June/July 2012

Marketing Insights | 4

Building Your Brand | 6

Crossing Paths | 10

How Does Your Brand Look to the Public? | 14

Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency | 15

I N S I D E

8300 ne underground dr pillar 122kansas city, mo 64161

www.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

connectby MAIL PRINT

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

You’ve wanted high quality, full color variable data printing that delivers a personal message to your prospects and customers. The cost has been prohibitive for long runs so you’ve been stuck with printing shell inventory and managing multiple versions of black imprinting. Those days are over. The future of printing is here! Mail Print is pleased to announce the addition of the HP T200 Inkjet Web Press to our equipment mix.

What does this mean for you? • Mail to thousands or millions of recipients • Customize to send different versions to each one of these recipients • Segment and test to the extreme within the same production run • Still maintain effective production costs Finally high quality, long run, variable data

printing is now available at traditional shell and imprint budget levels. As a marketer you realize the more personal your message to your target prospect the better your response rates.

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15

Ferrellgas, a Fortune 1000 energy provider, needed to manage marketing for their 900-plus locations more quickly and efficiently. In addition, they needed to increase the speed of their direct mail marketing production to ensure their time-sensitive messaging reached customers on time. Learn how Mail Print’s Marketing Communications Portal helped Ferrellgas reduce management time by 300 hours per month and speed production times from 10 days to 24 hours at http://mprnt.co/FerrellGas.

blog.mailprint.com

Obliterate obsolescence, increase marketing efficiency, and print only what you need. If these takeaways sound ideal, the CMO Council on Research shares four key actions marketers can take to achieve each of them in its “Mapping + Tracking: The Optimal Marketing Supply Chain” research report (it’s worth Googling and reading):

•LeverageDigitalPrintingStrategies •CollaborateCrossFunctionally •Go-GreentoGain-Green •BringintheBrainsofBigMarketingSupply

Chains

Beforeyouinvesttimeandmoneyimplementingthese four strategies, do a quick 10-question self-assessment to get a read on where your organization is today.

Marketing Operations Self-Assessment

1. What inventoried items have become obsolete? Why?

2. What regular processes do members of your marketing team do that are wastes of time and skill set?

3. If you could change the way you buy ads, deploy email, manage printed materials, trigger direct mail, hire talent, create copy, or plan your next move, what would that look like?

4. How could you streamline your workday?

5. What marketing processes have failed in the past?

6.Doyouevercrossyourfingers,hope,and pray that nothing goes wrong when deploying a campaign?

7. Would it improve your results if marketing campaigns could be deployed faster? If so, what does an ideal timeframe look like?

8. Is the work flow in your department planned, or hap-hazard? How about between departments?

9. What have you done more than twice this week?

10. If you could waive your magic wand and have everything in your marketing department run smoothly and perfectly what would it look like? What technology would be in place? What people would you have on your team? What results would you be reporting to your superiors?

If you’re stumped by any of these questions, call us. We’ve helped many companies realize great results implementing new marketing technologies and procedures just like we did implementing a Marketing Asset Management system for Ferrellgas. The system put the hammer on obsolescence.

10 Questions to Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing EfficiencyThis article is not about Mail Print winning four Kansas City

DirectMarketingAssociationAmbitawards;threeInternationalAssociation of Business Communicator Bronze Quill awards;threeBusinessMarketingAssociationFountainawards;aCircleof Hope award from Harvesters or an Association of Fundraising ProfessionalsSmallBusinessSpiritofPhilanthropyaward.

This article is about the why. What is Mail Print doing that makes its work award winning? What makes Mail Print programs stand apart from other entries that go home trophy-less?

Results. All of Mail Print’s internal and customer campaigns were recognized because they strategically breakdown the problem, built a solution, and hit the pre-set target if surpassed.

Connect Magazine Brings in Bimonthly Direct Mail Results and Three Awards

Connect Magazine reinforces that Mail Print is a thought leader in direct marketing, The bimonthly mailed, 16-page four color magazine showcases Mail Print’s variable data and direct mail expertise. Connect earned a $41 return on investment for every $1 spent on the magazine and $1.3 million in new business opportunities.IsitanywonderittookhomeanAmbit,BronzeQuill,andFountainaward?

Mail Print’s VDP Work for Assurant Employee Benefits Results in Four Awards

MailPrintassistedAEBinproducingahighlycomplexvariabledata benefits catalog. The catalogs are customized throughout with more than 1,100 variable data fields – making them the perfect one-to-one marketing vehicle.

As a result of the one-to-one human communication that occurred viathecustomizedcatalogs,AEBexperienceda5%increaseinemployees purchasing voluntary benefits.

Mail Print took home a Bronze Quill from IABC, an AmbitfromKCDMAandaFountainaward fromBMA for the resultsearned for producing AEB’s benefits catalogs for streamliningand increasing Assurant employee enrollments. It also received the coveted Consistent Achiever Award for the benefits catalogs for achieving increased enrollments flawlessly for over a 36-month period.

“It’s one thing to achieve great results, but to do so consistently overthreeyearsisexceptional,”saysMailPrintCEOGinaDanner.

Mail Print’s Work for Harvesters Feeds Families and Brings in Three Awards

MailPrintstreamlinedandautomatedHarvestersDonorReceiptprogramandwasawardedanAmbitandBronzeQuillAwardofMeritforitsworkandresults.ByhelpingHarvestersacknowledgedonors via either email or mail and helping Harvesters secure an additional 6,677 donations totaling $688,930 for a project cost of less than $70,000, everyone was a winner.

Mail Print also received a Fountain award for its Share An Extra Plate Fundraising campaign produced on behalf of Harvesters lastDecember.Themulti-channelcampaignearnedthousandsof social shares, including 2,056 additional people receiving the donation opportunity in addition to the 2,700 customers who originally received the mailing and supporting emails.

The campaign had a budget of $3,500 and created $63,000 in value for Harvesters representing an 18:1 return on investment.

Mail Print Receives Two Awards for Philanthropic Contribution

MailPrint’sCEO,GinaDanner,andPresident,EricDanner,wereraised knowing that it’s better to give than to receive. With this core belief woven into their company of 23 years, Mail Print has always volunteered, contributed financially, and shared its service pro bono to organizations making a difference in the Kansas City community. For this reason, the most important two awards of all are:

•TheCircleofHopeawardgiventoMailPrintbyHarvestersin recognition of its outstanding contributions to hunger relief in the Kansas City metro.

•The Association of Fundraising Professionals, MidAmerica Chapter’s 2011 Small Business Spirit ofPhilanthropy Award. Mail Print was nominated for the award by multiple entities including, Bishop SullivanCenter, Grafton, Inc., Harvesters, Koehler BortnickTeam,OperationBreakthrough,St.ThereseChurch,andThinkingBiggerBusinessMedia.

Mail Print Wins 12 Awards for Marketing Automation, Direct Mail and VDP

8300 NE Underground Drive Pillar 122www.mailprint.com

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

3publisher ’s letter

Some would argue we’re so connected that we’re unconnected. With the advances in tech-nology, we have become so wired that our intima-cy levels are all dried up. Yet another perspective might suggest that today’s technological boom has empowered us to stay connected only to the people and brands we deem important.

We no longer market to the masses. That means the tried-and-true principles of market segmentation and positioning are the foundations of a solid future. While choosing market niches on which to focus is critical, becoming a trusted entity within a segment may be the biggest chal-lenge of all.

As we have often stated in the pages of this magazine, successful brands will be the ones woven into the fabric of their target niches’ worlds. Consider the notion that our closest friends and allies are our most trusted vehicles for informa-tion. They’re the ones who have the biggest influ-ence on our purchasing behavior.

Some of the world’s biggest brands are great, because they’ve become part of how we define ourselves.ConsiderwhatbrandslikeApple,BMWand Coca Cola say about who we are.

With the combination of technology and the importance of developing market niches, the con-nection models we use are transforming. Our jobs

Changing with the Changing Times

CONTENTS

In this day and age, we can get lost in the latest product innovation. TV commercials mock people who bought the latest and greatest devices, only to see the next generation hit shelves shortly thereafter. Forget keeping up with the Joneses, we can’t even keep up with technology.

have become a part of who we are on a personal level–andthathasanimpactontheB2Bworld.

Inotherwords,B2BmarketinghasarealB2Cflavor to it these days. Check out our cover story, “Crossing Paths,” where we dive into the changes shaping both of these segments. We offer keen in-sight to becoming part of your clients’ world, re-gardlessofifit’saB2BorB2Cindustry.

In addition, we thought it might be fun to delve into the new world of apps. “Is There an App for That?” examines how apps are revolution-izing today’s business landscape.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue of connect as we continue our endeavor to become a trusted part of your marketing world.

Warmest regards,

Gina M. Danner

While choosing market niches on which to focus is critical, becoming a trusted entity within a segment may be the biggest challenge of all.

3 Publisher’s Letter

4 Marketing Insights

6 Building Your Brand

10 Crossing Paths

14 How Does Your Brand Look to the Public?

15 Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency

PublisherGina M. DannerManaging EditorsRosanne KirnChris LakinArt DirectionBrent Cashman • Creative DirectorJaime Mack • Graphic Designer

Connect is published bimonthly by Mail Print8300 NE Underground Dr, Pillar 122Kansas City, MO 64161copyright 2012All rights reserved

For more information contactwww.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

14columnist

A lot is riding on a website that’s working for a business. It has to convey brand and professionalism, communicate the right mes-sage and engage visitors. Every detail plays a role, from the logo and the text to the design and functionality.

A recent client, Marsha Friedman of EMSI public relations, understood that so well, she put off developing a badly needed new website for five years. “I knew how im-portant every detail was, so I was afraid the process would be long and painful and still, in the end, I’d be dissatisfied,” says Fried-man, who happily reports just the opposite was true.

I’m amazed by the calls I field daily from high-level brainy types who have this fantastic

website designed by the hotshot-friend-of-the-nephew-of-their-sister’s-third-cousin. But theirproduct, service or book just isn’t selling on the site.

