Increase Your Direct Mail & Email Response Rate in One Easy Step!

Personalized URLs are highly compelling, both for the marketer and the recipient, encouraging the beginning of a dialogue between the marketing company and the target market audience. When your clients and prospects see their name in the web address, they feel compelled to visit the site to see what it’s all about!

Benefits of PURLs

ü Engage prospects - Simple personalized web address gets more attention

ü Higher response rate – people are more likely to visit a web address which contains their name

ü Track web responses to direct mail campaign – you can see which prospects responded and when, what they clicked on and how much time they spent on the site

ü Personalize communications and follow up – you can set up automatic emails to let you know when a prospect clicks on their link so you can follow up in a timely manner

ü Build rapport and trust with clients: PURLs link to microsites which act as a dynamic online sales representative, allowing your prospects and clients more personal interaction helping to build more rapport and trust with your company

ü Targeted offer: PURLs allow testing of different offers to see which gets the best results and add or remove pages based on how long users stay on the site. Using PURLs to link to microsites is a highly flexible marketing approach. The microsite can be multi-purpose allowing you to use it for branding, special pricing and offers, new launches and even client education.

ü Branding tool – PURLs and microsites create a great impression of your company for new prospects or existing clients by providing targeted content, improving value to the prospect and engaging them more actively

Exciting New Technologies for Direct Marketing Campaigns!

Today, direct mail campaigns are vastly different from the days of untargeted mailings to every known address in a zip code. Advances in the online and printing industries have are making it easy to present each targeted recipient with a unique and highly relevant message. Direct mail and email marketing response rates are also, notoriously difficult to track and measure. However, a new option is now available to allow you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign – and also help increase the response rate at the same time.

What are PURLs’ you may ask???

Personalized URLs (PURLs) represent a novel way to track, test and even tweak your marketing for better results.

A Personalized URL is a unique, personalized web address created specifically for each individual on your list who will receive postal or email marketing communications.

Personalized URLs actually contain the recipient's name in the web address, creating a truly personal and engaging experience that inspires people to visit their Personalized website.

To find out how PURLs can help your marketing campaign, call Kimber at MediaDyme today at 1-866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit our website at http://mediadyme.com.

Make Your Marketing Personal with Text Messaging from MediaDyme

Your cell phone goes with you wherever you go, it’s usually within arms reach at any given time and you use it to talk, text, email, surf the web and more. The cell phone has become the personal medium of communication and interaction and if by turning it into a direct marketing channel, you can improve your results by connecting with your customers in a more personal way.

MediaDyme’s combination of reminder and promotion text message marketing is the ideal solution for any service business and allows you to plan your promotions in advance and run automatically! Call today and let us help guide you on how you can setup a “set it and forget it” mobile marketing strategy today.

Call Kimber at MediaDyme today at 1-866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit our website at http://mediadyme.com.

Car Dealerships Get In On The Text Messaging Trend!

Text messaging is becoming more and more common for car dealerships and other service businesses. According to a study by Wham Mobile a text message is typically read within 4 minutes, while an email is typically read within 48 hours and for a car dealership, and other markets show similar results. This makes it even more powerful and important to be using mobile marketing as a means of connecting with your customers, sending reminders and reducing the amount of wasted time and lost revenue for your business.

Using texting can help generate more customers for car dealerships and improve service and sales by allowing them to sending simple regular service reminders, appointment reminders, “Time for an oil change” alerts. Add to this the ability to send money-off coupons for the service department, lease specials or notice of a new model in the showroom and you have a simple, yet effective method of promotion to your customers.

For more information on how you can use text messaging to reach your clients and prospects on the go call or email Kimber Williams at MediaDyme 1-866-575-3771 ext 101 or kwilliams@mediadyme.com.

The Most Useful Tool for Service Businesses Since the Internet

When you leave the house in the morning, what do you grab before you leave? For most people, they make sure they have their keys, wallet and of course, their cell phone. The fact that just about everyone has a cell phone and is so attached to it that they carry it around wherever they go makes it a great device to turn into a marketing tool – and allows you to communicate with your customers using a preferred method of communication – the text message.

Did You Know?

People have their cell phone with them an average of 5,840 hours per year compared to 2,920 hours they spend in front of their PC.~ Single Point June 2010

72% of adults send and receive text messages everyday. ~ eMarketer September 2010

For more information on how you can use text messaging to reach your clients and prospects on the go call or email Kimber Williams at MediaDyme 1-866-575-3771 ext 101 or kwilliams@mediadyme.com.

http://www.MediaDyme.com/

Fix Your No Show Problem!

