BREAKING NEWS: US Postal Service makes a bold statement: No 2010 postal increases!

US Postal Service makes a bold statement: No 2010 postal increases!

We’re on a mission to create the best direct marketing education forum on Linkedin

3 weeks, 540 members strong. Join us: http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2080726/ We have members from all area’s of direct marketing ready to share their expertise with you. We also have international members.
Want to know more about search, blogs, direct mail, telemarketing, lists, social media, and all direct marketing disciplines, then join us.
If you are an expert in direct marketing, please join us too.

Attention S. Florida Marketers, This months event in Ft. Lauderdale: Going Green and Getting Digital with Paper & Print

Attention S. Florida Marketers, This months event in Ft. Lauderdale: Going Green and Getting Digital with Paper & Print

Grand opening of new Linkedin Group – Direct Marketing Questions & Answers

Linkedin members can join by clicking here: http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2080726/.

This is the place to get all of your direct marketing questions answered.

And if you are a direct marketing expert, this is the place to help gain notoriety.

Attention South FL Direct marketers – Are you on track to meet or beat your forecasts?

Jim Gilbert and the FDMA are please to announce another great learning opportunity for you on June 18th. The Second Half: Meet or beat your 2009 estimates and look like a superstar!
Thursday, June 18, 2009 WHEN
Thursday, June 18, 2009 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
WHERE: Westin Hotel Fort Lauderdale

Marketing and Finance: the Peanut Butter and Jelly of Direct Marketing

Over the years, I’ve written many times about the importance of financial acumen as a core competency for direct marketing success.

Many people seem to think direct marketing is about killer creative, or campaign management, or even great customer service. But to me, it always starts with the finances…. Now with social media all the rage, and multi channel marketing being the norm for mail order, catalog and electronic retailers, the need for financial measurement and knowledge is greater then ever.

NewPage To Help Catalogers Reach More Consumers (passing it on)

MIAMISBURG, Ohio – May 1, 2009 – NewPage Corporation, a leading producer of publication papers in North America, has launched the “Free Paper to Reach More” campaign that aims to help retail catalog companies reach more consumers. The campaign will award five catalog companies with a grand-prize of 100 tons of paper to reach approximately 500,000 new prospects for a typical cataloger.

Why Catalogs Fail

Why do catalogs fail? The answer is deceptively simple, while the remedy is not.

Most catalogs fail because they walk away from the basics; they ignore the elementary economic analyses necessary to properly measure and control the business. Read on

Three Ways to Cut Customer Acquisition Costs

With response rates down and expenses up, now is a great time for you to look at alternative ways to acquire customers and even lower your customer acquisition costs… You’d be surprised at how many other companies there are out there with products that have an affinity to yours and that would be open to a marketing partnership.

Here are some examples of the types of programs you can set up

CONsultant, PROsultant, or INsultant Pt. 2, how to choose the best strategic mentor for your direct marketing business.

So how do you pick the right consultant for your business? It’s a lot like choosing an employee: Do your due diligence as best as you can, and then roll the dice. You can look at the basics, such as who they worked for in the past, but as usual, I deliver you some food for thought beyond the basics.

That said, here are some more tips for you to consider:

1. If a consultant is too…