Google.

Do not use paid links. Google does not like paid links and they might penalize your website if use them.

If Google trusts your website then it will be much easier to get high rankings. Of course, your website still needs optimized web page content and good inbound links.

Source: IBP

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