In a world where people are bombarded by information every minute of the day, their days filled with running from here to there, it’s easy to forget something. Missed appointments are a common – and costly – problem in the U.S., causing lost time, energy, man power and money for your business.\

Thousands of car repair and service appointments, dental checkups, salon and spa appointments and doctor’s visits are missed every day. Any business owner knows that a minute that isn’t spent with a client is a dollar that you don’t earn!

Do you run a professional or personal service business? What if you could automatically send your customers a text message reminder of their appointment right to their phone?

Your customers would remember their appointment, be more likely to show up on time and you would get paid more! Not only would you increase revenue but you would increase customer satisfaction too.

For more information on how you can use text message reminders to streamline your business, please contact Kimber Williams at MediaDyme.

Call 1-866-575-3771 ext 101 or email kwilliams@mediadyme.com.

http://www.MediaDyme.com/

Personalized URL’s (PURLS): The New Wave for Direct Marketing

Direct mail and email marketing response rates are notoriously difficult to track and measure. However, an effective new tool is now available - PURLs allow you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign – elevating the impact of direct mail to a whole new level!

What are PURLs’ you may ask???

Personalized URLs (PURLs) represent a novel way to track, test and even tweak your marketing for better results.

What is a PURL?

You may have received a postcard in the mail or even an email from a company you do business with and noticed that they invite you to visit a website – and the website link has your name in it! Well, you can’t help but click on the link and go to the site just to see what it’s all about, right?

A Personalized URL is a unique, personalized web address created specifically for each individual on your list who will receive postal or email marketing communications.

Personalized URLs actually contain the recipient's name in the web address, creating a truly personal and engaging experience that inspires people to visit their personalized website.

Easily Engage Your Clients

They can’t help but think “What’s in it for me?” and many find that a PURL becomes a call to action in and of itself! The person visits the highly targeted and customized VIP landing page, and they find information they expect based upon the direct mail piece or email they received. The prospects become engaged and stay engaged longer.

Personalized URLs are highly compelling, both for the marketer and the recipient, since they include both their name and a key personal interest (your product or service). This encourages the beginning of a dialogue between your company and your target market audience. When they see their name in the web address, they feel compelled to visit the site to see what it’s all about!

Direct mail, the Internet and your sales team work together as a cohesive powerful force!

With PURL’s you can improve your direct mail response rates, provide relevant content to prospects, engage viewers in a meaningful (and trackable) dialogue, and better convert viewer’s preferences into revenue.

For more information, please contact MediaDyme at 866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit their website at http://MediaDyme.com.

The Quick And Easy Way To Reach Your Clients with MediaDyme

With 230 million cell phones in the U.S. and 68% of cell phone users sending and receiving text messages – what better way to reach your target audience?

Marketing On The Go…
Mobile Marketing (also called SMS for Short Messaging Service) is a simple, low cost but highly effective tool to get your message out to those you do business with and is incredibly easy to integrate into your advertising campaigns.

Think about it - when do see someone without their cell phone?

More and more people are moving away from being tied to their computers and they are using their phones to access information they need online – whether it’s emails, websites or communicating via text message. This has opened up new avenues for marketing to your prospects and clients on the go!

Try it now for FREE!
New and existing MediaDyme customers get 500 Text Messages FREE for 2 consecutive months when you sign up for any MediaDyme Email Campaign Service.

Reach Your Customer Anywhere – Anytime!
Using SMS technology from MediaDyme, you can reach your prospects and clients directly within seconds – and 90% of all text messages are read by the owner of the phone! Imagine being able to send a targeted message to your entire database of contacts and making them an offer that they want to hear about…most of them read it right away.

Statistics show that on average a text message sent to a cell phone is read within 15 minutes, proving that you can reach them where they are - right now!

Simply plug your prospects and clients into the system, decide what message to send and when you want it sent - and it’s all done for you!

Mobile Marketing is poised to become the strongest form of marketing, since the creation of email, if you develop the right strategy using the best marketing platform.

Contact MediaDyme today to talk about how text message marketing can help you build your business!
Visit http://mediadyme.com/ or call 866-575-3771.

Mobile Mania! Getting Your Message Across – On The Go!

Think about it - when do see someone without their cell phone?

Only when they left it at home by accident!
As a society, we carry our cell phones everywhere we go and many people leave them turned on 24/7.

More and more people are moving away from being tied to their computers and they are using their phones to access information they need online – whether it’s emails, websites or communicating via text message. This has opened up new avenues for marketing to your prospects and clients on the go!