Usually, my first thought is to offer them a discounted handful of magic beans and tell them to hope for the best. But alas, I’ve run out ofmagic beans.

They’ve spent months, even years, devel-oping their business or products, writing their books or becoming an expert in their fields. Then, three weeks before they launch into the market, they find the least expensive “web guru” to build their site. Approached this way, 9.7 times out of 10, they’ll wind up with a somewhat functional disaster.

Oh, but they love the look. There’s a blink-ing leprechaun, some groovy scrolling text and, of course, really hip music that plays when visitors hover their mouse over the little thingy at the top.

Unfortunately, under the circumstances described above, they would most likely have to be a toilet paper manufacturer with inven-tory two days after the world runs out of toilet paper to have any kind of measurable success.

How Does Your Brand Look to the Public? By Joe Thomas

JoeThomasisfounderandownerofLeftBrainDigital(www.leftbraindigital.com),awebdevelopmentcompany.An award-winning web designer/developer, he has more than 18 years of experience in print and web design and development.

KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVE:If you don’t know or understand your needs and goals for your website, you can’t explain them to your web developer. Thinkitthrough.Dosomeresearch. Your web devel-oper, regardless of talent or expertise, will be only as effective as your explana-tion and/or description.

GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR PLAN:You can’t be effective if you just slap six web pages together with a “BuyNow”button.Itjustdoesn’t work like that. Fully develop your web strategy and content be-fore you jump in. Without a blueprint, you’re just throwing darts at a board.

DON’T BE MARRIED TO IT:Preparetoadapt.Don’tgettoo attached to your initial websiteidea.Bepreparedfor change. An experienced developer will help mold your initial concept into a polished, functional and beautiful destination. He should help you navigate the pitfalls. Trust his expertise. When he gives advice, listen. Most of us have made all the mistakes already.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING:The concept, content and message of your website are ultra-important. On the web, image is everything. Your site must clearly convey your message or describe the benefits of your product or service. Visitors should be able to easily find the informa-tion they’re looking for. You have eight seconds to “capture” their interest. The first thing they see will make a huge difference in whether they stay or go.

YOU CAN’T SELL WHAT CAN’T BE FOUND:Sure, without traffic, your website means nothing. So, your next step is media exposure, from building your social networking connections, to getting seen and/or heard in print and on TV and radio. You work hard to get no-ticed, so don’t drive people away with a poor website. Make it top of mind.

So, what can you do? Here are five things I recommend to prospective clients:

ways to keep your customers’

visiting your website

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print

CONTENTS

delve into the new world of apps. “Is There an App for That?” examines how apps are revolution-izing today’s business landscape.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue of connect as we continue our endeavor to become connect as we continue our endeavor to become connecta trusted part of your marketing world.

Warmest regards,

Gina M. Danner

challenge of all.

3 Publisher’s Letter

4 Marketing Insights

6 Building Your Brand 14 How Does Your Brand Look to the Public?

15 Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency

Let us know if th

ere is anyon

e at

your company w

ho should rec

eive

Connect. We would be

happy to

add them to ou

r recipient li

st.

contactus@mailprin

t.com

86

6.938.3607

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

13

chiabreaksdownthedifferencesbetweenB2BandB2Cmarketing.Amongthedifferences his students are asked to absorb are sales channels, complex buying, ownership of spend/budget, amount of spend, the emphasis on personal selling and negotiation, and unique promotional strategies.

“The internet has brought various techniques and tactics closer between B2BandB2Cmarketing,”saysCoticchia,who,alongwithbeinganadjunctpro-fessor, also is CEO of the strategy and marketing firm Entra. “People like to think thatmarketingisallsalessupport.Butprofessionally,andasateacher,Ineverviewedmarketingassalessupport.IlookatitinaB2Bsensetoincludemarket-ing communications (lead generation, sales support and awareness), product management and marketing, business development (partners and alliances) and strategy. Sales execs that run marketing usually fail, because they have a very narrow view of marketing, i.e., qualifying leads. So, marketing relegated to sales support is a loser. It’s making tactical a function that is fundamentally strategic.

readily available service by an organization that not only knows their industry but also understands their business.

Most small business owners are worried about holding on to their own customers and keeping their businesses afloat. Business-to-business purchase decisions often are propelled on an emotional level by risk avoid-ance. It’s important to gather insights on your audiences’ specific pain points and, par-ticularly, their fears. It’s emo-tional selling 101.

According to ECSB,solving the small business owner’s fears drives trust. Trust can lead to a sense of control. The greatest source of power in building trust is reliably delivering on your brand promise and providing an experience that makes the small business owner feel cer-

tain that you understand what they need and that you’ll deliver what they need fast.

Because budgets are smaller, there’sgreaterscrutinyovereveryexpense.TheSMBowner makes purchase decisions through the goggles of an internal “success filter” – if they

see the product or service will help them succeed, they’re more likely to make the purchase. Audience insights should be used to communi-cate with SMB audiences inways that clearly, and, if pos-sible, tangibly demonstrate the value of your offering based on their business needs.

AccordingtoECSBresearch,atthehigh-est level, many small business owners measure their success based on mastery of their trade. Beneaththislevel,smallbusinessownersclus-ter by their success driver, each with unique

profiles and messaging hot buttons.ECSB research suggests that additional

things can be done through messaging to en-hance the perception of value and to expand relationships with local small business custom-ers. These include: personalize your communi-cations, highlight length of relationships (exam-ple: American Express’s “Member Since”) and your historical quality, and tailor your messag-ing to resonate not only with the persona, but also the geographic region.

It is critical to nurture and protect all exist-ing relationships to leverage the small business owner’s tendency to stick with those they trust. Shore up your loyal local customers, reinforce their decision to work with your brand and, as ECSB says, “make your customers your localpresence by mobilizing your local advocates.”

Judy Rudolph Begehr is SVP of account planning for gyro in its Cincinnati office.

“The myth that has been busted is that business decision making is entirely rational. It’s not. It’s exceedingly emotional, and as living, breathing human beings have been empowered with computing and telecommunications technology on their persons, their emotional needs matter more than ever.” – Rick Segal, President Worldwide & Chief Practice Officer, gyro

4marketing insights

The percent of tablet users who expect a website to download in less than two seconds, according to a recent study by Compuware Corp. The study, “Engaging the Tablet User: What They Expect from Websites,” also shows that four out of 10 tablet users experience website problems, while a bad web experience will drive 46 percent of them to competitive websites.

Move over Tumblr. Step aside LinkedIn. Out of the way Google+. According to the“2012DigitalMarketer:BenchmarkandTrendReport”by Experian report, Pinterest has become the third-most popular social media site in the United States,jumpingupfromtheNo.7 spot in 2011. The content sharing site, which posted a 50 percent month-to-month traffic increase in February, saw users spend an average of 89 minutes per month on the network in February. The analytics firm comScore also reported that Pinterest attracted 17.8 million unique visitors in February in the United States, alone. As a comparison, Facebook users spent an average of 405 minutes per month on its site during the same period.

That’s what he said …“ They are just as interested in the tweets that come back about a product as they are concerned about price. They practically do background checks.”

– Virgin Mobile brand director Ron Faris on how digitally native Gen Y and younger consumers using social media are changing the traditional sales funnel model.

Are you Pinterested?

Getting to know your customers

Doyouwantthetruth?Whatyourcustomersvaluemostischangingconstantly.Nobodyknowsthisbetterthan Jaynie L. Smith, best selling author and CEO of marketing and management consulting firm Smart Advantage (www.smartadvantage.com). Smith spent the last 10 years analyzing data from more than

100 businesses to learn why customers buy particular products or services from particular companies. Her conclusion: 90 percent of the time, most businesses do not know their customers’ top values. In fact, many are shocked to learn just what is at the top of their customers’ value list. The good news: Smith says businesses that become relevant by addressing what their customers really value at any given time will be the first ones out of the recession. To help you get on track, she offers the following advice.

Customers usually are looking for “how” things are sold, not “what” For most products, any number of suppliers exists. If someone wants to buy a camera or a car, he can visit the nearest store or order it online. Buthedoesn’t.Why?Becausethere’ssomething else he values more than the product itself (think product durability, the brand’s reputation for customer service or safety features). If you don’t value what you bring to your customer, he won’t value iteither.Becausefewcompaniesknow how to effectively articulate what differentiates them, price often becomes the tiebreaker.

Understand that existing customers and prospects usually have different valuesSmart Advantage’s research analysis shows that, 70 percent of the time, customers and prospective customers differ in what they value most. When that happens, your message to your customers should be different than your message to your prospects. Few companies make this distinction in their sales and marketing messaging. Existing customers may have come to depend on your top-notch help desk. It’s what they’ve grown to value most about your company. Prospective customers haven’t used your help desk yet, so they don’t know how essential this benefit is.

Use what you learnIf you find your customers value speedy responses when they have a problem, and your customer service department is slow, fix your customer service now. Tell

your customer service team that your customers rate fast response time their No.1priority.Whenyouhavestatsyoucanbragabout–bragaway.Nowyou’ve used that information in two valuable ways: to make your company more relevant to customers, and to

let customers know you have what they want.

Invest in disciplined customer research

Research data collection costs have decreased 30 percent to

35 percent during the last few years and now are affordable

tosmallercompanies.Double-blindcustomer market research is the gold

standardandworththeexpense.Butit’snotfeasiblefor everybody. Remember: Even a small investment in research can reap huge returns. Some less-expensive and free alternatives do exist to help find what your customers want. They include sharing the expense with an industry association, partnering with an organization that needs the same information or a peer who doesn’t compete with you, hiring a college intern, or creating an online survey using a free basic service such as Survey Monkey.

Jaynie L. Smith’s newest book, “Relevant Selling,”

is available on Amazon.com.

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

12Crossing Paths

information can be captured for further lead nur-turing and personal engagement.”

Taking a human-to-human approachOne of the key elements in building a relationship with both customers and prospects is the human-to-human approach. In the end, you ultimately are not selling to a company or procurement department as much as you are selling to a person.

