So Much to Do; So little time

Everybody is in a rush today. For many of us it's instant breakfast, instant drinks, instant potatoes, instant gratification. If something takes longer than we think it should, it aggravates us. ("Why is my computer so slow today?" "Can't he see the light turned green already?" "Why is she running late, again?")

Every second counts.

That's why if your website takes too long to download, (whatever that means) you may be costing your business or organization big bucks.

Well, according to research released recently by the Aberdeen Group, we now know what "too long to download" means.

It means one itty bitty second.

The average impact of one second delay is enormous, according to this study.

The number of page views goes down 11%. The number of conversions drops by 7%. And customer satisfaction rating plummets a stunning 16%.

Life on the web is competitive enough without self-inflicted damage. People expect—nay, demand—speed today. If your precious flash introduction is slowing up your presentation, you'll lose your audience. They will simply walk away with a click of a finger.

You've invested thousands of dollars in your website presentation. Don't lose your hard-won audience in the last second. Take a minute to open your own website. Check out how fast it downloads. Then fix it if you must.

Remember, every second counts. And some more than others.

Getting Inside Your Head and Staying There

In an age when advanced neuroscience technologies like eye tracking, fMRI and neural activity analysis are standard for sophisticated marketing studies, (this is like yesterday's focus groups on steroids!) it was only a matter of time before someone studied human response to various media. And specifically, direct mail versus digital mail.

That "someone" was the United Kingdom's Royal Mail.

In the Royal Mail-funded study conducted last year, researchers at Bangor University discovered—natch—that we perceive messages on different media differently. Researchers used fMRI scanners to monitor test subjects' brain activity while the subjects either read a physical piece of mail or looked at the same presentation on a computer screen.

Stay with me, dear reader. This is great stuff. Really!

In the end, the researchers found three significant differences in perception:

1. Direct mail generates a deeper emotional response in the emotional centers of the brain.
2. The brain sees physical mail as more "real" than digital mail.
3. The areas of the brain connected to memory and introspection stayed engaged longer with direct mail.

Drawing conclusions from their findings, the researchers proffered that "the brain is more emotionally engaged and is...reflecting more of a response" when viewing direct mail. Also, because the brain sees mail as "real" (as opposed to digital images) the brain is creating deeper memories.

One researcher stated "From an evolutionary point of view, you pay more attention to something that is real and physical. You want to understand it more than something that is transient, like something on a screen."

I get it. Our caveman ancestors were more concerned about that hungry lion hiding in the grass, than about wispy pictures in the clouds.

Are you there, dear reader? I promise, there's a pay day coming!

So what does this science mean to you, a marketer?

Even in this digital era when email is fast and cheap, direct mail resonates more strongly with the recipient, and stays in his subconscious longer.

As a savvy marketer, then, you should include direct mail in every marketing strategy to maximize your potential. And that's what the researchers said!

But traditional measurement metrics like response rate and ROI don't tell the whole story. Direct mail has staying power that digital does not. Hence, direct mail builds brand recognition better than digital.

In the Old Days, we'd call that a "Lasting Impression." Today, the scientists call it "preferential treatment in the brain." Whatever.

Direct mail may be the tortoise to email's hare, but look who won that race in the end.

[Warning! Here is the research team again.] "Marketers need to start focusing on the overall impact of their direct mail rather than just the response rate. Direct mail has also raised awareness and left an imprint of your brand which we can substantiate with research."

"I don't think that marketers should see direct mail as just a direct response vehicle," the researchers concluded. "It can be both a brand building AND a direct response mechanism."

Bingo! Did you get it? Direct mail is better at getting inside your head...and staying there!

And that, dear reader, is exactly where you want your marketing to be: inside your customer's head.

It's not simply about immediate response rates. Sure, response rates provide the tale of the tape. Was the effort productive? Did you get new business? How much? What was the bottom line? That's what green-shaded bean counters—and your boss—want to know.

But Direct Mail provides more, according to this research. Because it sticks with the recipient longer, it provides an unquantifiable extra: time--time to absorb your message and mull it over. That extra time may be at a subliminal level, but it's there working for you. Hence, the value of oft-touted repeat mailings.

And that's what you, a savvy marketer, need to know: that your repeat direct mail efforts are building brand awareness among those who receive your literature.

This may not be new news, but it's great news. Direct marketers have known it for years: repeating your message builds affinity and responses.

Cutting-edge neuroscience simply proves it.

