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In This Issue — December 2010

>> FEATURE: The Top Three New Rules of Marketing & PR
>> Direct Mail Insights
>> The Top 8 Reasons Customers Leave
>> Fineline University Key Takeaways

Feature Article

The Top Three New Rules of Marketing and PR

B-to-B Insights: Applying the ‘new rules’ of marketing to B-to-B

from Target Marketing

David Meerman Scott shares insights from the second edition of his bestselling book The New Rules of Marketing & PR—specifically the top three rules that every to B-to-B marketer should follow:

No. 1: Nobody cares about your products and services. What they care about is themselves and solving their problems.

Everybody gives lip service to this truism, but how many companies stick with it in their communications? Precious few. Most people are me-oriented, and most companies seem us-oriented. For instance, in its annual report, one software company featured the same image every year—a nice picture of its building.

As Scott says, the prospect cares about his needs, wants, fears and desires. He cares about your product only insofar as it can address those needs. Remember the old saying: Don't tell the prospect about your grass seed; tell him about his lawn.

Discover rules 2 and 3, and why content is king and sales no longer rules the roost.

DIRECT MAIL INSIGHTS

Three terrific articles for direct mailers.

1) Is it time for a BIG direct mail piece? 5 reasons to revive the bulky direct mail piece:

from Direct Creative

Lower volume means less competition in the mailbox, which often translates to higher response.
A mail stream full of dinky formats makes larger formats stand out.
Larger formats provide more real estate for copy, the driver in any direct mail campaign.
The tsunami of electronic communications overwhelms people. By contrast, a direct mail piece allows people to relax and focus on one idea for a few minutes.
After years of sparse mail, those big packages seem novel now. They let you zig while everyone else zags.

Read full article.

2) Direct Mail Driving Online Donations

from Pro Bono News

A new U.S. study finds that Direct Mail is a more important driver to online giving than online communications. More than twice as many online donors say they were prompted to give an online gift in response to a direct mail appeal compared to when they received an e-appeal...

Read full article.

3) Paper Beats Digital For Emotion

from Neuroscience

Paper Beats Digital For Emotion Direct mail is so last millenium, right? Ultra-efficient digital marketing seems all but certain to supplant actual paper marketing delivered by humans. It might be a little too soon to shut down the paper mills, though, according to a study by branding agency Millward Brown. The research project used fMRI brain scans to show that our brains process paper-based and digital marketing in different ways, and in particular that paper ads caused more emotional processing.

According to the study, physical media left a "deeper footprint" in the brain, even after for controlling for the increase in sensory processing for tangible items:

Material shown on cards generated more activity within the area of the brain associated with the integration of visual and spatial information (the left and right parietal).
This suggests that physical material is more "real" to the brain. It has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks.

Read full article.

THE TOP 8 REASONS CUSTOMERS LEAVE

from Business Brief

When one of your salespeople claims that a customer left for a lower price, you're probably hearing an excuse. Customers usually don’t leave because someone else offers a lower price. They leave because your salesperson has done a poor job of taking care of them.

Customers will tolerate almost anything, including less than perfect service. What they are unable to accept is being neglected.

Read full article.

FINELINE UNIVERSITY KEY TAKEAWAYS

Addressing: Ensuring That Your Mailpiece Reaches its Destination

December 2010

This is the fourth and final article summarizing key takeaways from the August 2010 Fineline University: The Profits & Power of Direct Mail and speaker Mary Ann Bennett of The Bennett Group.

You’ve worked hard on the design and message of your mailpiece. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily going to reach its destination. Addressing your piece correctly can make or break the success of your campaign, because if it’s not received or received on time, it’s a wasted effort.

Knowing the Post Office’s automated processing system will help you understand your options and best bets for addressing your mailpieces so they are delivered as quickly and accurately as possible. To this end, Mary Ann Bennett recommended these guidelines...

Read full article.

91 Ways to Market Your Business

91 Ways to Build Your Business by Clay Mabbitt & Raquel Richardson Check out this FREE reference guide authored by our friends at Silver Square, an Indianapolis-based graphic design and marketing firm.

QUICK READS

Guess Who I Am.

This Mexican-American man was born on August 27, 1969 in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. As a child, he helped work with animals on his grandfather’s farm. His natural affinity for working with one particular animal earned him the nickname el Perrero, and at the early age of 12 he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

At 21, he came to America. He spoke no English, but was able to find work as a dog groomer as well as a limousine driver. While it was always his goal to work with animals, it was through his job as a limousine driver that he made the important connection that helped foster his success.

Jada Pinkett-Smith became an early client of this man, and she recommended him to her friends. This man turned his natural talent with dogs into a successful business, going on to publish several books as well as hosting his own television show on the National Geographic Channel. While his specialty is working with aggressive, problem dogs, his show and his writing offer tips that all dog owners can use.

This man’s training philosophy is centered around the idea that dogs once lived in packs. He shows people how they can establish themselves as the "pack leader" in order to gain the control and respect of unruly, disobedient dogs. This man’s nickname is also the name of his TV show: The Dog Whisperer.

Who Am I?