Mitchell says the buzz he hears during the many social media conferences he attends is that it’s not aboutB2BorB2C,it’saboutH-to-H(human-to-hu-man).MitchellbelievesthereismuchforB2Bmar-keters to learn from theB2Cside, includingdesignstandards, production values, storytelling techniques, creativity, and, to a certain extent, smart examples of socialmediamarketing.Butastowhetherit’stimeforcompanies to transform theirB2Bmarketing teamsintoB2Cmachines,Mitchellsaystoholdoff.“Idon’tthink a company should do that. In fact, they should embrace an enthusiasm and passion for B2Bmar-keting.B2BcanbejustascreativeandengagingasB2C.”

Asanexample,hecitesGE’smostrecentSuperBowlcommercial,in which the company boasts that it produces the power that makes and keepsbeercold.TakethatBudLight.“B2Bmarketerscancertainlylearnfromandbe inspiredbyB2C,but theymustdeeplyunderstandB2B,”

Mitchell says. “If you don’t enjoy meeting with your inside and field sales teams, understanding your customers’ businesses and your customers’ custom-ers,etc.,youmaynotbelonginB2B.”

If anything, there has been a shift in the way B2Bmarketers approach their campaigns.“It seems that world-class marketers everywhere have awakened to the fact that, today, we are communicating with living, breathing human be-ings with aspirations, spirits and emotions,” gyro’s Segal says. “We’ve always known that business-to-business, at the end of the day, was person-to-person.Butwhattheworld’ssavviestmarketersseem to have appreciated quickly is that person-alizationwasthelastbestpractice.Nolongerisitenough to understand the requirements of a per-son in a job title to be successful in influencing himtomakeapurchaseconsideration.Nolongeris it enough for an advertising planner to get into the head of a business decision-maker. With the amplified voices and the new organizational em-powerment of these humans at work, successful marketers must get into their hearts.”

A new way of doing businessOnthefirstnightofhisMBAbusiness-to-businessmarketingclasshehastaught at the University of Pittsburgh for the past eight years, Greg Cotic

The entrepreneur’s go-to location for infor-mation on products and services is the seller’s website, followed closely by word-of-mouth from other business owners. To deliver a posi-tive online media experience, marketers should focus on the elements of experience that matter – not only to drive purchases but also positive word-of-mouth. According to recent research byECSB, two tiers of elements in the onlineexperience matter most.

The “tier 1” elements that matter include: being efficient (responds quickly, anticipates my needs, provides backup communication options), and being customer oriented (under-standing my business and respecting my time). The “tier 2” elements provide greater specificity around building a good online experience.

Ingeneral,theSMBisaloyalgroupthatidentifies most with other owners in their indus-try, suggesting that vertical segmentation is an

ideal approach to targeting small businesses. Butmarket shifts can reverse the smallbusi-ness owner’s predisposition to loyalty, causing him to re-evaluate established vendor relation-ships, often in favor of local suppliers.

An important insight into the small busi-ness owner psyche was uncovered by ECSBaround the desire to buy local. Seems it’s less about an affinity for local providers, and more about an aversion for national providers. Be-hind this predisposition are two critical driv-ers: convenience and relationship. Messaging to the small business owner will have greater impact if it’s crafted to directly address these drivers. It should clearly demonstrate how your offering provides positive business im-pact, while providing assurance of prompt,

B2-SmallB : A Perspective ByJudyRudolphBegehr

A samemberoftheEnterpriseCouncilonSmallBusiness(ECSB)forthelast three years, gyro has access to a wealth of proprietary research and has developed substantial institutional knowledge on the art and science

ofcreatingmeaningfulengagementwiththeSMB.Ingeneralterms,thefollowinginsightsreflectcommonattitudesandbehaviorsoftheSMBdecisionmaker.

5marketing insights

She said it …

The percent jump of direct mail that used variable data personalized from 2009 to 2011. According to a 40 month study of direct mail from January 2009 through October 2011 showed an increase in the use of variable data printing to personalize mail pieces to recipients. The study was conducted by the Who’s Mailing What! Archive which reported that 28% of direct mail pieces were personalized in 2009. 2012 saw a 21% increase to 34% of mail being personalized

“ When people love your brand and see its value, not only will they buy it more often, and sometimes at a premium, but they will become an advocate and one of your ‘super fans.’”

– Kimberly Paige, assistant VP of Coca-Cola NorthAmerica’sAfrican-Americanmarketinggroup, on why segmentation is important and how people view themselves as fitting into more than one segment

The Big Data dilemmaWhile today’s marketers know that leveraging massive data sets helps improve business, anewstudybymarketing technology companyDataXu Inc. showsmany feel they lackthe tools to adequately mine customer insights. According to the report – “Marketing in theDigitalAge”–75percentofrespondentssayunderstanding“BigData”canimprovedramatically their marketing efforts, while 90 percent say digital marketing can reduce customer acquisition costs. Interestingly, 58 percent say they lack the skills and technology to perform such data analytics, while more than 70 percent admit they aren’t able to leverage the value of customer data.

When it comes to marketing and branding, make sure not to forget the traditional methods that have worked for decades. Some customers still prefer the tactile experience of reading a direct mail postcard or printed piece. The more places you advertise and promote your business to your targeted audiences, the better your exposure and marketing penetration. Here are statistics and brand expert’s thoughts and blending social with traditional media.

Blend On and Offline Media For Optimum Results

•Consumersare50percentmorelikelytobuyor use a product when TV ads work together with Internet marketing.

•EnhanceyourprintadvertisinganddirectmailcampaignssociallybyusingQRCodes® to track how people are getting to your website. ByusingtrackableURLsyoucangainfirmcontrol of your website’s analytics if you are incorporating social media URLs to track user entry points.

•Socialmediamarketingandtraditionalmarketing go hand in hand and should be blended,accordingtoD.WilliamJones,socialmediaenthusiastatBuiltitz.com.Byusing social media exclusively and ignoring traditional media, you risk killing your market reach. 35 percent of US consumers still get their news offline. Advertising, TV, and direct mail are still extremely important and valuable.

•Talktoyourcustomershowyourcustomers

want to be talked to. For some that will be via social media and for others that will be through traditional media. Many nonprofits such as United Way and Harvesters send their volunteers donor receipts through either the mail or email based on preference.

•NearlyoneinfivesmartphoneusersmakesapurchaseafterscanningaQRCode® – Print in the Mix

•Whenconsumerswereaskedabouttheacceptable channel for marketers to contact them, direct mail is the only channel where an unsolicited message isn’t viewed as inappropriate. In fact, it is preferred. – Print in the Mix

•Nothingcanbeatthespeedofresponseofa post on Facebook or Twitter, which makes these social channels ideal for responding to a crisis situation or angry customer. However, nothing beats the credibility and professional

recognition of traditional media, which makes it ideal for branding and product believability.

“Our research into marketing-inspired purchase behavior illustrates that we live in a multi-channel world where brands that can execute campaigns across both mass and direct media will have a distinct advantage over their less coordinated competition. Today’s consumers are cross-channel communicators, and they’re ready to reward those brands that abide by the unique rules that govern each channel.” – Exact Target

*QRCodeisaregisteredtrademarkofDensoWave.

46June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

11

Segal, president worldwide and chief practice officer of the global marketing firm gyro, wasn’t trying to get the crowd’s attention with anopening“shock-and-awe”salvo.HewenttoBerlintodeclarethecategory of business marketing communications had changed forev-er. When word of his declaration hit, the marketing world had mixed emotions about just what the man whose company helped shape the business-to-business marketing scene since 1981 – a man whose Twitterhandleis@MrBtoB–meant.

On one side, his argument seemed pretty solid. The discipline of reaching, persuading and engaging business decision makers changed forever, when people began carrying their own telecommunications andcomputingpoweraroundwiththem.Beingatworkwasnolon-ger a place – it was a state of mind. The individual replaced the firm as the organizing principle of business-to-business marketing. Human relevance, Segal emphasizes, is now the foundation of marketing to business decision makers.

“It’s not that salespeople or sales support have become irrelevant, it’s that so many of the messages they are carrying to the marketplace are humanly irrele-vant,” Segal says. “The myth that has been busted is that business decision making is entirely rational. It’s not. It’s exceedingly emo-tional, and as living, breathing human beings have been empow-ered with computing and telecommunications technology on their persons, their emotional needs matter more than ever.”

Every gear and widget, integrated circuit, chemical formula-tion, financial instrument, etc., is exciting to someone, not just interesting or informative. Salespeople, and every other channel to the customer, must now be soaked with what Segal calls “ac-celerant permitting incendiary ideas” to ignite emotions – humanly relevant ideas.

Consumer marketers have long understood testimonial selling, be-cause it has been what always has been required to hasten the velocity offast-movingconsumergoods.Today,theB2Bworldalsoismovingwith network velocity. It requires the same sensitivity to emotional re-quirements, in order to affect engagement.

AsmuchasBillyMitchell hasbeena long-timeadvocate forinbound marketing, he believes that it’s all about adaptation. Today’s B2Bmarketersmustadapta“neverquitlearning,alwaysbetesting”mindset.Mitchell,presidentandseniorcreativedirectorforB2Bmar-keting agency MLT Creative, says that things are just changing too rapidly for marketers to be complacent. “Change brings unexpected opportunities.WithsomanytoolsnowavailablefromB2Bmarket-ers, I can’t imagine why any business wouldn’t always be looking for opportunities to improve their marketing.”

So, does that mean we won’t be seeing any more cold calls – the cruxoftheB2Bmarketingapproach?Notnecessarily,Mitchellsays.As

B2Bmarketersintegratenewchannelsandembracenewtacticssuchas content marketing, it creates an opening for those who keep tradition in the mix.

“With the database tools available now, outbound calls and field sales visits to prospects no longer need to be completely cold,” he says. “Customer segmentation, market research and a good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can enable your sales calls to be more effective. Calls shouldn’t be the shot-gunned equivalent of email spam. They can be one of your best research tools. The best calls are the ones in which infor-mation is not just one way. You get as much as you give. That

“ Change brings unexpected opportunities. With so many tools now available from B-to-B marketers, I can’t imagine why any business wouldn’t always be looking for opportunities to improve their marketing.”

