this issue using direct mail to enhance social media marketing · combine direct mail and social...

According to the DMA, direct mail delivers a higher response rate than digital channels, and is still a popular tactic for successful companies across the United States. Visions provides full-service, in house mailing capabilities. From start to finish, we will make sure your campaign is delivered on schedule and according to plan. Our mailing services include NCOA, CASS certification, ink jetting, barcoding, inserting, tabbing, list hygiene, bagging and poly wrapping, kitting and warehousing, list purchasing, personalized printing, data management and more! Contact David Hull at 763.425.4251 or [email protected] for more details.

April / May 2013

This Issue

F | I | L | E

Using Direct Mail to Enhance Social Media MarketingUse of social media sites has exploded in the last seven years. In February 2005, the Pew Research Center conducted the first of six surveys as part of the Internet & American Life Project. In 2005, only 2% of adults who use the Internet were using a social media site. That number increased to 16% in 2006, 29% in 2008, 46% in 2009, 61% in 2010 and 65% in 2011.

Who are these users? According to a Morgan Stanley report issued in December 2009, 67% of 18-34 year olds use a social networking site – and so do 67% of 45-54 year olds and 55% of those aged 55+. In 2007, social networking represented about 1 out of every 12 minutes spent online, while today it accounts for 1 out of every 6 minutes spent online.

Along with this growth, social media sites have evolved from purely personal to commercial use – a way for people to connect to a business and its fans. Businesses find they can use social media sites for marketing purposes, such as engaging in a dialogue with customers, building brand awareness, making offers or providing premiums, coupons or samples, and alerting customers to upcoming promotions or product launches (sneak previews).

Direct mail is still relevant

Does the popularity of social networking sites mean that businesses and organizations can drop direct mail as a marketing tool? Research suggests not. For its 2012 Channel Preference Survey, ExactTarget, a global interactive marketing provider, surveyed 1,481 American online consumers about their communication preferences and how they prefer to receive marketing messages.

ExactTarget asked how acceptable it is for companies to send unsolicited marketing messages through various channels (e-mail, direct mail, text messaging delivered via Facebook). Direct mail was the only channel where an unsolicited message is not viewed as inappropriate.

Using Direct Mail to Enhance Social Media 1-2

Tips & Tricks 3

Q & A 3

Idea Corner 4

A Vocabulary of the Graphic Arts 4

New Product Preview 5

Copywriting: A Review of Basics 6-7

Direct Mail Services 8

This IssueF | I | L | E

This newsletter is printed on 80# Winner gloss text.


Tips & Tricks 3

Q & A 3

Idea Corner 4





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Don’t Believe What You Hear – Direct Mail Is Alive and Well!

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facebook.com/VisionsInc

2 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com 7Visions 763-425-4251

ExactTarget also found that 65% purchased a product or service after receiving direct mail, while only 20% made a purchase after receiving a message delivered via Facebook, and only 16% made a purchase prompted by a mobile-marketing message.

The Internet Advertising Bureau commissioned a study to examine how consumers interact with various marketing channels. The survey period was April 2012 and consisted of 1,851 respondents aged 18 and older. Results showed that 75% of consumers discover new products from off-line sources like word-of-mouth, direct mail, catalogs and television. After the initial purchase, a slight margin of consumers preferred to be sent catalogs and direct mail as a way for companies to keep them informed.

The basis of social media is fostering a sense of community where fans can build relationships and share with others. This is different from traditional marketing, which emphasizes products and services. At a social media site, too much emphasis on selling rather than providing something of value risks alienating fans and provoking negative posts.

Social media sites also require a consistent effort to demonstrate to customers that there is something valuable to be gained by connecting to your business on a personal level. How much effort? Idealware, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Portland, Maine, that provides information to help nonprofits make informed software decisions, estimates that it takes at least two hours per week per social media tool to see significant marketing results.

Combine direct mail and social media marketing

If you can only afford to use one marketing channel, we believe it should be direct mail. Here’s why:

• The marketing message gets to the customer or prospect. You are reaching out, not waiting for someone to find you.

• You control the message. At a social media site, anyone can say anything, even if it isn’t true.

• You are competing with fewer messages. These days there is relatively little competition for your customer’s or prospect’s attention in a mail box.