Postage goes on Sale this Summer. This time YOU can benefit.

Unlike the other USPS postage sale—the one that only the top 16 mailers in the US can qualify for—here's one with your name on it!

All you have to do is put a QR ("Quick Response") code on your direct mail, then drop that mail between July 1 and August 31. In turn the USPS will refund 3 percent of your postage.

"So what's this all about?" you ask, naturally suspicious of anyone who tells you the check is in the mail.

Well, %%dear reader%%, the USPS is getting hip to social media. And YOU can be the beneficiary!

Download a free QR reader to your smartphone, scan the code and enjoy!

The idea is to use a QR code which someone with a mobile device can scan, then land on your website where you can tell them more about your product or service.

A USPS spokesperson explained the official position thusly: "We recognize that the online world will continue to grow and thrive. [You bet, USPS. It's beating your butt!] So we want to make customers aware that mail can be an integral part of their communication (effort) and that campaigns... using direct mail are... effective."

Let's reiterate: To qualify, you have to mail at Standard or First Class, between July 1 and August 31. Letters and flats only, please, folks. But there's a lot you can do within those very loose guidelines.

Need ideas? Help? Call us! 703-996-0800 We'd be glad to help you take advantage of this deal.

Did you hear what they said?

If you're old enough to remember when "they" said that computers would revolutionize the workplace by eliminating paper... then you'll get a chuckle out of this.

Paper use is actually UP. Trees are down. Go figure.

The best minds of that day also thought that just 10 room-sized computers would have enough fire power to service all the needs of the entire world. But that's another story for another day. It just goes to show how wrong "they" can be. Today you hold more computing power than that in your hand!

Well, now "they" have come up with an idea that lets your powerful little handheld computer be just a little greener. By "handheld computer" I mean your mobile device. Your cell phone, iPod, PDA (remember them?) or whatever.

It's simple. Clover Technologies has teamed with the US Post Office to collect obsolete mobile devices. And boy, do they have their work cut out for them! "They" estimate there are more than 5B (that's "billion" with a B) mobile devices in use today.

Many of those 5B devices are ending up in municipal dumps where they degrade, destroy water quality, and expensive parts are not recycled.

That's why Clover and the USPS have put mail-back envelopes at 1600 post offices across the country. These postage-paid envelopes allow anyone to ship small electronics to Clover's recycling center where they are broken down into usable parts and then recycled.

So how is it going?

Since 2008 when the program began, Clover has recycled nearly 1 million units.

Now if I can but persuade my husband, the early adapter, to relinquish part of his sizable collection of telephonic treasures, then I will have done my bit this week to save the environment.

Oh yes. No trees died in the writing of this article. Maybe "they" were more right than I'm giving them credit for.

Treats Coming to Your Mailbox Soon! Maybe.

"Care Packages" have been a staple of college life for generations. Similarly, "Goodie Bags" have warmed the cockles of many a soldier stationed far from home. These packages from home, lovingly filled with Mom's chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, and other treats fill the void of separation just a bit.

Now the USPS has glommed onto the "Care Package" concept in hopes that manufacturers will realize the benefit of mailing tempting samples to consumers hungry for a bit of good news in their mailboxes.

The "Samples Co-Op Box" concept will contain a mix of health and beauty aids and snack food products from multiple packaged goods companies. The companies—who no doubt have a "no competition in my box" agreement with the USPS—agree to share postage costs.

The USPS program is set to launch in early May in Charlotte NC and Pittsburgh PA, where about 200,000 consumers will become the guinea pigs for this new postal initiative.

After delivery, the USPS will distribute surveys to consumers to gauge their response to the program—and to the products they received. The test will be considered a success if the manufacturers see an increase in purchases or brand awareness, and if the USPS gets good feedback from the consumers. Analysis of delivery costs, per-box cost and effect on brand awareness as well as retail sales data will take several months to complete.

If the results are favorable, (and what's not to love about receiving free chocolate chip cookies in the mail?) the USPS could do further tests to determine optimum price points or could roll out nationally without further testing. TBD.

The post office does not expect to create revenue from the test. But a permanent program could make millions of dollars for the hard-strapped postal service which lost $8.5B in 2010 and has already lost more than $1.1B in the first two months of 2011.

Product sampling is big business, generating $4B a year in the US alone. The USPS wants to stake its claim on part of that lucrative enterprise and simultaneously chip away at its debt.

Free cookies in my mailbox? Bring 'em on, I say.