–BillyMitchell,President&SeniorCreativeDirector,MLTCreative

6

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

7

T hanks to the surge in the development of applications for smart-phones, we hold the answers to many of life’s most pressing questions in the palms of our hands. Who am I? (Rootstech)

Where am I? (Maps+) Why am I here? (Evernote). With nearly 1 billion available apps (Mashable!), we now have access to a uni-

verse of knowledge – and the current location of all the major planets and stars in the universe (Starwalk). The answers,

my friend, that were blowin’ in the wind (Soundhound) are being harnessed, packaged and put within our

grasp, 24/7, via the internet in your hand. As expected, smartphone use is gaining

significant momentum. According to Jamie Turner, noted marketing author and founder

of 60secondmarketer.com, by 2013, mobile devices – smart phones and

tablet computers – will overtake PCs as the most common web access

device worldwide. ”More peo-ple [around the world] own a

mobile phone than a tooth-brush, Turner says. “So,

mobile apps are a great way for you to stay

connected with

10

R ick Segalwantsyoutoknowwhatheknows.B2B,asyouknow,hasleftthebuilding. Segal made his proclamation more than a year ago during a speech ataB2BconferenceinBerlin.Usingtheterm“dead”andB2Binthesame

sentence was a bit shocking coming from a marketing icon that had spent the last 30 years building his business on the very concept of business-to-business marketing, i.e., professionals marketing goods and services to other businesses.

By Michael J. Pallerino

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

8BuildingYourBrand

9your customers. Once they’ve downloaded your app, they are more likely to stay engaged with your brand.”

If you haven’t already, perhaps it’s time to consider how you can get your brand in the hands ofyourcustomersandtargetaudience.Butbe-fore you jump on the bandwagon, you need to know that, in some ways, mobile marketing is no different than traditional media marketing. Koert Van Ittersum, a marketing professor at Georgia

Institute of Technology, recommends that you identify your target market first,

which will help you determine if and how you should connect

with them via mobile technology. “What do you know about

their phone use and their app behav-ior?” Van Ittersum asks. “If your target

market is in the minority that does not use smartphones, then you don’t need

to waste your resources on an app. Your app should be relevant and useful, and fit

in with your general marketing communica-tions strategy. It’s not necessary for it to be

the most popular or the next billion-dollar app. You really need to think it through, determine

what you want to accomplish and make sure that your app is consistent with your brand.”

While there are many unique ways to build your brand with a mobile application, most successful apps tend to fall into three some-time overlapping categories: “advertainment” games, facilitation tools or immersion catalysts.

“Advertainment” GamesMost of the apps on iPhone’s top 25 list typi-cally are entertaining games. Advertainment is a term used to describe entertaining media, pri-marily games or films, that derive advertising value by connecting with their target markets in a more subtle way – by giving their brand face time. “These apps are terrific for building relationships, creating brand awareness and connecting with customers on an emotional level,” Turner says. “Coca Cola has several ap-plications that are fun games – fun to play but also drive home a message about Coca Cola.”

Trident Gum also sees that advertainment brings something to the bottom line. It recently launched a five-star game, Vitality Falling Stars, to promote its new Trident flavor, Awaken – a peppy blend of peppermint and ginseng. “It has very little branding in it – the Trident brand appears on the home screen and in the lower

corner of all other screens – it’s free, it has been downloaded more than 415,000 times, and it hasreceivedgreatreviews,”saysTyraBurton,asenior marketing lecturer at Kennesaw State Uni-versity. “It’s an amazing little game, and it has nopurposeotherthantomakeyousmile.Butitis enabling Trident to brand themselves positively with Millennials, 18-to 35-year-olds.”

Burton says popular, well-reviewed gamesthat promote movies are another marketing av-enue that’s proving successful. When the movie “Inception” was released in 2010, the corre-sponding app had more than 4 million downloads and garnered a lot of social media attention. “The app enriched the ‘Inception’ experience for the users, immersing them into the movie, and then they tweeted and posted about their experiences in social media, creating a huge buzz.”

There also was a lot of flapping and tweet-ing that helped send the 2011 animated movie “Rio” to the top of the charts. “The game app Angry Birds Rio had more than 120 milliondownloads and was considered highly success-ful at penetrating its target market. Twentieth Century Fox says the app tie-in helped propel themovie toNo.1 in theboxoffice,”Burtonsays.“TheappisstillatNo.42ontheiPhone/iPad popularity lists. They have gotten a tre-mendous amount of face time by putting their brand out there this way.”

Facilitation ToolsA large segment of apps are tools created to facili-tate the use or purchase of a product. Many mobile media applications are tie-ins that have naturally evolved from popular websites such as Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and iStockphoto, a popular source on the web for royalty-free stock images, media and design elements for more than 10 years.

“We were targeting both customers and contributors with our app,” says Michael Cook, VP product for iStockphoto. “Mobile provides a platform for people to get some of their work done even when they are untethered from their desktop machines. We all work everywhere, all the time, and, for creative work, inspiration can strike anywhere. We wanted to be there to help when that happens. Customers can browse our full collection, save images that catch their at-tention and even share those images with col-laborators for discussion in real time. It truly is like having iStock and our millions of images in your pocket. And for contributors, who number more than 100,000 across the globe, it pro-

vides the ability to track their sales data without having to be at their desks.”

Cook says reviews from both customers and contributors have been positive. “Anecdotally, people say they are using it in creative discus-sions, and that it provides a looser way to search for imagery for their projects. The best creativity doesn’t always happen at your desktop, and the app is facilitating that freedom to start a project anywhere. This, in turn, helps us be there to as-sist through to the end of the project, thus in-creasing brand loyalty and overall mindshare with that audience.”

Unlike iStockphoto, there are many apps that have succeeded as mobile tools, though they were unspectacular as website applications. Turner cites Domino’sasanexampleofamobileappthathassuccessfully enhanced marketing and branding. “It’s a terrific app. It has made ordering pizza from your smartphone very easy. There are over 500 bil-lion possible combinations of pizza you can order throughtheDomino’sPizzaapp.Hardtobelieve,but it’s true. Surprisingly, the app is an incredibly simple way to order. And once you do it, you are hooked. It’s a great way for them to engage and retain customers.”

Howgreat is it?According toMobileCommerceDaily, just threemonths after the iPhone/iPad app was released, it achieved more than $1 million in sales in a single week.

Immersion CatalystTheBejingOlympicsin2008wasasignificantappmilestone–thefirsttime a variety of apps were available to immerse fans worldwide in the experience.SuperBowl2012alsowasanappbonanza–thefirsttimetheSuperBowlwasstreamedliveonline.Whilemillionswatchedgluedtotheir TV sets, many tech savvy fans watched on their smartphones, and enjoyed participating online and engaging interactively.

March Madness inspired another surge of app creation. A free iPhone/iPodapp,NCAAMarchMadnessLiveenabledyoutofilloutyourNCAAbracketandtrackit,followlivescoresandplayerstats,andgetalerts for upsets, overtime games, close games and your favorite team. For a $3.99 upgrade, fans could stream every game of March Madness live on their mobile devices.

The Masters 2012, a bastion of tradition, was the latest major sporting event to embrace mobile technology. In fact, the free app was one of the world’s most popular apps the first week in April, offering up-to-the-minute leader boards as well as video highlights, interviews and live streams. And on the final day of the four-day event, Easter Sunday, it provided discrete view-ers the opportunity to follow the action without the television blaring over the holiday festivities.

“Fans were able to engage on their way to work, at work, at dinner – when they weren’t sup-posed to – and the more they engaged, the more immersed they became in the experience, and the moretheytalkedaboutitwithotherfans,”Burtonsays. “The Masters app also helped them to grow their market by connecting with Millennials, who are very connected. It re-energizes golf – makes it more youthful, less stodgy.”

The Billion Dollar App?How does a company with 13 employees create

an app that makes no money, but sells for $1 billion? Instagram did just that because innovation drives success, according to Turner, a frequent guestonCNNandHLN.

“They were innovative, but they weren’t so innovative that they were ahead of the curve,” Turner says. “In other words, they were innovative, but they were fulfilling a need, and once that need was filled they did a terrific job of having that catch on.”

BurtonsaysthatInstagramfiguredouthowtoaccomplishsomethingthat Facebook did not—how to get people to consistently use their platform to upload photos and to integrate this into their everyday lives. “They created a very dedicated user base,” she says, adding that by purchasing Instagram, Facebook is keeping that expertise from falling into the hands of Google+.

So how do you create a billion-dollar app? Our marketing experts concur that, if your goal is to make a gazillion dollars, you probably shouldn’t create an app. “For every Instagram, there are 100,000 apps that don’t work or sell more than $5,000 worth of product,” Turner says. “Don’tcreateanappinordertomakeyournextmilliondollars.We’relikely past the initial stage where a few people got out there early and made a ton of money. Create an app to engage with your customers and keep them connected with your brand. That’s when you want to do an app.”

Maybeweshouldstayinandorderpizza.(Domino’s)OK,whereshouldwegofordinner?(Where)Isthefood good there? (Yelp) Oh, I’d like to dine on their patio, wonder if it’s going to rain. (AccuWeather)

Ewwww.What’sthatbugthatjustjumpedinmyAlfredo?(Noah)Maybeweshouldgotoamovietoo.(Fandango).Whoa,we’realmostoutofgas.(GasBuddy)What’sthenameofthatmoviesoundtrack?(Soundhound) Man, I have to go to the bathroom, but I don’t want to miss the good parts of this movie. (Run Pee) Wow, it’s dark. I can’t find my seat. (Flashlight) Ouch, I think I broke my toe. Wonder where thenearestemergencyroomis?(FindNearMe)

“If your target market is in the minority

that does not use smartphones, then you

don’t need to waste your resources on an app. Your app should

be relevant and useful, and fi t in with your general marketing

communications strategy.”

– Koert Van Ittersum, Marketing Professor,

Georgia Institute of Technology

“Don’t create an app in order to make your

next million dollars. Create an app to engage with your

customers and keep them connected with

your brand. That’s when you want to do

an app.”

