Mention the United States Postal Service® in a group of direct marketers and you’ll get a half-hour rant on the flaws and foibles of the system. Grumbling about slow delivery. Groaning about poor management. Griping about rising postal rates.

You’ve got a direct mail campaign brewing. You know what you want to say and to whom you’re speaking. You’ve even got a rough design concept. Now it’s time to get specific.

Planning is essential because higher prices are likely, driven by increases in mill energy costs and raw materials, as well as international political unrest and a spate of recent natural disasters affecting the supply and cost of paper.

Emulating best practices is one approach to achieving marketing success. But, often the true learning comes from mistakes. The following horror stories–shared by clients–illustrates that your best laid marketing plans may be doomed without fierce attention to detail.

By Joe Hughes, Internet Marketer and product creator, EzineArticles

More and more people are returning to direct mail to boost sales and profits. Now, unlike big corporations who can afford to throw marketing dollars into a black hole, the small and medium sized business needs to ensure every dollar has a great return on capital.

No matter how powerful your direct mail might be, it is still just a bunch of paper that arrives in the mailbox. Trusting a handful of paper takes a leap of faith, especially if the recipient has never done business with your company before.