Mail House Rock!

Most of you have probably already heard that a postage rate increase has been proposed for January of 2011  The post office has put up a spreadsheet with the details here:

New Rates in an Excel File

So far it looks like 5% across the board, but I'm sure I'll find variances as I drill into it.

Some what hidden, along with the rate changes, are some other changes.  The move update error rate allowance will go down to 25% from 30%,  Rigid flats will no longer be automatable.  Further information can be found in the federal register notice.

Federal Register Notices

If you build it will they come?

Having a website is one thing.  People actually being able to find your website is another.  Most people who are looking for what you are offering are going to use a search engine.  When they look at the results, more often then not they will click on the organic results.  Organic results are the ones in the center of the page rather than the paid ones along the side and top of the page.

If you want people to find you, you need to be near the top of the first page of organic results.

That's where SEO comes in.  SEO is Search Engine Optimization.  It's all about optimizing your web pages and your web site to be friendly to the search engines and getting them to rank you higher in the search results.

Some of SEO can be very easy to do, simple changes like fixing the titles of your web pages can make a big difference.  But if you really want top ranking.  You're probably going to have your work cut out for you.  Getting and keeping a top ranking is usually an ongoing battle that will require constant effort on your part.  There may be days that you miss having to write that huge check to Ma Bell every month for your yellow pages advertising.

Yet, I think it's probably one of the most rewarding forms of online marketing.  And, it is an important part of making your web site work well with your direct mail campaigns. 

For years we did mailings for our business and when new prospects called in we would ask them "Where did you hear about us?" the response more often then not was "In the yellow pages."  However, almost always, these were people we had mailed to.  Why were they suddenly looking for our services in the yellow pages, and why did they pick us to call?

Sometimes direct mail isn't as direct as we would like it to be.  If your piece was well written, you will have created some want for your product.  However your prospect doesn't necessarily react to that want instantly, sometimes it takes them a while.  But when they do start to look, you want to be there.  SEO is your best bet for that.