• Mail is a physical media. The brain responds differently to physical and digital media. According to a 2009 study by Millward Brown, physical media like a direct mail piece leaves a “deeper footprint” in the brain, involves more emotional processing, and produces more brain responses connected with internal feelings.

Here are a few tips for making social media and direct mail work together:

• Create a Facebook page for your company and update it regularly with products, services, or an event. Mail a postcard with a QR code to the page.

• Create a forum on Facebook and encourage participation via direct mail.

• Monitor Twitter conversations on your product or services. Use the topics in a direct mail piece.

• Post videos on YouTube demonstrating your product or providing an explanation or instruction.

• Make your direct mail piece interactive by adding a QR code. The code can lead to a mobile web site, a YouTube video, or a short survey form that offers a reward for completion.

• Include social media icons such as Facebook or Twitter logos on your direct mail piece. This gives your target audience more options for learning about your company, especially if they are interested in

The Doctrine of Fair Use is an important limitation on the rights of the copyright owner. It was established in 1976 in recognition that strict application of copyright law would impede the production and distribution of works to the public. The rationale is that the public will benefit if there are uses for copyrighted material that do not constitute copyright infringement.

Fair use allows for use of a copyrighted work, including reproduction, without permission of the owner if the purpose is for criticism, commentary, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research. If, for example, you are writing a review that critiques or comments on a copyrighted work, you can reproduce some of the work to make your point. You can quote from the book, article or song, and you can copy a few paragraphs to use as a teaching aid.

The Doctrine of Fair Use also applies to parody – a work that ridicules another work by imitating it in a comic way. When the Doctrine of Fair Use is applied to parody, it allows for a more extensive use of the original work.

There are some restrictions to the Doctrine of Fair Use, such as numerical limits on how much of a work may be copied; the use must not have a negative effect on the market for the copyrighted work; and the copyright notice must be included on all copies. However, note that including the copyright notice is not a defense if the copyright is deemed to have been infringed, and owning a copyrighted work does not confer copyright ownership.

The importance of honoring copyright

Setting aside the legal reasons for honoring copyright, writers have a professional obligation to avoid piracy. This is easily accomplished by requesting permission from the author to use the work. Be prepared to specify the intended use (so you will obtain the full range of rights you need) and the terms of use (exclusivity, duration and territory). Since locating the copyright owner and obtaining permission may take some time, start early so you will have the required permission before you complete your work.

Be aware that the copyright owner may request payment as a condition of granting permission. In general, the amount of the payment is a function of the size of your audience and whether it is a commercial or educational use.

Finally, get the permission in writing. An oral agreement for copyright permission is as vulnerable to misunderstanding or misinterpretation as any other oral agreement.

customer reviews.

• Post links to a general, non-personalized landing page containing something desirable (information, an offer) on social media sites. Measure how respondents are getting to the landing page to determine the most valuable source.

• Make it easy for visitors to share with others. People like to share valuable information with others. Provide a “like” button for Facebook, a “mention” button for Twitter, and request a “check-in” on Facebook.

We’re direct mail experts

Call on us to help you integrate social media marketing with direct mail. We have been providing direct mail services to our customers for almost 15 years and we are good at what we do. For more information or to set an appointment, call David Hull at 763.425.4251.

The digital revolution has made it very easy for us to access material from files, web sites and the Internet. We all freely copy things we like and send them to others, use them on our social network sites, or add them to our presentations and reports. The ease with which we can claim material for our own use may be obscuring the fact that much of this use could violate copyright laws.

What is copyright?

Copyright is legal protection for authors on how their original works are used. The owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to:

• reproduce the work;

• prepare derivative works;

• distribute copies of the work by selling, renting, leasing or lending; and

• perform or display the work publicly.

Copyright protects a wide variety of original works, from the written word (poetry, stories, books) to entertainment (songs, movies, video games, plays, choreography) to visual arts (paintings, sculpture, photographs, architecture). It also includes software code, derivative work and compilations.

To qualify for copyright protection, a work has to be tangible (meaning it exists in physical form) and must be original (defined as independently created by the author and stemming from a creative effort). Ideas cannot be copyrighted, nor can facts – even if the author has engaged in significant effort to uncover them.

Copyright exists from the moment a work is created and available in tangible form. A work does not have to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office for copyright protection to exist, though registration is required to bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Copyright lasts for a specific period of time, which begins when the work is published – that is, when it is released to the public without restriction.

Names cannot be copyrighted, but they can be trademarked (as can words, phrases, symbols or designs that identify a brand).

