The entire point of any kind of marketing or advertising campaign centers around getting a response from the target, right? You want to entice the target to find enough interest in your product or service that they can’t help but inquire; you want them to ask more, know more, and ultimately decide that they have […]

Back in June I was vacationing in the North Carolina Outer Banks. While I was there, an amazing event was taking place: the 63rd annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament! Drawing big time fishing enthusiasts (Michael Jordan, among them) as well as journeymen fishing captains, this tournament is world-famous and pays out a TON of […]

This is a shorter than normal intro because the criteria are so very important. What I’ve listed below are the components of something called the Comparative Analysis of Sales Tools (or CAST). You’d use it to determine the most budget-friendly marketing method (e.g., websites, content marketing, blogs, postcards, etc.). You determine if you can be […]

If any of you are old enough to have teenagers (or to have raised teenagers at some point in your life), or if you were a teenager once, the one thing you’ll agree on is that trends come and go. Some of them are awful – like goth and grunge metal and saying ‘like’ every […]

Let’s do some ‘backward math’ for a moment. That’s what I do when I need to back into something, like ‘when should I leave for the airport to make my flight?’ or ‘when do I need to start cleaning before my guests arrive?’, etc. In this case, we’re not looking at a matter of time; […]

I will admit to you that I am not a lover of America’s Favorite Pastime. I recognize that is offensive to everyone who pines for professional Spring Training and hours-long competitions and the scarfing of beers and hot dogs (the parts I actually enjoy). Lover of the game or not, I believe Field of Dreams […]

I rented a car recently from a major American rental car company. You should know that whenever I rent cars, it’s often from the same company, and I always pick them up at the airport. I don’t like messy. And I value anything that makes the difference (for me, at least) in whether I continue […]

I cannot think of any scenario in life where not winning is better than winning. A fist fight, negotiating for a new car, the Olympic 100m dash, a BBQ festival cook-off, or even a friendly game of cards. To win is the point. Your definition of ‘win’ may differ, but everybody has the same definition […]

Nobody asks for it. Nobody searches for it in their mailbox. Nobody gives it a passing thought during the lion’s share of their day beyond the walk back into their house, or back to their desk, or into the breakroom. But it’s everywhere. Direct mail is probably the one thing that all of us have […]

My inspiration this morning came from an investment industry email newsletter (Morning Brew) that I read every day over coffee. In it, someone asked a question that ties perfectly to the world of direct mail postcards: “What is a store of value?” Here’s their answer: “Thanks for the question. Let’s start with this thought experiment: […]