– Jamie Turner, Founder, 60secondmarketer.com

ESSENTIAL DATE NIGHT

APPS

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

8BuildingYourBrand

9your customers. Once they’ve downloaded your app, they are more likely to stay engaged with your brand.”

If you haven’t already, perhaps it’s time to consider how you can get your brand in the hands ofyourcustomersandtargetaudience.Butbe-fore you jump on the bandwagon, you need to know that, in some ways, mobile marketing is no different than traditional media marketing. Koert Van Ittersum, a marketing professor at Georgia

Institute of Technology, recommends that you identify your target market first,

which will help you determine if and how you should connect

with them via mobile technology. “What do you know about

their phone use and their app behav-ior?” Van Ittersum asks. “If your target

market is in the minority that does not use smartphones, then you don’t need

to waste your resources on an app. Your app should be relevant and useful, and fit

in with your general marketing communica-tions strategy. It’s not necessary for it to be

the most popular or the next billion-dollar app. You really need to think it through, determine

what you want to accomplish and make sure that your app is consistent with your brand.”

While there are many unique ways to build your brand with a mobile application, most successful apps tend to fall into three some-time overlapping categories: “advertainment” games, facilitation tools or immersion catalysts.

“Advertainment” GamesMost of the apps on iPhone’s top 25 list typi-cally are entertaining games. Advertainment is a term used to describe entertaining media, pri-marily games or films, that derive advertising value by connecting with their target markets in a more subtle way – by giving their brand face time. “These apps are terrific for building relationships, creating brand awareness and connecting with customers on an emotional level,” Turner says. “Coca Cola has several ap-plications that are fun games – fun to play but also drive home a message about Coca Cola.”

Trident Gum also sees that advertainment brings something to the bottom line. It recently launched a five-star game, Vitality Falling Stars, to promote its new Trident flavor, Awaken – a peppy blend of peppermint and ginseng. “It has very little branding in it – the Trident brand appears on the home screen and in the lower

corner of all other screens – it’s free, it has been downloaded more than 415,000 times, and it hasreceivedgreatreviews,”saysTyraBurton,asenior marketing lecturer at Kennesaw State Uni-versity. “It’s an amazing little game, and it has nopurposeotherthantomakeyousmile.Butitis enabling Trident to brand themselves positively with Millennials, 18-to 35-year-olds.”

Burton says popular, well-reviewed gamesthat promote movies are another marketing av-enue that’s proving successful. When the movie “Inception” was released in 2010, the corre-sponding app had more than 4 million downloads and garnered a lot of social media attention. “The app enriched the ‘Inception’ experience for the users, immersing them into the movie, and then they tweeted and posted about their experiences in social media, creating a huge buzz.”

There also was a lot of flapping and tweet-ing that helped send the 2011 animated movie “Rio” to the top of the charts. “The game app Angry Birds Rio had more than 120 milliondownloads and was considered highly success-ful at penetrating its target market. Twentieth Century Fox says the app tie-in helped propel themovie toNo.1 in theboxoffice,”Burtonsays.“TheappisstillatNo.42ontheiPhone/iPad popularity lists. They have gotten a tre-mendous amount of face time by putting their brand out there this way.”

Facilitation ToolsA large segment of apps are tools created to facili-tate the use or purchase of a product. Many mobile media applications are tie-ins that have naturally evolved from popular websites such as Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and iStockphoto, a popular source on the web for royalty-free stock images, media and design elements for more than 10 years.

“We were targeting both customers and contributors with our app,” says Michael Cook, VP product for iStockphoto. “Mobile provides a platform for people to get some of their work done even when they are untethered from their desktop machines. We all work everywhere, all the time, and, for creative work, inspiration can strike anywhere. We wanted to be there to help when that happens. Customers can browse our full collection, save images that catch their at-tention and even share those images with col-laborators for discussion in real time. It truly is like having iStock and our millions of images in your pocket. And for contributors, who number more than 100,000 across the globe, it pro-

vides the ability to track their sales data without having to be at their desks.”

Cook says reviews from both customers and contributors have been positive. “Anecdotally, people say they are using it in creative discus-sions, and that it provides a looser way to search for imagery for their projects. The best creativity doesn’t always happen at your desktop, and the app is facilitating that freedom to start a project anywhere. This, in turn, helps us be there to as-sist through to the end of the project, thus in-creasing brand loyalty and overall mindshare with that audience.”

Unlike iStockphoto, there are many apps that have succeeded as mobile tools, though they were unspectacular as website applications. Turner cites Domino’sasanexampleofamobileappthathassuccessfully enhanced marketing and branding. “It’s a terrific app. It has made ordering pizza from your smartphone very easy. There are over 500 bil-lion possible combinations of pizza you can order throughtheDomino’sPizzaapp.Hardtobelieve,but it’s true. Surprisingly, the app is an incredibly simple way to order. And once you do it, you are hooked. It’s a great way for them to engage and retain customers.”

Howgreat is it?According toMobileCommerceDaily, just threemonths after the iPhone/iPad app was released, it achieved more than $1 million in sales in a single week.

Immersion CatalystTheBejingOlympicsin2008wasasignificantappmilestone–thefirsttime a variety of apps were available to immerse fans worldwide in the experience.SuperBowl2012alsowasanappbonanza–thefirsttimetheSuperBowlwasstreamedliveonline.Whilemillionswatchedgluedtotheir TV sets, many tech savvy fans watched on their smartphones, and enjoyed participating online and engaging interactively.

March Madness inspired another surge of app creation. A free iPhone/iPodapp,NCAAMarchMadnessLiveenabledyoutofilloutyourNCAAbracketandtrackit,followlivescoresandplayerstats,andgetalerts for upsets, overtime games, close games and your favorite team. For a $3.99 upgrade, fans could stream every game of March Madness live on their mobile devices.

The Masters 2012, a bastion of tradition, was the latest major sporting event to embrace mobile technology. In fact, the free app was one of the world’s most popular apps the first week in April, offering up-to-the-minute leader boards as well as video highlights, interviews and live streams. And on the final day of the four-day event, Easter Sunday, it provided discrete view-ers the opportunity to follow the action without the television blaring over the holiday festivities.

“Fans were able to engage on their way to work, at work, at dinner – when they weren’t sup-posed to – and the more they engaged, the more immersed they became in the experience, and the moretheytalkedaboutitwithotherfans,”Burtonsays. “The Masters app also helped them to grow their market by connecting with Millennials, who are very connected. It re-energizes golf – makes it more youthful, less stodgy.”

The Billion Dollar App?How does a company with 13 employees create

an app that makes no money, but sells for $1 billion? Instagram did just that because innovation drives success, according to Turner, a frequent guestonCNNandHLN.

“They were innovative, but they weren’t so innovative that they were ahead of the curve,” Turner says. “In other words, they were innovative, but they were fulfilling a need, and once that need was filled they did a terrific job of having that catch on.”

BurtonsaysthatInstagramfiguredouthowtoaccomplishsomethingthat Facebook did not—how to get people to consistently use their platform to upload photos and to integrate this into their everyday lives. “They created a very dedicated user base,” she says, adding that by purchasing Instagram, Facebook is keeping that expertise from falling into the hands of Google+.

So how do you create a billion-dollar app? Our marketing experts concur that, if your goal is to make a gazillion dollars, you probably shouldn’t create an app. “For every Instagram, there are 100,000 apps that don’t work or sell more than $5,000 worth of product,” Turner says. “Don’tcreateanappinordertomakeyournextmilliondollars.We’relikely past the initial stage where a few people got out there early and made a ton of money. Create an app to engage with your customers and keep them connected with your brand. That’s when you want to do an app.”

Maybeweshouldstayinandorderpizza.(Domino’s)OK,whereshouldwegofordinner?(Where)Isthefood good there? (Yelp) Oh, I’d like to dine on their patio, wonder if it’s going to rain. (AccuWeather)

Ewwww.What’sthatbugthatjustjumpedinmyAlfredo?(Noah)Maybeweshouldgotoamovietoo.(Fandango).Whoa,we’realmostoutofgas.(GasBuddy)What’sthenameofthatmoviesoundtrack?(Soundhound) Man, I have to go to the bathroom, but I don’t want to miss the good parts of this movie. (Run Pee) Wow, it’s dark. I can’t find my seat. (Flashlight) Ouch, I think I broke my toe. Wonder where thenearestemergencyroomis?(FindNearMe)

“If your target market is in the minority

that does not use smartphones, then you

don’t need to waste your resources on an app. Your app should

be relevant and useful, and fi t in with your general marketing

communications strategy.”

– Koert Van Ittersum, Marketing Professor,

Georgia Institute of Technology

“Don’t create an app in order to make your

next million dollars. Create an app to engage with your

customers and keep them connected with

your brand. That’s when you want to do

an app.”

– Jamie Turner, Founder, 60secondmarketer.com

ESSENTIAL DATE NIGHT

APPS

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

7

T hanks to the surge in the development of applications for smart-phones, we hold the answers to many of life’s most pressing questions in the palms of our hands. Who am I? (Rootstech)

Where am I? (Maps+) Why am I here? (Evernote). With nearly 1 billion available apps (Mashable!), we now have access to a uni-

verse of knowledge – and the current location of all the major planets and stars in the universe (Starwalk). The answers,

my friend, that were blowin’ in the wind (Soundhound) are being harnessed, packaged and put within our

grasp, 24/7, via the internet in your hand. As expected, smartphone use is gaining

significant momentum. According to Jamie Turner, noted marketing author and founder

of 60secondmarketer.com, by 2013, mobile devices – smart phones and

tablet computers – will overtake PCs as the most common web access

device worldwide. ”More peo-ple [around the world] own a

mobile phone than a tooth-brush, Turner says. “So,

mobile apps are a great way for you to stay

connected with

10

R ick Segalwantsyoutoknowwhatheknows.B2B,asyouknow,hasleftthebuilding. Segal made his proclamation more than a year ago during a speech ataB2BconferenceinBerlin.Usingtheterm“dead”andB2Binthesame

sentence was a bit shocking coming from a marketing icon that had spent the last 30 years building his business on the very concept of business-to-business marketing, i.e., professionals marketing goods and services to other businesses.