Copyright law

Copyright law, which has its origins in English law dating back to 1662, was written into the Constitution of the United States in 1887. Congress enacted the first federal copyright law (An Act for the Encouragement of Learning by Securing the Copies of Maps,

Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of Such Copies) in May 1790, and the first work was registered two weeks later. In 1870, copyright functions were placed within the Library of Congress; the Copyright Office became a separate department within the Library of Congress in 1897. The copyright law has been revised repeatedly— 1831, 1870, 1909 and 1976.

Copyright law applies to seven broad categories:

• Literary works: works of fiction and nonfiction published as books, periodicals, manuscripts, computer programs, manuals, phonograph records, film, audiotapes and computer disks.

• Musical works: songs, operas, musical plays and their accompanying words.

• Dramatic works: plays, dramatic readings and music.

• Pantomimed and choreographed works.

• Pictorial, graphics and sculptural works: slides, tapes, multimedia presentations, film strips, films and videos.

• Motion pictures and audiovisual works: fine and applied arts, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, technical drawings, diagrams and models.

• Sound recordings: records, tapes, cassettes and computer disks.

Using a copyrighted work

There are certain conditions under which a copyrighted work may be used or copied:

• The work is in the public domain. Any work belonging to the public as a whole, such as work produced by employees

of the federal government, works published before 1923, or

works whose copyright protection has expired, can be used and copied

without restriction.

• The user has been granted permission by the copyright holder. A copyright holder can grant a

user permission to use the work. The permission can include limitations and restrictions on use, such as a one-time use in a specific situation. If a copyright owner unconditionally transfers all his rights, the transfer is called an assignment. If only some rights are transferred, it is called a license. An exclusive license is the transfer of rights to a single licensee; a non-exclusive license is the transfer of rights to more than one licensee.

• The use is for criticism and commentary or parody. These uses are spelled out by the Doctrine of Fair Use.

Q What’s the latest information on how people are using QR codes?

a

3Visions 763-425-42516 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com

Copyright for Copywriters: A Review of Basics

In its publication Top 12 Digital Predictions for 2012, Millward Brown’s Global Futures Group described how marketing influencers have changed:

In the past, key influencers have been limited to traditional advertising, consumer promotions (i.e., coupons, sampling, etc.); trade promotions (i.e., price reductions, displays, etc.); and word-of-mouth from family and close friends. With the advent of social media, our influencers have changed, broadening in both reach and scope. Microsoft’s Bing search engine can pull in a user’s friends’ Facebook likes and display them with search results. Even total strangers can now impact the choices we make by leaving online comments and reviews.

Social media offers an entirely new way for businesses and organizations to form a relationship with customers and to leverage customer loyalty to attract prospects. As explained by author Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: Psychology of Persuasion, the idea of tapping into the wisdom of the crowd is based on a principle of social influence. Instead of making a decision (such as what brand to purchase or where to eat dinner) based on the rational measures of traditional economics, we instead turn to outside influences. Cialdini calls this social proof, defined as “one means we use to determine what is correct to find out what other people think is correct.”

According to information published in May 2012 by Scanbuy, a provider of mobile barcodes and data analytics, based on its Scanlife 2012 Q1 Mobile Barcode Trend Report, the number of unique QR code users increased by nearly 200%, to over 5 million, when compared to Q1 2011, and by 1 million when compared to Q4 2011. Also in Q1 2012, 13 million scans were processed – a 157% increase from the year before.

Other findings from the report:

• The most popular QR code marketing campaigns are connecting to video, app downloads and product details.

• QR codes from quick-service restaurants were among the top five industries for the first time. The restaurants used QR codes to offer customer promotions, deals and other offers.

• iPhone OS and Android OS account for 93% of the total QR barcode traffic, split about evenly.

• More men use QR codes than women (68% vs. 32%), though the female audience is up 8% compared to Q1 2011.

• Users aged 25-34 account for 35% of total users, followed by ages 35-44 (20%); 18-24 (16%); 45-54 (12%); 55+ (9%); and under age 18 (8%).

4 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com

If you own a business that draws its customers from a neighborhood or other defined geographic area, you can combine direct mail and social media and get people sharing with each other. Here’s how:

• Be sure your Facebook page has good customer reviews for new visitors to read.

• Make an offer that you know has appeal – perhaps a “buy one/get one” offer, a discount with purchase or a free gift.