Mobile Marketing (also called SMS for Short Messaging Service) is a simple, low cost but highly effective tool to get your message out to those you do business with and is incredibly easy to integrate into your advertising campaigns.

With 230 million cell phones in the U.S. and 68% of cell phone users sending and receiving text messages – what better way to reach your target audience?

Combine your email marketing campaign with Mobile Marketing and you will have a powerful marketing system going to work for you!

Raise Your Bottom Line!

Through the flexibility of SMS marketing, you can send customized short text messages to your client’s mobile phone:

• Send promotional offers and discounts
• Invite your prospects and clients to a “Secret Sale”
• Send them coupons to use in store
• Send important reminders, alerts and news
• Ask their opinion on your products and services through Voting and Opinion Polls
• Promote contests and sweepstakes

Offer them an incentive for responding to your offer within a deadline you will see an increase in sales in a short period of time.

Reach Your Customer Anywhere – Anytime!

Using SMS technology from MediaDyme, you can reach your prospects and clients directly within seconds – and 90% of all text messages are read by the owner of the phone! Imagine being able to send a targeted message to your entire database of contacts and making them an offer that they want to hear about… most of them read it right away.

Statistics show that on average a text message sent to a cell phone is read within 15 minutes, proving that you can reach them where they are - right now!

Simply plug your prospects and clients into the system, decide what message to send and when you want it sent - and it’s all done for you!

So whether you have a service or product-based business of any size, SMS marketing is the newest trend that will allow you to transform the way you reach your targeted customers, build trust and brand your business.

Mobile Marketing is poised to become the strongest form of marketing, since the creation of email, if you develop the right strategy using the best marketing platform. Visit MediaDyme.com for more information on how integrated mobile text and email can help you navigate this next phase of consumer marketing.

Try it now for FREE!

New and existing MediaDyme customers get 500 Text Messages FREE for 2 consecutive months when you sign up for any MediaDyme Email Campaign Service.

People Don’t Stay At the Ritz to Be Anonymous

The Ritz knows your name. From the front desk to the bell hop, they know who you are, what room you are in, what you like and dislike. All Ritz staff members are trained to observe and get as personal as possible. Why? Because it makes you feel unique, special, comfortable, confident, and want to keep coming back for more. It becomes a subtle addiction and all of a sudden the Ritz becomes your benchmark for any other hotel stay.

Getting personal is what it’s all about. Very few businesses are immune from the power of getting personal. It triggers a natural human response that cannot be equaled. When it comes to direct marketing the power of the PURL helps you put a little bit Ritz in everything you do.

A PURL is a unique URL (vip.golfgalaxy.com/JohnSmith/) that is built specific for a unique recipient. A Microsite is a 1 to 3 page website to which the user typing or clicking on the PURL is taken. These Microsites are also personalized giving the visitor confidence and comfort that the sender gave considerable thought and energy to learn what makes them tick.

The usual measuring sticks speak for themselves. Response rates double when PURLs are used in any interactive marketing campaign. When response rates double, so do more opportunities to increase the bottom line. PURLs and Microsites are not a new concept. They have been part of the direct marketing landscape for several years. Most marketers chalk it up as a solution only for big business. On the contrary, they have never been out of financial reach to add to your marketing war chest. They can be used with a variety of marketing channels one at a time, such as with a targeted email marketing campaign or a variable print campaign. Or, even better, mind boggling value is obtained when using the same PURL in an integrated fashion between email marketing, print marketing, and in some cases mobile marketing.

Regardless of the approach chosen, the ultimate goal is getting as personal as possible. Learning more about your customers and prospects along the way leaves no room for anonymity. No can you afford to take the easy way given the competitive landscape today. Your customers will show you with their wallets how much they love the personal touch.

For more information, please contact MediaDyme at 866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit their website at http://mediadyme.com.

The Power of Personalized Marketing

Direct mail and email marketing response rates are notoriously difficult to track and measure. However, a new option is now available - PURLs allow you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign – and also help increase the response rate at the same time.

What are PURLs’ you may ask???

Personalized URLs (PURLs) represent a novel way to track, test and even tweak your marketing for better results.