By Michael J. Pallerino

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

11

Segal, president worldwide and chief practice officer of the global marketing firm gyro, wasn’t trying to get the crowd’s attention with anopening“shock-and-awe”salvo.HewenttoBerlintodeclarethecategory of business marketing communications had changed forev-er. When word of his declaration hit, the marketing world had mixed emotions about just what the man whose company helped shape the business-to-business marketing scene since 1981 – a man whose Twitterhandleis@MrBtoB–meant.

On one side, his argument seemed pretty solid. The discipline of reaching, persuading and engaging business decision makers changed forever, when people began carrying their own telecommunications andcomputingpoweraroundwiththem.Beingatworkwasnolon-ger a place – it was a state of mind. The individual replaced the firm as the organizing principle of business-to-business marketing. Human relevance, Segal emphasizes, is now the foundation of marketing to business decision makers.

“It’s not that salespeople or sales support have become irrelevant, it’s that so many of the messages they are carrying to the marketplace are humanly irrele-vant,” Segal says. “The myth that has been busted is that business decision making is entirely rational. It’s not. It’s exceedingly emo-tional, and as living, breathing human beings have been empow-ered with computing and telecommunications technology on their persons, their emotional needs matter more than ever.”

Every gear and widget, integrated circuit, chemical formula-tion, financial instrument, etc., is exciting to someone, not just interesting or informative. Salespeople, and every other channel to the customer, must now be soaked with what Segal calls “ac-celerant permitting incendiary ideas” to ignite emotions – humanly relevant ideas.

Consumer marketers have long understood testimonial selling, be-cause it has been what always has been required to hasten the velocity offast-movingconsumergoods.Today,theB2Bworldalsoismovingwith network velocity. It requires the same sensitivity to emotional re-quirements, in order to affect engagement.

AsmuchasBillyMitchell hasbeena long-timeadvocate forinbound marketing, he believes that it’s all about adaptation. Today’s B2Bmarketersmustadapta“neverquitlearning,alwaysbetesting”mindset.Mitchell,presidentandseniorcreativedirectorforB2Bmar-keting agency MLT Creative, says that things are just changing too rapidly for marketers to be complacent. “Change brings unexpected opportunities.WithsomanytoolsnowavailablefromB2Bmarket-ers, I can’t imagine why any business wouldn’t always be looking for opportunities to improve their marketing.”

So, does that mean we won’t be seeing any more cold calls – the cruxoftheB2Bmarketingapproach?Notnecessarily,Mitchellsays.As

B2Bmarketersintegratenewchannelsandembracenewtacticssuchas content marketing, it creates an opening for those who keep tradition in the mix.

“With the database tools available now, outbound calls and field sales visits to prospects no longer need to be completely cold,” he says. “Customer segmentation, market research and a good CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can enable your sales calls to be more effective. Calls shouldn’t be the shot-gunned equivalent of email spam. They can be one of your best research tools. The best calls are the ones in which infor-mation is not just one way. You get as much as you give. That

“ Change brings unexpected opportunities. With so many tools now available from B-to-B marketers, I can’t imagine why any business wouldn’t always be looking for opportunities to improve their marketing.”

–BillyMitchell,President&SeniorCreativeDirector,MLTCreative

6

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

12Crossing Paths

information can be captured for further lead nur-turing and personal engagement.”

Taking a human-to-human approachOne of the key elements in building a relationship with both customers and prospects is the human-to-human approach. In the end, you ultimately are not selling to a company or procurement department as much as you are selling to a person.

Mitchell says the buzz he hears during the many social media conferences he attends is that it’s not aboutB2BorB2C,it’saboutH-to-H(human-to-hu-man).MitchellbelievesthereismuchforB2Bmar-keters to learn from theB2Cside, includingdesignstandards, production values, storytelling techniques, creativity, and, to a certain extent, smart examples of socialmediamarketing.Butastowhetherit’stimeforcompanies to transform theirB2Bmarketing teamsintoB2Cmachines,Mitchellsaystoholdoff.“Idon’tthink a company should do that. In fact, they should embrace an enthusiasm and passion for B2Bmar-keting.B2BcanbejustascreativeandengagingasB2C.”

Asanexample,hecitesGE’smostrecentSuperBowlcommercial,in which the company boasts that it produces the power that makes and keepsbeercold.TakethatBudLight.“B2Bmarketerscancertainlylearnfromandbe inspiredbyB2C,but theymustdeeplyunderstandB2B,”

Mitchell says. “If you don’t enjoy meeting with your inside and field sales teams, understanding your customers’ businesses and your customers’ custom-ers,etc.,youmaynotbelonginB2B.”

If anything, there has been a shift in the way B2Bmarketers approach their campaigns.“It seems that world-class marketers everywhere have awakened to the fact that, today, we are communicating with living, breathing human be-ings with aspirations, spirits and emotions,” gyro’s Segal says. “We’ve always known that business-to-business, at the end of the day, was person-to-person.Butwhattheworld’ssavviestmarketersseem to have appreciated quickly is that person-alizationwasthelastbestpractice.Nolongerisitenough to understand the requirements of a per-son in a job title to be successful in influencing himtomakeapurchaseconsideration.Nolongeris it enough for an advertising planner to get into the head of a business decision-maker. With the amplified voices and the new organizational em-powerment of these humans at work, successful marketers must get into their hearts.”

A new way of doing businessOnthefirstnightofhisMBAbusiness-to-businessmarketingclasshehastaught at the University of Pittsburgh for the past eight years, Greg Cotic

The entrepreneur’s go-to location for infor-mation on products and services is the seller’s website, followed closely by word-of-mouth from other business owners. To deliver a posi-tive online media experience, marketers should focus on the elements of experience that matter – not only to drive purchases but also positive word-of-mouth. According to recent research byECSB, two tiers of elements in the onlineexperience matter most.

The “tier 1” elements that matter include: being efficient (responds quickly, anticipates my needs, provides backup communication options), and being customer oriented (under-standing my business and respecting my time). The “tier 2” elements provide greater specificity around building a good online experience.

Ingeneral,theSMBisaloyalgroupthatidentifies most with other owners in their indus-try, suggesting that vertical segmentation is an

ideal approach to targeting small businesses. Butmarket shifts can reverse the smallbusi-ness owner’s predisposition to loyalty, causing him to re-evaluate established vendor relation-ships, often in favor of local suppliers.

An important insight into the small busi-ness owner psyche was uncovered by ECSBaround the desire to buy local. Seems it’s less about an affinity for local providers, and more about an aversion for national providers. Be-hind this predisposition are two critical driv-ers: convenience and relationship. Messaging to the small business owner will have greater impact if it’s crafted to directly address these drivers. It should clearly demonstrate how your offering provides positive business im-pact, while providing assurance of prompt,

B2-SmallB : A Perspective ByJudyRudolphBegehr

A samemberoftheEnterpriseCouncilonSmallBusiness(ECSB)forthelast three years, gyro has access to a wealth of proprietary research and has developed substantial institutional knowledge on the art and science

ofcreatingmeaningfulengagementwiththeSMB.Ingeneralterms,thefollowinginsightsreflectcommonattitudesandbehaviorsoftheSMBdecisionmaker.

5marketing insights

She said it …

The percent jump of direct mail that used variable data personalized from 2009 to 2011. According to a 40 month study of direct mail from January 2009 through October 2011 showed an increase in the use of variable data printing to personalize mail pieces to recipients. The study was conducted by the Who’s Mailing What! Archive which reported that 28% of direct mail pieces were personalized in 2009. 2012 saw a 21% increase to 34% of mail being personalized

“ When people love your brand and see its value, not only will they buy it more often, and sometimes at a premium, but they will become an advocate and one of your ‘super fans.’”

– Kimberly Paige, assistant VP of Coca-Cola NorthAmerica’sAfrican-Americanmarketinggroup, on why segmentation is important and how people view themselves as fitting into more than one segment

The Big Data dilemmaWhile today’s marketers know that leveraging massive data sets helps improve business, anewstudybymarketing technology companyDataXu Inc. showsmany feel they lackthe tools to adequately mine customer insights. According to the report – “Marketing in theDigitalAge”–75percentofrespondentssayunderstanding“BigData”canimprovedramatically their marketing efforts, while 90 percent say digital marketing can reduce customer acquisition costs. Interestingly, 58 percent say they lack the skills and technology to perform such data analytics, while more than 70 percent admit they aren’t able to leverage the value of customer data.

When it comes to marketing and branding, make sure not to forget the traditional methods that have worked for decades. Some customers still prefer the tactile experience of reading a direct mail postcard or printed piece. The more places you advertise and promote your business to your targeted audiences, the better your exposure and marketing penetration. Here are statistics and brand expert’s thoughts and blending social with traditional media.

Blend On and Offline Media For Optimum Results

•Consumersare50percentmorelikelytobuyor use a product when TV ads work together with Internet marketing.

•EnhanceyourprintadvertisinganddirectmailcampaignssociallybyusingQRCodes® to track how people are getting to your website. ByusingtrackableURLsyoucangainfirmcontrol of your website’s analytics if you are incorporating social media URLs to track user entry points.

•Socialmediamarketingandtraditionalmarketing go hand in hand and should be blended,accordingtoD.WilliamJones,socialmediaenthusiastatBuiltitz.com.Byusing social media exclusively and ignoring traditional media, you risk killing your market reach. 35 percent of US consumers still get their news offline. Advertising, TV, and direct mail are still extremely important and valuable.

•Talktoyourcustomershowyourcustomers

want to be talked to. For some that will be via social media and for others that will be through traditional media. Many nonprofits such as United Way and Harvesters send their volunteers donor receipts through either the mail or email based on preference.