• Develop a mail piece (postcard, flyer, brochure) that describes the offer.

• On the mail piece, direct recipients to your Facebook page and instruct them to write a specific phrase on the page (such as “Got a gift for reading my mail”) to be eligible for the offer.

• On your Facebook page, refer to the direct mail piece (“Our neighbors are getting free gifts just for opening their mail”).

This will start people talking. Regular visitors to your Facebook page will ask how they can get in on the offer (which is asking to be added to your mailing list), and direct mail recipients will be exposed to the good customer reviews on your Facebook page.

Blog: a contraction of weblog. A web site on which an individual or group of users regularly record opinions or other information.

Facebook: a social networking website started in 2004. Originally designed for college students, it is now open to anyone 13 years of age or older.

Google: brand name of a leading Internet search engine.

LinkedIn: a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003.

QR code: an acronym for Quick Response Code. A two-dimensional barcode that can store text and image information.

Social bookmarking site: a web site based on the interaction of “tagging” web sites and searching through web sites bookmarked by others.

Social media site: a web site that both provides information and an opportunity for interaction. Example: Delicious (formerly del.icio.us).

Social networking site: a web site based on interaction by connecting with friends, commenting on profiles, joining groups and participating in discussions. Example: Facebook, MySpace.

Social news site: a web site based on interaction by voting for articles and commenting on them. Examples: Digg, Reddit.

Social photo and video site: a web site based on interaction by sharing photos or videos and commenting on user submissions. Example: YouTube, Pinterest.

Social proof: a method for making a decision based on non-rational factors; determining what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct.

Twitter: an instant messaging system for sending brief text messages (up to 140 characters) to a list of followers.

YouTube: a video-sharing web site for users to upload, share and view videos; founded in 2005.

Wiki: a web site based on interaction by adding articles and editing existing articles. Example: Wikipedia.

Coming Soon [FirstName], Can you picture the possibilities?

Facebook fans will love it! Our easy-to-use application allows your fans to create personalized merchandise that connects with your brand on a whole new level.

Two business models available:

• Promotional Giveaway• Consumer Driven Sales

Personalized Photo Books & Posters... Featuring your brand and customer content, pulled directly from their Facebook page.

Look for more details soon or call David Hull at 763.425.4251.

5Visions 763-425-4251


4 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com

If you own a business that draws its customers from a neighborhood or other defined geographic area, you can combine direct mail and social media and get people sharing with each other. Here’s how:

• Be sure your Facebook page has good customer reviews for new visitors to read.

• Make an offer that you know has appeal – perhaps a “buy one/get one” offer, a discount with purchase or a free gift.

• Develop a mail piece (postcard, flyer, brochure) that describes the offer.

• On the mail piece, direct recipients to your Facebook page and instruct them to write a specific phrase on the page (such as “Got a gift for reading my mail”) to be eligible for the offer.

• On your Facebook page, refer to the direct mail piece (“Our neighbors are getting free gifts just for opening their mail”).

This will start people talking. Regular visitors to your Facebook page will ask how they can get in on the offer (which is asking to be added to your mailing list), and direct mail recipients will be exposed to the good customer reviews on your Facebook page.

Blog: a contraction of weblog. A web site on which an individual or group of users regularly record opinions or other information.

Facebook: a social networking website started in 2004. Originally designed for college students, it is now open to anyone 13 years of age or older.

Google: brand name of a leading Internet search engine.

LinkedIn: a business-oriented social networking site launched in May 2003.

QR code: an acronym for Quick Response Code. A two-dimensional barcode that can store text and image information.

Social bookmarking site: a web site based on the interaction of “tagging” web sites and searching through web sites bookmarked by others.

Social media site: a web site that both provides information and an opportunity for interaction. Example: Delicious (formerly del.icio.us).

Social networking site: a web site based on interaction by connecting with friends, commenting on profiles, joining groups and participating in discussions. Example: Facebook, MySpace.

Social news site: a web site based on interaction by voting for articles and commenting on them. Examples: Digg, Reddit.

Social photo and video site: a web site based on interaction by sharing photos or videos and commenting on user submissions. Example: YouTube, Pinterest.

Social proof: a method for making a decision based on non-rational factors; determining what is correct by finding out what other people think is correct.

Twitter: an instant messaging system for sending brief text messages (up to 140 characters) to a list of followers.

