I think my letter carrier takes the holidays off. I literally got no mail from Dec. 27 through Jan. 2 but, boy oh boy, did the flood hit yesterday. Amidst some bills and checks (thanks, clients), I got an astounding number of direct mail pieces.

Direct mail?

Yeah, those over the age of 40 remember it. It’s the information that comes in the mailbox from companies who do all kinds of clever things to entice you to open it.

Much of what I got was very nicely done: Solid offers. Pleasing visuals. Conversational content. Well branded.

So it didn’t surprise me when I read that the Direct Marketing Association is estimating direct mail marketing to increase by more than $1 billion this year. That’s a RISE of $1 billion, putting the annual total spent on direct mail campaigns at about $45.5 billion in 2010.

Even more impressive is this result from the DMA’s annual study: Non-catalog direct mail returned $15.22 for every dollar spent in 2009. Wowza.

Are you making direct mail part of your 2010 marketing plan? It’s certainly worth considering in light of those astounding numbers don’t you think?

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I’m so excited! It’s time for Lake Superior State’s Banished Words List. I personally vowed on LinkedIn to let go of this phrase: “Let’s take this offline.”

What will you banish from your dialogue this year?

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December is shaping up to be a busy month both personally and professionally so I’m taking my usual holiday blogging hiatus, albeit a little early.

But honestly, I’m also assessing the long-term value of this blog for you — and for me. I’ll be back in January with new content or a new blogging strategy.

Until then, there’s lots of great content within my previous posts. And, I’m still microblogging regularly on Twitter so follow me for quick-hit ideas that can instantly improve your writing and communication.

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I’m doing a site audit for a client of mine and naturally it includes a few thoughts on web copy.

While looking for some small business sites within her industry as good examples to share, I was shocked at the number of poorly done web sites from Boston to Seattle.

There were plenty of hideously designed and whiz-bang-whistle, super-flashy sites that took too long to load, but the biggest thing I noticed was how rotten much of the copy is out there. Seriously. Stinky. Rotten.

A good share of it started with something like this:

As a ______ specializing in _______, I know _______. Our well-trained, highly competent staff will _______.  We take every measure to ensure that ___________. As a leading ________, we’re proud to offer ___________.

Aargh.

Investing time and money into a new web site is a challenge, especially for small businesses. I know, it’s something that challenges me, too, as I work to do great work for my clients and have work-life balance. (Finding the right WordPress partner has been a nightmare, but I digress.)

At the very least, though, schedule a semi-annual review of your content. Do an honest assessment of it. Better yet, have someone else do a more objective evaluation. What content should stay? What should go? What should be refreshed? How can you make it happen with your internal teams or an outside partner, such as a freelance web copywriter.

Remember that the web is a significant channel for reaching, communicating and transacting with your customers and potential customers. Strategic, optimized, consistent, on-brand copy will help you leverage the web’s inherent power to influence and persuade. And that, dear readers, is priceless.

P.S. I’m planning my own web site makeover in 2010. Are you?

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