•NearlyoneinfivesmartphoneusersmakesapurchaseafterscanningaQRCode® – Print in the Mix

•Whenconsumerswereaskedabouttheacceptable channel for marketers to contact them, direct mail is the only channel where an unsolicited message isn’t viewed as inappropriate. In fact, it is preferred. – Print in the Mix

•Nothingcanbeatthespeedofresponseofa post on Facebook or Twitter, which makes these social channels ideal for responding to a crisis situation or angry customer. However, nothing beats the credibility and professional

recognition of traditional media, which makes it ideal for branding and product believability.

“Our research into marketing-inspired purchase behavior illustrates that we live in a multi-channel world where brands that can execute campaigns across both mass and direct media will have a distinct advantage over their less coordinated competition. Today’s consumers are cross-channel communicators, and they’re ready to reward those brands that abide by the unique rules that govern each channel.” – Exact Target

*QRCodeisaregisteredtrademarkofDensoWave.

46June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

13

chiabreaksdownthedifferencesbetweenB2BandB2Cmarketing.Amongthedifferences his students are asked to absorb are sales channels, complex buying, ownership of spend/budget, amount of spend, the emphasis on personal selling and negotiation, and unique promotional strategies.

“The internet has brought various techniques and tactics closer between B2BandB2Cmarketing,”saysCoticchia,who,alongwithbeinganadjunctpro-fessor, also is CEO of the strategy and marketing firm Entra. “People like to think thatmarketingisallsalessupport.Butprofessionally,andasateacher,Ineverviewedmarketingassalessupport.IlookatitinaB2Bsensetoincludemarket-ing communications (lead generation, sales support and awareness), product management and marketing, business development (partners and alliances) and strategy. Sales execs that run marketing usually fail, because they have a very narrow view of marketing, i.e., qualifying leads. So, marketing relegated to sales support is a loser. It’s making tactical a function that is fundamentally strategic.

readily available service by an organization that not only knows their industry but also understands their business.

Most small business owners are worried about holding on to their own customers and keeping their businesses afloat. Business-to-business purchase decisions often are propelled on an emotional level by risk avoid-ance. It’s important to gather insights on your audiences’ specific pain points and, par-ticularly, their fears. It’s emo-tional selling 101.

According to ECSB,solving the small business owner’s fears drives trust. Trust can lead to a sense of control. The greatest source of power in building trust is reliably delivering on your brand promise and providing an experience that makes the small business owner feel cer-

tain that you understand what they need and that you’ll deliver what they need fast.

Because budgets are smaller, there’sgreaterscrutinyovereveryexpense.TheSMBowner makes purchase decisions through the goggles of an internal “success filter” – if they

see the product or service will help them succeed, they’re more likely to make the purchase. Audience insights should be used to communi-cate with SMB audiences inways that clearly, and, if pos-sible, tangibly demonstrate the value of your offering based on their business needs.

AccordingtoECSBresearch,atthehigh-est level, many small business owners measure their success based on mastery of their trade. Beneaththislevel,smallbusinessownersclus-ter by their success driver, each with unique

profiles and messaging hot buttons.ECSB research suggests that additional

things can be done through messaging to en-hance the perception of value and to expand relationships with local small business custom-ers. These include: personalize your communi-cations, highlight length of relationships (exam-ple: American Express’s “Member Since”) and your historical quality, and tailor your messag-ing to resonate not only with the persona, but also the geographic region.

It is critical to nurture and protect all exist-ing relationships to leverage the small business owner’s tendency to stick with those they trust. Shore up your loyal local customers, reinforce their decision to work with your brand and, as ECSB says, “make your customers your localpresence by mobilizing your local advocates.”

Judy Rudolph Begehr is SVP of account planning for gyro in its Cincinnati office.

“The myth that has been busted is that business decision making is entirely rational. It’s not. It’s exceedingly emotional, and as living, breathing human beings have been empowered with computing and telecommunications technology on their persons, their emotional needs matter more than ever.” – Rick Segal, President Worldwide & Chief Practice Officer, gyro

4marketing insights

The percent of tablet users who expect a website to download in less than two seconds, according to a recent study by Compuware Corp. The study, “Engaging the Tablet User: What They Expect from Websites,” also shows that four out of 10 tablet users experience website problems, while a bad web experience will drive 46 percent of them to competitive websites.

Move over Tumblr. Step aside LinkedIn. Out of the way Google+. According to the“2012DigitalMarketer:BenchmarkandTrendReport”by Experian report, Pinterest has become the third-most popular social media site in the United States,jumpingupfromtheNo.7 spot in 2011. The content sharing site, which posted a 50 percent month-to-month traffic increase in February, saw users spend an average of 89 minutes per month on the network in February. The analytics firm comScore also reported that Pinterest attracted 17.8 million unique visitors in February in the United States, alone. As a comparison, Facebook users spent an average of 405 minutes per month on its site during the same period.

That’s what he said …“ They are just as interested in the tweets that come back about a product as they are concerned about price. They practically do background checks.”

– Virgin Mobile brand director Ron Faris on how digitally native Gen Y and younger consumers using social media are changing the traditional sales funnel model.

Are you Pinterested?

Getting to know your customers

Doyouwantthetruth?Whatyourcustomersvaluemostischangingconstantly.Nobodyknowsthisbetterthan Jaynie L. Smith, best selling author and CEO of marketing and management consulting firm Smart Advantage (www.smartadvantage.com). Smith spent the last 10 years analyzing data from more than

100 businesses to learn why customers buy particular products or services from particular companies. Her conclusion: 90 percent of the time, most businesses do not know their customers’ top values. In fact, many are shocked to learn just what is at the top of their customers’ value list. The good news: Smith says businesses that become relevant by addressing what their customers really value at any given time will be the first ones out of the recession. To help you get on track, she offers the following advice.

Customers usually are looking for “how” things are sold, not “what” For most products, any number of suppliers exists. If someone wants to buy a camera or a car, he can visit the nearest store or order it online. Buthedoesn’t.Why?Becausethere’ssomething else he values more than the product itself (think product durability, the brand’s reputation for customer service or safety features). If you don’t value what you bring to your customer, he won’t value iteither.Becausefewcompaniesknow how to effectively articulate what differentiates them, price often becomes the tiebreaker.

Understand that existing customers and prospects usually have different valuesSmart Advantage’s research analysis shows that, 70 percent of the time, customers and prospective customers differ in what they value most. When that happens, your message to your customers should be different than your message to your prospects. Few companies make this distinction in their sales and marketing messaging. Existing customers may have come to depend on your top-notch help desk. It’s what they’ve grown to value most about your company. Prospective customers haven’t used your help desk yet, so they don’t know how essential this benefit is.

Use what you learnIf you find your customers value speedy responses when they have a problem, and your customer service department is slow, fix your customer service now. Tell

your customer service team that your customers rate fast response time their No.1priority.Whenyouhavestatsyoucanbragabout–bragaway.Nowyou’ve used that information in two valuable ways: to make your company more relevant to customers, and to

let customers know you have what they want.

Invest in disciplined customer research

Research data collection costs have decreased 30 percent to

35 percent during the last few years and now are affordable

tosmallercompanies.Double-blindcustomer market research is the gold

standardandworththeexpense.Butit’snotfeasiblefor everybody. Remember: Even a small investment in research can reap huge returns. Some less-expensive and free alternatives do exist to help find what your customers want. They include sharing the expense with an industry association, partnering with an organization that needs the same information or a peer who doesn’t compete with you, hiring a college intern, or creating an online survey using a free basic service such as Survey Monkey.

Jaynie L. Smith’s newest book, “Relevant Selling,”

is available on Amazon.com.

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

3publisher ’s letter

Some would argue we’re so connected that we’re unconnected. With the advances in tech-nology, we have become so wired that our intima-cy levels are all dried up. Yet another perspective might suggest that today’s technological boom has empowered us to stay connected only to the people and brands we deem important.

We no longer market to the masses. That means the tried-and-true principles of market segmentation and positioning are the foundations of a solid future. While choosing market niches on which to focus is critical, becoming a trusted entity within a segment may be the biggest chal-lenge of all.

As we have often stated in the pages of this magazine, successful brands will be the ones woven into the fabric of their target niches’ worlds. Consider the notion that our closest friends and allies are our most trusted vehicles for informa-tion. They’re the ones who have the biggest influ-ence on our purchasing behavior.

Some of the world’s biggest brands are great, because they’ve become part of how we define ourselves.ConsiderwhatbrandslikeApple,BMWand Coca Cola say about who we are.

With the combination of technology and the importance of developing market niches, the con-nection models we use are transforming. Our jobs

Changing with the Changing Times

CONTENTS

In this day and age, we can get lost in the latest product innovation. TV commercials mock people who bought the latest and greatest devices, only to see the next generation hit shelves shortly thereafter. Forget keeping up with the Joneses, we can’t even keep up with technology.

have become a part of who we are on a personal level–andthathasanimpactontheB2Bworld.

Inotherwords,B2BmarketinghasarealB2Cflavor to it these days. Check out our cover story, “Crossing Paths,” where we dive into the changes shaping both of these segments. We offer keen in-sight to becoming part of your clients’ world, re-gardlessofifit’saB2BorB2Cindustry.

In addition, we thought it might be fun to delve into the new world of apps. “Is There an App for That?” examines how apps are revolution-izing today’s business landscape.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue of connect as we continue our endeavor to become a trusted part of your marketing world.

Warmest regards,

Gina M. Danner

While choosing market niches on which to focus is critical, becoming a trusted entity within a segment may be the biggest challenge of all.

3 Publisher’s Letter

4 Marketing Insights

6 Building Your Brand

10 Crossing Paths

14 How Does Your Brand Look to the Public?

15 Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency

PublisherGina M. DannerManaging EditorsRosanne KirnChris LakinArt DirectionBrent Cashman • Creative DirectorJaime Mack • Graphic Designer

Connect is published bimonthly by Mail Print8300 NE Underground Dr, Pillar 122Kansas City, MO 64161copyright 2012All rights reserved

For more information contactwww.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

14columnist

A lot is riding on a website that’s working for a business. It has to convey brand and professionalism, communicate the right mes-sage and engage visitors. Every detail plays a role, from the logo and the text to the design and functionality.

