Never a Lack of Ideas

Content, Content, Everywhere Great marketers know that one key to building lasting customer relationships is providing them with compelling content on a regular basis. Fresh, unique content will keep your company on the top of customers' minds. And with the proliferation of blogs and other derivations like Tumblr and Instagram, there has never been a better time for marketers to find and partner with amazing content creators. I thought it would be fun to write about some of my favorite online content producers in a three-part series. I'll even brainstorm some ideas on the types of marketers that could partner with these three content creators to provide value to their customers. Let's begin... Amanda Blake: Postcard Queen Amanda Blake is a fantastic artist who happens to love handmade cards. In fact, she's always created her own cards -- store-bought ones just don't cut it for her. And she loves the excitement that comes with recei...

Holey Postcards In the summer of 2003, I created a direct mail campaign that earned a whopping 15% response rate — and it was probably the least expensive direct mail campaign ever run. I was trying to pick up freelance graphic design work with local non-profits. So, I identified 20 prospective clients nearby and then designed the postcard on the right. The headline read, “are there holes in your advertising and design plans?” I actually punched two holes in the postcard, represented on the right by the circles filled with black. I did my research and knew the post office would still deliver the cards with holes in those strategic spots. A few days after mailing the cards, I received calls from three different non-profits. After a week, I was working for two of them. The Little Things Matter There are three reasons this campaign succeeded: I targeted an untapped market. Not many people want to work with small non-profit organizations because there’s not a lot of money to be made. But...

Cell Phone Trouble It’s probably safe to say that the travel postcard industry isn’t booming right now. I have no facts to back this up, but in an age where it’s so easy to snap a picture with my camera phone and send it to all of my friends, I just don’t think postcard sales are through the roof right now. So what can postcards do to stay relevant today? Limited Options The way I see it, travel postcards have two ways to stay relevant: Sell inexpensive photographs that ordinary people can’t take by themselves. Sell something novel that’s worth paying a premium for. Travel postcards have pretty much been following the first idea since their inception. But I’ve got a new idea for them, and it’s based on the second option… I Smell a New Idea Travel postcard printers should start selling scratch n’ sniff postcards. Think about the possibilities: Dear Mom, I’m in Hawaii right now. The fresh pineapple is fantastic. Just scratch and sniff the pineapple on the front of this postcard and you...