I'll take mine with macadamia nuts, please.

What's up with Webinars?

Multi-channel marketing is the buzz d'jour, and webinars are a linchpin in that panoply of multi-channel media.

Why so?

Webinars are inexpensive to produce. You've got the talent—maybe you are the talent. (This is not the time to hide your gifts under a bushel basket, friend!) You've got an idea that you're bursting to share. (Enthusiasm is contagious.) You're electronically connected (or could be quickly). And you can email invitations to your 5000 closest friends within an hour of coming up with this brainstorm.

Sounds easy.

But so many webinars are like the party that no one attended. And an unattended webinar can be a lonely place to be...particularly if you are behind the microphone talking to an empty room.

So an enterprising webinar trainer asked her attendees what their preferences were. Time of day. Day of the week. Transmission vehicle. Here are her rather surprising results:

Time of Day. It was almost an even split between mornings and afternoons. But the winner was—and I couldn't believe this—evenings! That's right. People were more likely to sacrifice precious free time for a webinar than take time from work. Go figure. We are such drudges.

Day of the Week. 43.2% of the respondents preferred Monday, with Wednesdays following and Tuesdays coming in last. Thursdays and Fridays didn't even make "also ran" status.

Hence you need to plan ahead. Spontaneity is not an asset. You need to promote days ahead of your event, send out reminders (even day-of-the-event reminders), and then execute early the following week.

Media Preference. Since the respondents were webinar attendees, it should come as no surprise to learn that 87.4% said they preferred the webinar format over live stream training (a strong second place), or Facebook and Twitter chats (distant third and fourth place finishers).

And where do these folks feel they are the weakest? 89% said they needed help with their social media skills. That insecurity may be reflected in the media preference hierarchy, but it also shows that for tech-savvy presenters there is a business opportunity.

Entertain or die. Your webinar has a lot of heavy competition. If you don't live up to the audience's expectations, the escape button is close at hand, and they can anonymously vote with their fingers.

If you like to drone on and on, choose another vehicle. Maybe a blog.

Remember, your audience is used to seeing fast-cut TV, music videos and films. In more than one sense, these professionally produced media are your direct competitor for people's time and attention.

But if you can entertain as you educate your audience, perhaps a webinar is a good tool for you to put in your marketing tool bag.

Postage goes on Sale this Summer. The USPS plays Texas Hold'em

Excited rumors have been circulating for several weeks now that the post office is preparing to put postage "on sale" this summer.

Rumor confirmed.

But like most rumors—and poker games—there's a grain of truth, a lot of misdirection, and real-time strategies and intricacies that haven't been thoroughly worked out yet. Unlike most poker games among friends, the stakes here are enormous.

Here's the deal as I understand it.

The USPS says that a small number of organizations spending more than $250 million a year on advertising could qualify. These unnamed 16 top advertisers (that's it—just 16 companies are being invited to participate!) will be expected to mail between 500,000 and 1 million pieces each of First Class or Standard mail.

Those are the basic rules. Limited players: only a chosen few can play at these rarified heights.

Lots of mail: this bargain comes at a price for the advertisers. And someone—but I don't know who—is developing a unique set of metrics to measure the success of the campaigns.

But is that someone playing with a marked deck? For example, who wrote "the unique set of metrics?" I dunno. How are these metrics different? "Unique?" I don't know that either. But that is where the cards could be stacked.

On this side of the table, the USPS is putting a lot on the line. If a mailing's response does not achieve "success," (as defined by that "unique matrix"), then the USPS will refund the participating company up to $250,000 in postage.

On the far side of the table, the participating companies have skin in the game, too. If their mailing test fails (that "unique matrix" again), the USPS will not refund printing and production costs.

Explaining the USPS's thinking behind this high-stakes challenge, a USPS spokesperson said "The Postal Service recognizes that... a number of large advertisers do not employ the mail as a key component of their advertising mix. We strongly believe that in any intelligent, integrated campaign, mail can play a part. The objective... is to put our money where our mouth is and to prove to large advertisers that mail will improve the ROI of their marketing campaigns."

The "sale" may be extended for as long as two years, but is limited to organizations spending less than 0.36% of their total ad budget on postage. It follows on the heels of other postage "sales" that the USPS initiated in 2009 and 2010 in an effort to boost lagging volumes.

Like a marathon poker tournament, apparently we won't know how this ambitious effort fares for quite some time. Let the chips fall where they may.