got a call from a printer who wanted some input on a direct mail package he was producing. His client had just completed a mailing and was concerned about why his 100,000-package mailing was not performing better.

There is a tendency for non-direct marketers to break out online marketing as something other than a new medium made to order for professional direct marketers. They treat it as a new business genre that highly experienced direct marketers cannot support or contribute to in some significant way.

In her October 6, 2007 New York Times article entitled The Web, Despite Its Promise, Fails to Snare Iowa Voters, Julie Bosman compares the effectiveness of the Internet in the presidential campaign in Iowa versus New Hampshire.

With the enhanced sophistication of today’s multi-channel marketing and loyalty programs, there is corresponding pressure on established evaluation processes.

Misunderstanding the role of direct marketing in the marketing mix severely limits it’s potential as a key part of most any company’s marketing portfolio.

Many such lists for creating successful direct mail exist out there, but they lack key elements. Perhaps you can suggest additions.

Most every direct marketing strategy becomes more sophisticated and effective with the advent of the Internet channel. And lead generation follows that same path.