Benefits of PURLs

Engage prospects - Simple personalized web address gets more attention

Higher response rate – people are more likely to visit a web address which contains their name

Track web responses to direct mail campaign – you can see which prospects responded and when, what they clicked on and how much time they spent on the site

Personalize communications and follow up – you can set up automatic emails to let you know when a prospect clicks on their link so you can follow up in a timely manner

Build rapport and trust with clients - PURLs link to microsites which act as a dynamic online sales representative, allowing your prospects and clients more personal interaction helping to build more rapport and trust with your company

Targeted offer - PURLs allow testing of different offers to see which gets the best results and add or remove pages based on how long users stay on the site. Using PURLs to link to microsites is a highly flexible marketing approach. The microsite can be multi-purpose, allowing you to use it for branding, special pricing and offers, new launches and even client education.

Branding tool – PURLs and microsites create a great impression of your company for new prospects or existing clients by providing targeted content, improving value to the prospect and engaging them more actively

What is a PURL?

A Personalized URL is a unique, personalized web address created specifically for each individual on your list who will receive postal or email marketing communications.

Personalized URLs actually contain the recipient's name in the web address, creating a truly personal and engaging experience that inspires people to visit their Personalized website.

Personalized URLs are highly compelling, both for the marketer and the recipient, encouraging the beginning of a dialogue between the marketing company and the target market audience. When they see their name in the web address, they feel compelled to visit the site to see what it’s all about!

How do PURLs and microsites work?

PURLs are used in your print and email marketing campaigns. They link to a customized landing page or microsite that is separate from your main website and is designed with a specific purpose for your particular marketing campaign. Once the recipient visits their page, information from the database is used to tailor the web page to that person. They will be greeted by name and you can show different content to different members of your list, depending on the goals of your marketing campaign.

Reserved for each recipient, Personalized URLs serve as an excellent means to respond to, and interact with, your prospects and clients as a result of your marketing communications. Think of it as a concierge service for your prospects or customers.

In a world of mass marketing where your client receives thousands of marketing impressions every day, you can stand out using the power of PURLs and personalized marketing!

For more information, please contact MediaDyme at 866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit their website at http://MediaDyme.com.

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Served with Spaghetti or fed to the birds?

You've made it.

You´ve survived the economic crisis unscathed. Business is good, customers are up and revenue is getting back to pre-recession levels. Overall you are feeling good about how you are doing. That´s great. What got you here? If you are like any business, it was constantly reaching out to your customer in new and innovative ways. It was being cost-conscious about how you spent your marketing dollar to keep your foot in the door on prospects and existing customers coming back for more. It was getting creative on products and services that differentiated you, and keeping your audience informed, up-to-date, and engaged. AAHHH Yes. There is hope. Now complacency sets in…

The time and energy dedicated to getting the customer back in the door during tough times seems like such an overwhelming burden when the cash register is full. All the work and effort put into keeping your doors swinging and your website turning has a short shelf life and if you don´t maintain the momentum you risk becoming a stale loaf of bread fed to the birds at the end of the day rather than being served with a fresh bowl of spaghetti. Now is not the time to back off. Keeping your brand and overall existence at the forefront of your target market is never seasonal.

Case and point, I called one of my customers the other day. She hadn´t sent out any direct marketing campaigns in a couple of months so I wanted to make sure everything was ok. Assuming the worst that she was shut down, I was actually pleasantly surprised. She said she had been busier than ever. Business was really good. In fact, business was so good she let me know that she didn´t plan on doing any more direct marketing campaigns. After all, her store was packed full of customers. I knew that no less than six month prior she was struggling to keep the doors open. MediaDyme worked with her on a direct marketing strategy and assisted in executing a series of email marketing campaigns and text message offers. Return rates were good and business started to pick up for her. What a great success story, right? Wrong!

The good times have allowed the proverbial immune system to weaken because of the absence of no longer feeling attacked. Complacency sets in. All of the survival practices that drove the customers back to your door no longer leveraged. It´s like adopting a rigorous diet and exercise routine to get healthy only to halt the very regime that got you there once achieved. What happens? You get unhealthy again.

Key message here is to keep it coming. Don´t back off just because you think business is good enough that you don´t need constant marketing anymore. You could not be more wrong. In fact, good times are times to turn up the heat. Try different approaches. Use different medias or direct marketing channels to talk with your customers and prospects. Apply even more focus on personalization and relevance than ever before by getting very selective in marketing plans and messages. By doing so raises the bar for you and potentially springboards your business into another playing field.

www.MediaDyme.com

American Marketing Association Announces Partnership with MediaDyme

New Chapter Sponsor to Facilitate E-Communications For Tampa's Largest Marketing Organization

TAMPA, Fla., March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Tampa Bay) is pleased to announce its partnership with MediaDyme, a full-service email, SMS and variable print marketing company, to provide comprehensive email communications for the Chapter. The sponsorship will allow MediaDyme to successfully implement a new marketing strategy that will fundamentally change the way the organization currently engages its current and potential members.