A recent client, Marsha Friedman of EMSI public relations, understood that so well, she put off developing a badly needed new website for five years. “I knew how im-portant every detail was, so I was afraid the process would be long and painful and still, in the end, I’d be dissatisfied,” says Fried-man, who happily reports just the opposite was true.

I’m amazed by the calls I field daily from high-level brainy types who have this fantastic

website designed by the hotshot-friend-of-the-nephew-of-their-sister’s-third-cousin. But theirproduct, service or book just isn’t selling on the site.

Usually, my first thought is to offer them a discounted handful of magic beans and tell them to hope for the best. But alas, I’ve run out ofmagic beans.

They’ve spent months, even years, devel-oping their business or products, writing their books or becoming an expert in their fields. Then, three weeks before they launch into the market, they find the least expensive “web guru” to build their site. Approached this way, 9.7 times out of 10, they’ll wind up with a somewhat functional disaster.

Oh, but they love the look. There’s a blink-ing leprechaun, some groovy scrolling text and, of course, really hip music that plays when visitors hover their mouse over the little thingy at the top.

Unfortunately, under the circumstances described above, they would most likely have to be a toilet paper manufacturer with inven-tory two days after the world runs out of toilet paper to have any kind of measurable success.

How Does Your Brand Look to the Public? By Joe Thomas

JoeThomasisfounderandownerofLeftBrainDigital(www.leftbraindigital.com),awebdevelopmentcompany.An award-winning web designer/developer, he has more than 18 years of experience in print and web design and development.

KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVE:If you don’t know or understand your needs and goals for your website, you can’t explain them to your web developer. Thinkitthrough.Dosomeresearch. Your web devel-oper, regardless of talent or expertise, will be only as effective as your explana-tion and/or description.

GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO DEVELOP YOUR PLAN:You can’t be effective if you just slap six web pages together with a “BuyNow”button.Itjustdoesn’t work like that. Fully develop your web strategy and content be-fore you jump in. Without a blueprint, you’re just throwing darts at a board.

DON’T BE MARRIED TO IT:Preparetoadapt.Don’tgettoo attached to your initial websiteidea.Bepreparedfor change. An experienced developer will help mold your initial concept into a polished, functional and beautiful destination. He should help you navigate the pitfalls. Trust his expertise. When he gives advice, listen. Most of us have made all the mistakes already.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING:The concept, content and message of your website are ultra-important. On the web, image is everything. Your site must clearly convey your message or describe the benefits of your product or service. Visitors should be able to easily find the informa-tion they’re looking for. You have eight seconds to “capture” their interest. The first thing they see will make a huge difference in whether they stay or go.

YOU CAN’T SELL WHAT CAN’T BE FOUND:Sure, without traffic, your website means nothing. So, your next step is media exposure, from building your social networking connections, to getting seen and/or heard in print and on TV and radio. You work hard to get no-ticed, so don’t drive people away with a poor website. Make it top of mind.

So, what can you do? Here are five things I recommend to prospective clients:

ways to keep your customers’

visiting your website

June/July 2012 • Connect by Mail Print

CONTENTS

delve into the new world of apps. “Is There an App for That?” examines how apps are revolution-izing today’s business landscape.

We hope you enjoy the latest issue of connect as we continue our endeavor to become connect as we continue our endeavor to become connecta trusted part of your marketing world.

Warmest regards,

Gina M. Danner

challenge of all.

3 Publisher’s Letter

4 Marketing Insights

6 Building Your Brand 14 How Does Your Brand Look to the Public?

15 Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency

Let us know if th

ere is anyon

e at

your company w

ho should rec

eive

Connect. We would be

happy to

add them to ou

r recipient li

st.

contactus@mailprin

t.com

86

6.938.3607

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

15

Ferrellgas, a Fortune 1000 energy provider, needed to manage marketing for their 900-plus locations more quickly and efficiently. In addition, they needed to increase the speed of their direct mail marketing production to ensure their time-sensitive messaging reached customers on time. Learn how Mail Print’s Marketing Communications Portal helped Ferrellgas reduce management time by 300 hours per month and speed production times from 10 days to 24 hours at http://mprnt.co/FerrellGas.

blog.mailprint.com

Obliterate obsolescence, increase marketing efficiency, and print only what you need. If these takeaways sound ideal, the CMO Council on Research shares four key actions marketers can take to achieve each of them in its “Mapping + Tracking: The Optimal Marketing Supply Chain” research report (it’s worth Googling and reading):

•LeverageDigitalPrintingStrategies •CollaborateCrossFunctionally •Go-GreentoGain-Green •BringintheBrainsofBigMarketingSupply

Chains

Beforeyouinvesttimeandmoneyimplementingthese four strategies, do a quick 10-question self-assessment to get a read on where your organization is today.

Marketing Operations Self-Assessment

1. What inventoried items have become obsolete? Why?

2. What regular processes do members of your marketing team do that are wastes of time and skill set?

3. If you could change the way you buy ads, deploy email, manage printed materials, trigger direct mail, hire talent, create copy, or plan your next move, what would that look like?

4. How could you streamline your workday?

5. What marketing processes have failed in the past?

6.Doyouevercrossyourfingers,hope,and pray that nothing goes wrong when deploying a campaign?

7. Would it improve your results if marketing campaigns could be deployed faster? If so, what does an ideal timeframe look like?

8. Is the work flow in your department planned, or hap-hazard? How about between departments?

9. What have you done more than twice this week?

10. If you could waive your magic wand and have everything in your marketing department run smoothly and perfectly what would it look like? What technology would be in place? What people would you have on your team? What results would you be reporting to your superiors?

If you’re stumped by any of these questions, call us. We’ve helped many companies realize great results implementing new marketing technologies and procedures just like we did implementing a Marketing Asset Management system for Ferrellgas. The system put the hammer on obsolescence.

10 Questions to Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing EfficiencyThis article is not about Mail Print winning four Kansas City

DirectMarketingAssociationAmbitawards;threeInternationalAssociation of Business Communicator Bronze Quill awards;threeBusinessMarketingAssociationFountainawards;aCircleof Hope award from Harvesters or an Association of Fundraising ProfessionalsSmallBusinessSpiritofPhilanthropyaward.

This article is about the why. What is Mail Print doing that makes its work award winning? What makes Mail Print programs stand apart from other entries that go home trophy-less?

Results. All of Mail Print’s internal and customer campaigns were recognized because they strategically breakdown the problem, built a solution, and hit the pre-set target if surpassed.

Connect Magazine Brings in Bimonthly Direct Mail Results and Three Awards

Connect Magazine reinforces that Mail Print is a thought leader in direct marketing, The bimonthly mailed, 16-page four color magazine showcases Mail Print’s variable data and direct mail expertise. Connect earned a $41 return on investment for every $1 spent on the magazine and $1.3 million in new business opportunities.IsitanywonderittookhomeanAmbit,BronzeQuill,andFountainaward?

Mail Print’s VDP Work for Assurant Employee Benefits Results in Four Awards

MailPrintassistedAEBinproducingahighlycomplexvariabledata benefits catalog. The catalogs are customized throughout with more than 1,100 variable data fields – making them the perfect one-to-one marketing vehicle.

As a result of the one-to-one human communication that occurred viathecustomizedcatalogs,AEBexperienceda5%increaseinemployees purchasing voluntary benefits.

Mail Print took home a Bronze Quill from IABC, an AmbitfromKCDMAandaFountainaward fromBMA for the resultsearned for producing AEB’s benefits catalogs for streamliningand increasing Assurant employee enrollments. It also received the coveted Consistent Achiever Award for the benefits catalogs for achieving increased enrollments flawlessly for over a 36-month period.

“It’s one thing to achieve great results, but to do so consistently overthreeyearsisexceptional,”saysMailPrintCEOGinaDanner.

Mail Print’s Work for Harvesters Feeds Families and Brings in Three Awards

MailPrintstreamlinedandautomatedHarvestersDonorReceiptprogramandwasawardedanAmbitandBronzeQuillAwardofMeritforitsworkandresults.ByhelpingHarvestersacknowledgedonors via either email or mail and helping Harvesters secure an additional 6,677 donations totaling $688,930 for a project cost of less than $70,000, everyone was a winner.

Mail Print also received a Fountain award for its Share An Extra Plate Fundraising campaign produced on behalf of Harvesters lastDecember.Themulti-channelcampaignearnedthousandsof social shares, including 2,056 additional people receiving the donation opportunity in addition to the 2,700 customers who originally received the mailing and supporting emails.

The campaign had a budget of $3,500 and created $63,000 in value for Harvesters representing an 18:1 return on investment.

Mail Print Receives Two Awards for Philanthropic Contribution

MailPrint’sCEO,GinaDanner,andPresident,EricDanner,wereraised knowing that it’s better to give than to receive. With this core belief woven into their company of 23 years, Mail Print has always volunteered, contributed financially, and shared its service pro bono to organizations making a difference in the Kansas City community. For this reason, the most important two awards of all are:

•TheCircleofHopeawardgiventoMailPrintbyHarvestersin recognition of its outstanding contributions to hunger relief in the Kansas City metro.

•The Association of Fundraising Professionals, MidAmerica Chapter’s 2011 Small Business Spirit ofPhilanthropy Award. Mail Print was nominated for the award by multiple entities including, Bishop SullivanCenter, Grafton, Inc., Harvesters, Koehler BortnickTeam,OperationBreakthrough,St.ThereseChurch,andThinkingBiggerBusinessMedia.

Mail Print Wins 12 Awards for Marketing Automation, Direct Mail and VDP

8300 NE Underground Drive Pillar 122www.mailprint.com

To discuss any information contained in Connect by Mail Print please contact Mail Print at 866.938.3607.

June/July 2012

Marketing Insights | 4

Building Your Brand | 6

Crossing Paths | 10

How Does Your Brand Look to the Public? | 14

Uncover Ways to Increase Marketing Effi ciency | 15

I N S I D E

8300 ne underground dr pillar 122kansas city, mo 64161

www.mailprint.com 866.938.3607

connectby MAIL PRINT

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