A few months ago, I was interviewed by deliver magazine, a publication for marketers, as the cover says. The interview appears in the October issue of deliver, which just arrived at our offices.

In an article about “e-merging media,” Lekan Oguntoyinbo discusses ways that mail is converging with digital. Many marketers are now using digital elements in their mail outs, such as mailers with jump drives built in, QR (quick response) codes and Intelligent Mail barcodes to enhance their consumers’ experience with direct mail. This is where I come in (on page 23).

Clients of Mississippi marketing firm Mabus Agency are seeing a 40- to 60-percent increase in response when they use an Intelligent Mail barcode, says agency president Josh Mabus. To show off its power, he often sends an e-mail that encourages recipients to check their mailboxes just as the mail piece arrives.

“Any time you can touch a person with more than one medium, the results are normally multiplicative,” Mabus says. “Plus there’s another level of personalization. A direct mail piece hitting the mailbox at the same time the e-mail is coming to you takes an aggressive bit of coordination. To the end user, that looks like rocket science.”

Last year, for example, Mabus Agency began working with Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) to merge digital technology into mail pieces for its enrollment campaign. The Booneville, Miss., school amassed a substantial database with information on numerous prospects and then sent more than 1,300 personalized postcards with digital codes that took students to personalized websites.

At the site, recipients were encouraged to fill out surveys and provide more information to school marketers. Of the approximately 17 percent of the students who visited these sites, nearly all filled out survey questions. NEMCC received the responses in real time, triggering alerts to the cell phones of nearby recruiters. In the fall, the college reported a 12-percent bump in enrollment.

Mabus says digitally enhanced mail pieces make good sense when going after high-tech targets. But he reminds marketers to be sure to drive home a relevant message with their electronic bells and whistles: “At its simplest, the question is, does it have value to the reader?”

There you have it. What seems like rocket science is merely marketing at its best. And that’s what we do here at the Mabus Agency. Keeping up with the times, targeting your audience properly, and engaging them in a way that benefits them.

Click here to see the full story.

We try to do this monthly, when the weather permits. We had an excellent turnout. About 30 people from the downtown area joined us under our tent for something akin to tailgating.

Look for announcements to RSVP on Facebook and Twitter for our next cookout!

Josh Mabus
Owner, Mabus Agency

All of us direct mail junkies received an early holiday gift when USPS Postmaster General John Potter announced a postage rate freeze for 2010. According to a statement released in October, the Postal Service wants to build long-term direct mail revenue. I personally salute this decision as an economic development tool.

This rate freeze is part of a larger situation that should create a boom in our industry. Our nation’s economy is the main factor cited in the USPS rate freeze. This downturn has also greatly affected printing cost. Printing Industries of America released data late in 2009 that annual printing profits are approximately $2.5 billion compared to $5.4 billion in 2008. This drop brings a bittersweet boon of lower printing cost in the ultra-competitive industry.

Static postage rates and rock-bottom printing costs open the door to increase quantities and test new strategies. As direct mail practitioners, it is usually a distant dream to add a comprehensive test set to campaigns.

In order to meet client (or boss) expectations, those of us responsible for direct mailing often work with our nose to the grindstone and let new technology pass us by. With lower costs across the board, now is the time to test new techniques and strategies. Variable data printing, personalized Web sites, image personalization, intelligent mail bar codes and other technologies are all worthwhile strategies to pursue. Each of these, when implemented properly, can improve response and ROI.

Recently, my company created a student recruiting campaign for a local college utilizing personalization and Web integration. Response to the campaign was over 15% and as a result, the college added 411 students over the previous year. The testing that went into the campaign was a major factor in the campaign’s success.

Do not think of this USPS decision as a temporary savings. Use this as an investment. The postage freeze has tremendous implications for an industry that has been relegated to the “old school” box of marketing tools. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to create a direct mail boom.

THE TAKEAWAY: Use the respite as a time to test new strategies and technologies

DMNews is owned and operated by Haymarket Media Inc., a privately held media corporation, located at 114 W. 26th St., New York, NY, 10001.

The DMNews franchise today includes the print edition of DMNews, serving a BPA-audited circulation of 50,000 qualified recipients, along with this Web site, www.DMNews.com, and seven e-mail newsletters. These online editions collectively reach hundreds of thousands of readers per month. Over the years,DMNews has been highly successful in creating new print and online media products that reflect the new trends and technologies in marketing. The DMNews team of professional journalists, as well as contributions from key industry professionals, is uniquely suited to provide comprehensive coverage of the convergence of direct, database and online marketing and advertising.

To read the article online, click here.

Here are links to the stories:

WTVA (video in the top right corner)

Daily Journal (update) Full Story Here

I have to tell you, there’s always a twinge (or more) of fear after giving an interview.

“Did I say the wrong thing?”

“What’s he going to write?”

Dennis called again last week to ask a few more questions and gave me the head’s up that the story would be out Sunday.  Those twinges grew as Sunday neared.

My wife, Mary Meghan, brought me the paper this morning.  I delayed reading the article almost two hours, but when I did I was blown away.  My confidence in Dennis never wavered — it was in myself — to tell the whole correct story.  Dennis did a perfect job capturing how I feel about our business.  This might be hard for most to believe, but it’s humbling to see this stuff in print.

Thanks to the Daily Journal for featuring our business, and thanks to Dennis for capturing it so well.

Here’s the story courtesy the North Mississippi Daily Journal

My task today is to sign and number 200 of these.  I’m told that several are already sold!  That’s a good feeling!

I’ve attended many conferences where you learn the new “whats” of advertising (facebook, twitter, etc).  Many times you leave wondering “how?”.  I wanted these guys to take away real knowledge they could go back and apply.  After a brief introduction, I took the group through our Strategic Roundtable process.  We found common ground among the museums attending and identified a general Intent, Key Benefit, Reason Why (you deliver the benefit), Tone, Personality and Target Audience for the group.

These guys were so much fun to work with.  They participated and were hungry for knowledge.  I think no one left thinking they wasted an hour of their day, least of all me!

(special thanks to Brad, Wendell, Mr. Mercedes and my beautiful wife for assisting!)

Mayor Reed held a press conference today to announce the new project, and unveil the new domain.  The city will be moving from “www.ci.tupelo.ms.us” to “tupeloms.gov” when we launch in approximately six months.  Local media was present.  Their stories will be reposted here.  Thank you WTVA, WCBI and Daily Journal for being there.  We applaud the city for taking a proactive role in technology.

Have a Great Weekend!

“Fanaticism is underrated” ~ Bill Gates

Amen, Bill.

This quote was in the July 6, 2009, issue of Fortune. Bill refers to himself as a fanatic about engineering and Steve Jobs as a fantatic about user experience and design.

I found this as an enlightened quote because “fanatic” normally has a negative connotation, but in truth we all should press to have more zeal.  I had not given it much thought until reading this article, but I normally jump to fanaticism if I have any interest in a subject.

I’m a fanatic about my kids, wife, friends, the work I do, volunteering, etc.  I throw myself into everything.  Everything I do is worth doing well and I try my best.

I have reaped success from being a fanatic.  Have you embraced fanaticism?