By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on May 21st, 2013 - 2 Comments
There is a lot of talk, a lot of data, and a lot of opinion out there about the impact of mobile marketing on customer behavior. In this industry, that translates into how mobile needs to be integrated into multi-channel marketing campaigns. It is said that people vote with their pocketbooks, so with that in…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on May 14th, 2013 - 3 Comments
When it comes to marketing blogs, there is always a flavor de jour. Currently, it’s big data. If not “big data,” then at least more data. So it was interesting when Thorin McGee, editor of Target Marketing, asked the question, “Can you ever have too much data?” The question was asked on a LinkedIn board,…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on May 10th, 2013 - Comment
Sometimes I don’t write about QR Codes for a month. Then there are times when all sorts of QR Code related things pop up. This seems to be one of those times. I saw a QR Code this week that seemed like a neat opportunity for printers to sell to their customers. I was sitting…
By John Foley on May 9th, 2013 - 6 Comments
What is NFC? NFC stands for Near Field Communication and the short answer would be that NFC identifies us. It allows smartphones to be identified and it establishes a radio communication. Think short range wireless RFID technology. You may have heard of NFC and its ability to make mobile payments easy. Account information is stored…
By Trish Witkowski on May 9th, 2013 - 1 Comment
This week we highlight a mailer from GLS Companies in Brooklyn Park, MN. This is a great example of a creative self-mailer that fits within the realm of the newly created UPS self-mailer guidelines. Designed by Doug’s Creative in MN, this mailer presents as a postcard-sized booklet which opens sequentially in a “traveling snake” format….
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on May 7th, 2013 - 5 Comments
Ah, when a well-intentioned QR Code goes wrong. This was a great, well-intentioned use of a QR Code. The marketer added it to the top left of the direct mail piece — highly visible location — with text saying, “Scan to speak to a sales rep.” I scanned the code and the landing page showed…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on May 3rd, 2013 - 7 Comments
We’re hearing a lot about inbound marketing these days, or the use of online content (blogs, social media, SEO) to generate leads. According to HubSpot’s “State of Inbound Marketing Report,” marketers allocate 34% of their overall budgets to inbound tactics. This is 11% more than they dedicate to outbound strategies like direct mail. Inbound marketing…
By John Foley on May 2nd, 2013 - Comment
Taking stock of your fulfillment company is an important part of achieving and maintaining success. You rely on your fulfillment company to fill orders, and to do so with a high degree of speed and accuracy. Even if things seem to be going well, it’s always a good idea to take some time to assess…
By Matt Haskell on May 1st, 2013 - 2 Comments
As a utility consumer, I have needs. I need to be asked how I’m doing. I need to feel needed. I need to be understood. I desire warmth from more than just my HVAC unit. I want to know where my money is going and why I owe as much as I do. Once I…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on April 30th, 2013 - 7 Comments
This is one of the reasons I love QR Codes. I’ve had the QR Code for this landing page on my kitchen cabinet for a year. It was formerly stuck to a watermelon I bought in 2012. I scanned the code in the supermarket, found that it linked to some really interesting ways to cook…
By Elizabeth Gooding on April 29th, 2013 - 2 Comments
About this time last year I posted a release about the new retail sales branch opened by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Horizon was one of the first health insurance companies to take a “retail” approach to selling individual insurance policies under the then newly approved Affordable Care Act. In May of…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on April 26th, 2013 - 7 Comments
I see them all the time — those claims that you can switch from paper statements to electronic alternatives and save the environment. The one on my online banking page shows someone holding a tree seedling their hands, which I find particularly offensive. I’ve seen it hundreds of times. Today, it really struck me. Part…
By John Foley on April 24th, 2013 - 1 Comment
The term “multi-channel marketing” is a mouthful, but the actual reality of what it is and what it can do for your business is certainly far from intimidating. The concept is not new, but as technology evolves, the meaning of multi-channel marketing and all that it embraces also evolves. Multi-channel marketing is all about using…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on April 23rd, 2013 - 6 Comments
One of the most active online discussions I’ve ever been involved in involved real handwriting versus handwriting fonts for personalizing and addressing envelopes. Does one make a difference over the other? Both raise response rates, but is real handwriting worth the cost? Or will handwriting fonts do just as well? Along with that discussion was…
By Heidi Tolliver-Walker on April 19th, 2013 - Comment
David Mamet, the award-winning American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director, has said goodbye to the traditional publishing model with his latest book, a combination of a novella and two short stories about war, and has chosen to self-publish instead. Mamet is a formidable force in literature, playwriting, and screenwriting, so this is big news….