YouTube: a video-sharing web site for users to upload, share and view videos; founded in 2005.

Wiki: a web site based on interaction by adding articles and editing existing articles. Example: Wikipedia.

Coming Soon George, Can you picture the possibilities?

Facebook fans will love it! Our easy-to-use application allows your fans to create personalized merchandise that connects with your brand on a whole new level.

Two business models available:

• Promotional Giveaway• Consumer Driven Sales

Personalized Photo Books & Posters... Featuring your brand and customer content, pulled directly from their Facebook page.

Look for more details soon or call David Hull at 763.425.4251.

5Visions 763-425-4251


The digital revolution has made it very easy for us to access material from files, web sites and the Internet. We all freely copy things we like and send them to others, use them on our social network sites, or add them to our presentations and reports. The ease with which we can claim material for our own use may be obscuring the fact that much of this use could violate copyright laws.

What is copyright?

Copyright is legal protection for authors on how their original works are used. The owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to:

• reproduce the work;

• prepare derivative works;

• distribute copies of the work by selling, renting, leasing or lending; and

• perform or display the work publicly.

Copyright protects a wide variety of original works, from the written word (poetry, stories, books) to entertainment (songs, movies, video games, plays, choreography) to visual arts (paintings, sculpture, photographs, architecture). It also includes software code, derivative work and compilations.

To qualify for copyright protection, a work has to be tangible (meaning it exists in physical form) and must be original (defined as independently created by the author and stemming from a creative effort). Ideas cannot be copyrighted, nor can facts – even if the author has engaged in significant effort to uncover them.

Copyright exists from the moment a work is created and available in tangible form. A work does not have to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office for copyright protection to exist, though registration is required to bring a lawsuit for copyright infringement. Copyright lasts for a specific period of time, which begins when the work is published – that is, when it is released to the public without restriction.

Names cannot be copyrighted, but they can be trademarked (as can words, phrases, symbols or designs that identify a brand).

Copyright law

Copyright law, which has its origins in English law dating back to 1662, was written into the Constitution of the United States in 1887. Congress enacted the first federal copyright law (An Act for the Encouragement of Learning by Securing the Copies of Maps,

Charts and Books to the Authors and Proprietors of Such Copies) in May 1790, and the first work was registered two weeks later. In 1870, copyright functions were placed within the Library of Congress; the Copyright Office became a separate department within the Library of Congress in 1897. The copyright law has been revised repeatedly— 1831, 1870, 1909 and 1976.

Copyright law applies to seven broad categories:

• Literary works: works of fiction and nonfiction published as books, periodicals, manuscripts, computer programs, manuals, phonograph records, film, audiotapes and computer disks.

• Musical works: songs, operas, musical plays and their accompanying words.

• Dramatic works: plays, dramatic readings and music.

• Pantomimed and choreographed works.

• Pictorial, graphics and sculptural works: slides, tapes, multimedia presentations, film strips, films and videos.

• Motion pictures and audiovisual works: fine and applied arts, photographs, prints and art reproductions, maps, globes, charts, technical drawings, diagrams and models.

• Sound recordings: records, tapes, cassettes and computer disks.

Using a copyrighted work

There are certain conditions under which a copyrighted work may be used or copied:

• The work is in the public domain. Any work belonging to the public as a whole, such as work produced by employees

of the federal government, works published before 1923, or

works whose copyright protection has expired, can be used and copied

without restriction.

• The user has been granted permission by the copyright holder. A copyright holder can grant a

user permission to use the work. The permission can include limitations and restrictions on use, such as a one-time use in a specific situation. If a copyright owner unconditionally transfers all his rights, the transfer is called an assignment. If only some rights are transferred, it is called a license. An exclusive license is the transfer of rights to a single licensee; a non-exclusive license is the transfer of rights to more than one licensee.

• The use is for criticism and commentary or parody. These uses are spelled out by the Doctrine of Fair Use.

Q What’s the latest information on how people are using QR codes?

a

3Visions 763-425-42516 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com

Copyright for Copywriters: A Review of Basics

In its publication Top 12 Digital Predictions for 2012, Millward Brown’s Global Futures Group described how marketing influencers have changed:

In the past, key influencers have been limited to traditional advertising, consumer promotions (i.e., coupons, sampling, etc.); trade promotions (i.e., price reductions, displays, etc.); and word-of-mouth from family and close friends. With the advent of social media, our influencers have changed, broadening in both reach and scope. Microsoft’s Bing search engine can pull in a user’s friends’ Facebook likes and display them with search results. Even total strangers can now impact the choices we make by leaving online comments and reviews.

