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In the News  Back to 2nd Qtr News Business Reply Story Spring 2005    The most difficult challenge in direct mail is compelling readers to respond. With a 2-4 percent response rate being considered a great success, direct marketers are continuously trying to boost their numbers.    A popular philosophy in direct mail is ease-of-use. Marketers who ascribe to this believe that for greatest successes in direct mail, pieces must be as easy as possible for readers to respond. The slightest glitch in the response system could sway readers to trash mail instead of responding. Many times this means offering various ways to respond. From toll-free numbers to specific web sites, the goal is to offer as many ways to get in touch with a company as possible.    But many times marketers today don't utilize one of the easiest forms of response. You guessed it - send the mail back the way it came - in a Business Reply Envelope.    Business Reply Mail (or BRM as it's commonly known) does add to printing and design costs upfront, but the added number of respondents quickly makes up for it. Think about it. When people open their mail, they may or may not be by the phone or close to a computer. But they have a postage paid addressed envelope in their hands right at that very moment. A Business Reply Envelope is a very effective defense between your mail and the trashcan.    For a nominal fee, the Postal Service will assign your company a specific BRM account and bar code. A BRM account works much like a bulk mail permit. Maintain a reasonable balance, and as mail comes in the BRM account will be deducted accordingly and your responses will come to you with your regular mail.    Sounds easy enough, but designing Business Reply Mail can be tedious at best and down right frustrating for even the most careful designer. The Postal Service has very specific BRM guidelines, so talk with your mailer before printing. It can be tempting to fill up the envelope with 'marketing fluff', but be very careful of placement. Remember, this is simply a delivery method, not something that will make or break a response. It's best to keep Business Reply envelopes simple and plain. That way there is less room for error with the Post Office.    Additionally, BRM is one of the most fail safe ways to tell who responded to what. Toll-free numbers rely on customer service representatives to receive information accurately and web sites rely wholly on the responder to give information accurately. With BRM, it is simple to tag a form or envelope with the necessary information to ensure proper credit is given to the mailing.    Business Reply Mail is the easiest and most immediate ways for readers to respond to a mailing. Plus, it generates more mail for the post office, which is the best way to keep postage costs down. There are many creative ways to develop Business Reply Mail, talk to mailer and test something that fits within your budget.