"We are excited about this unique opportunity to not only support but also enhance, AMA Tampa Bay's existing email communications," said Robert Williams, founder and CEO of MediaDyme. "Since we're a fluid company and offer a multitude of direct marketing channels, we understand the challenges and the overall landscape of the contemporary marketing environment, so we can help the chapter achieve its goals."

AMA Tampa Bay has nearly 400 members from various sectors in the marketing and advertising industry. Its goal is to provide professional enrichment, networking opportunities, and industry news to its members. This year, several local marketing and communication companies have been added to the AMA Tampa Bay sponsor roster.

"We work hard to identify key partnerships with organizations that can transform and improve our overall effectiveness and enhance its relationship with our members," said Colleen Chappell, President of AMA Tampa Bay. "With its progressive email communication tools, MediaDyme was a natural fit for achieving this goal."

Williams also noted that he and his team gained valuable benefits from AMA membership which inspired them to help other members get the most out of membership. For more information about any of the chapter's events, log on to www.amatampabay.org.

About AMA Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the AMA, (AMA Tampa Bay), is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the professional marketing community. With nearly 400 members, it is one of the fastest growing American Marketing Association chapters in the United States. The organization provides networking opportunities and programming on a variety of marketing and communications topics through monthly luncheons, digital special interest groups, and special events. Monthly events are open to members and guests and feature speakers from well-known companies and brands from both the Tampa Bay area and nationwide. For more information log on to www.amatampabay.org

About MediaDyme:
Based in Tampa, Fla., MediaDyme serves the national market with a unique marketing campaign management platform that optimizes customer and prospect communication management. MediaDyme delivers customers significant cost-effectiveness and added efficiency by combining email, SMS, and variable print marketing activities into one streamlined system. Their integrated approach to delivering and managing dynamic, multi-faceted marketing campaigns empowers marketing departments to attain seamless 1:1 marketing—without the effort or complications of managing multiple vendors and accounts. MediaDyme's web-based management system requires no software download, so clients can manage their campaigns from virtually anywhere. MediaDyme's philosophy is to reach customers through their preferred channel. At MediaDyme, we help you speak your customer's language, for convenient, convincing multi-directional conversation.

Don’t Blame the Gardener If Your Roof Leaks

An entrepreneurial cliché is to start with what you have. This of course drives home the fundamental principle that you have to start somewhere to get somewhere. Although this might instill inspiration and the motivation needed to get up off the proverbial couch and get something done, when translating that to direct marketing, starting with what you have is not always the best choice.

Take, for example, the following case:

A business owner has products and services very beneficial to real estate agents. MediaDyme worked with the client to create a comprehensive direct marketing campaign that was targeted specifically at prospects identified through real estate shows, events and other conferences. The campaign yielded a great response and great business and was successfully reproduced with variations using combinations of email, print, and SMS with predictable and repeatable results.

When the marketing message is personal and relevant to the target market, and provided in the right channel (email, SMS, or print, etc.), the return on investment for direct marketing is overwhelmingly positive.

Based on the success of existing products and responses, the same business owner launched a new product that was more generic and which appealed to a different group of people—job seekers. Although the new product was designed for a different market, he initiated a comprehensive direct marketing campaign using the same techniques and base product principles that appealed to the real estate agents. This campaign was then sent to the same list of recipients as his previously successful campaign—real estate agents. As you can imagine, the results were not as stunning as prior experiences. The business owner was left scratching his head and grew frustrated with the direct marketing effort. When asked why he had targeted the real estate leads with the new, more generic product, his answer was, “It is all I have.”

This exemplifies a clear misalignment with one of the two most important factors of effective direct marketing: relevance. If starting with what you have is not relevant to the prospect, then starting with what you have is a bad option and alternatives should be sought to generate recipients that are more relevant. This seems like common sense, but you would be surprised how many companies cast a much wider net than what is good for them in hopes of getting a nibble.

You don’t need to abandon “what you have” in order to pursue alternatives, but a different message and call to action is needed to make your message as relevant as possible. For example, generate awareness and potential viral leads by asking your more non-relevant list for unbiased feedback and offer compensation or discounts if they pass it along to others they think are interested. This is not an original idea by any stretch of the imagination, but it is effective nonetheless.

The core message here is: remember to apply the basic principles of marketing by considering the relevance of your offer to your target market and engage as many direct marketing channels as necessary to reach and converse.