Social media offers an entirely new way for businesses and organizations to form a relationship with customers and to leverage customer loyalty to attract prospects. As explained by author Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: Psychology of Persuasion, the idea of tapping into the wisdom of the crowd is based on a principle of social influence. Instead of making a decision (such as what brand to purchase or where to eat dinner) based on the rational measures of traditional economics, we instead turn to outside influences. Cialdini calls this social proof, defined as “one means we use to determine what is correct to find out what other people think is correct.”

According to information published in May 2012 by Scanbuy, a provider of mobile barcodes and data analytics, based on its Scanlife 2012 Q1 Mobile Barcode Trend Report, the number of unique QR code users increased by nearly 200%, to over 5 million, when compared to Q1 2011, and by 1 million when compared to Q4 2011. Also in Q1 2012, 13 million scans were processed – a 157% increase from the year before.

Other findings from the report:

• The most popular QR code marketing campaigns are connecting to video, app downloads and product details.

• QR codes from quick-service restaurants were among the top five industries for the first time. The restaurants used QR codes to offer customer promotions, deals and other offers.

• iPhone OS and Android OS account for 93% of the total QR barcode traffic, split about evenly.

• More men use QR codes than women (68% vs. 32%), though the female audience is up 8% compared to Q1 2011.

• Users aged 25-34 account for 35% of total users, followed by ages 35-44 (20%); 18-24 (16%); 45-54 (12%); 55+ (9%); and under age 18 (8%).

2 Providing you an edge in print communications. www.visionsfirst.com 7Visions 763-425-4251

ExactTarget also found that 65% purchased a product or service after receiving direct mail, while only 20% made a purchase after receiving a message delivered via Facebook, and only 16% made a purchase prompted by a mobile-marketing message.

The Internet Advertising Bureau commissioned a study to examine how consumers interact with various marketing channels. The survey period was April 2012 and consisted of 1,851 respondents aged 18 and older. Results showed that 75% of consumers discover new products from off-line sources like word-of-mouth, direct mail, catalogs and television. After the initial purchase, a slight margin of consumers preferred to be sent catalogs and direct mail as a way for companies to keep them informed.

The basis of social media is fostering a sense of community where fans can build relationships and share with others. This is different from traditional marketing, which emphasizes products and services. At a social media site, too much emphasis on selling rather than providing something of value risks alienating fans and provoking negative posts.

Social media sites also require a consistent effort to demonstrate to customers that there is something valuable to be gained by connecting to your business on a personal level. How much effort? Idealware, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Portland, Maine, that provides information to help nonprofits make informed software decisions, estimates that it takes at least two hours per week per social media tool to see significant marketing results.

Combine direct mail and social media marketing

If you can only afford to use one marketing channel, we believe it should be direct mail. Here’s why:

• The marketing message gets to the customer or prospect. You are reaching out, not waiting for someone to find you.

• You control the message. At a social media site, anyone can say anything, even if it isn’t true.

• You are competing with fewer messages. These days there is relatively little competition for your customer’s or prospect’s attention in a mail box.

• Mail is a physical media. The brain responds differently to physical and digital media. According to a 2009 study by Millward Brown, physical media like a direct mail piece leaves a “deeper footprint” in the brain, involves more emotional processing, and produces more brain responses connected with internal feelings.

Here are a few tips for making social media and direct mail work together:

• Create a Facebook page for your company and update it regularly with products, services, or an event. Mail a postcard with a QR code to the page.

• Create a forum on Facebook and encourage participation via direct mail.

• Monitor Twitter conversations on your product or services. Use the topics in a direct mail piece.

• Post videos on YouTube demonstrating your product or providing an explanation or instruction.

• Make your direct mail piece interactive by adding a QR code. The code can lead to a mobile web site, a YouTube video, or a short survey form that offers a reward for completion.

• Include social media icons such as Facebook or Twitter logos on your direct mail piece. This gives your target audience more options for learning about your company, especially if they are interested in

The Doctrine of Fair Use is an important limitation on the rights of the copyright owner. It was established in 1976 in recognition that strict application of copyright law would impede the production and distribution of works to the public. The rationale is that the public will benefit if there are uses for copyrighted material that do not constitute copyright infringement.

Fair use allows for use of a copyrighted work, including reproduction, without permission of the owner if the purpose is for criticism, commentary, parody, news reporting, teaching, scholarship or research. If, for example, you are writing a review that critiques or comments on a copyrighted work, you can reproduce some of the work to make your point. You can quote from the book, article or song, and you can copy a few paragraphs to use as a teaching aid.

The Doctrine of Fair Use also applies to parody – a work that ridicules another work by imitating it in a comic way. When the Doctrine of Fair Use is applied to parody, it allows for a more extensive use of the original work.

There are some restrictions to the Doctrine of Fair Use, such as numerical limits on how much of a work may be copied; the use must not have a negative effect on the market for the copyrighted work; and the copyright notice must be included on all copies. However, note that including the copyright notice is not a defense if the copyright is deemed to have been infringed, and owning a copyrighted work does not confer copyright ownership.

The importance of honoring copyright

Setting aside the legal reasons for honoring copyright, writers have a professional obligation to avoid piracy. This is easily accomplished by requesting permission from the author to use the work. Be prepared to specify the intended use (so you will obtain the full range of rights you need) and the terms of use (exclusivity, duration and territory). Since locating the copyright owner and obtaining permission may take some time, start early so you will have the required permission before you complete your work.

Be aware that the copyright owner may request payment as a condition of granting permission. In general, the amount of the payment is a function of the size of your audience and whether it is a commercial or educational use.

Finally, get the permission in writing. An oral agreement for copyright permission is as vulnerable to misunderstanding or misinterpretation as any other oral agreement.

customer reviews.

• Post links to a general, non-personalized landing page containing something desirable (information, an offer) on social media sites. Measure how respondents are getting to the landing page to determine the most valuable source.

• Make it easy for visitors to share with others. People like to share valuable information with others. Provide a “like” button for Facebook, a “mention” button for Twitter, and request a “check-in” on Facebook.

We’re direct mail experts

Call on us to help you integrate social media marketing with direct mail. We have been providing direct mail services to our customers for almost 15 years and we are good at what we do. For more information or to set an appointment, call David Hull at 763.425.4251.

According to the DMA, direct mail delivers a higher response rate than digital channels, and is still a popular tactic for successful companies across the United States. Visions provides full-service, in house mailing capabilities. From start to finish, we will make sure your campaign is delivered on schedule and according to plan. Our mailing services include NCOA, CASS certification, ink jetting, barcoding, inserting, tabbing, list hygiene, bagging and poly wrapping, kitting and warehousing, list purchasing, personalized printing, data management and more! Contact David Hull at 763.425.4251 or [email protected] for more details.

April / May 2013

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Using Direct Mail to Enhance Social Media MarketingUse of social media sites has exploded in the last seven years. In February 2005, the Pew Research Center conducted the first of six surveys as part of the Internet & American Life Project. In 2005, only 2% of adults who use the Internet were using a social media site. That number increased to 16% in 2006, 29% in 2008, 46% in 2009, 61% in 2010 and 65% in 2011.

Who are these users? According to a Morgan Stanley report issued in December 2009, 67% of 18-34 year olds use a social networking site – and so do 67% of 45-54 year olds and 55% of those aged 55+. In 2007, social networking represented about 1 out of every 12 minutes spent online, while today it accounts for 1 out of every 6 minutes spent online.

Along with this growth, social media sites have evolved from purely personal to commercial use – a way for people to connect to a business and its fans. Businesses find they can use social media sites for marketing purposes, such as engaging in a dialogue with customers, building brand awareness, making offers or providing premiums, coupons or samples, and alerting customers to upcoming promotions or product launches (sneak previews).

Direct mail is still relevant

Does the popularity of social networking sites mean that businesses and organizations can drop direct mail as a marketing tool? Research suggests not. For its 2012 Channel Preference Survey, ExactTarget, a global interactive marketing provider, surveyed 1,481 American online consumers about their communication preferences and how they prefer to receive marketing messages.

ExactTarget asked how acceptable it is for companies to send unsolicited marketing messages through various channels (e-mail, direct mail, text messaging delivered via Facebook). Direct mail was the only channel where an unsolicited message is not viewed as inappropriate.


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This newsletter is printed on 80# Winner gloss text.


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