At my agency, we used to work primarily on direct mail programs and they worked for our clients. We rolled out huge mailings for Chase, American Express and lots of others clients. Then mailings got more costly, and we were paying more for each customer we were bringing in.

So, we started testing mail, then obtaining email addresses. We tested emailing people to visit us on Facebook, and then gave them special offers there. Little by little, over the last few years, we’ve gone from a direct mail agency, to an online group that builds websites, maintains the relationships our clients have iwth their customers via social media…and are testing some great new strategies. We’re having fun.

If we’d stayed in our old niche, we probably wouldn’t be growing as fast.

Then I read a piece about Newsweek reinventing itself in The New York Times. Their transformation is amazing: a new, smaller format, interesting new design…and a more afluent readership. They aren’t going to cover the big events any more (like the U.S. Airways flight that glided into the Hudson River). They are gambling on an audience that will pay more for a new “offbeat take” on events. Will it work?

Time will tell.

In December, we sent out a painting of a chicken on the front of our holiday card. It was painted by my friend Donald, as he said that the new year means “new beginnings”, new hope and a fresh start. To us, it also symbolized our new company, Lois Geller Marketing Group, after 14 years of being Mason & Geller.

Many of our friends told us they loved the chicken, and named him Chicken Karma…(send out good things, and good things come back to you).

Then one of our creative people found an egg. He said the egg (when submerged in a glass of water) will crack, and then a chicken will emerge and grow bigger and bigger. When it is out of the water, it will then shrink down to a smaller size, and be hard as a rock.   

I was doubtful about  all of this, but we bought the eggs, and then watched in amazement as they hatched. The large one  in this photo, is after he’s  been in the water for about two days, and the little one is after he’s been out of  the water for a while.

He/She is not a sponge, but made of some hard substance, and I have no idea how this works. I just know  that it is a great little chicken, and a symbol to stay positive as this New Year begins to unfold…and great new things will begin to happen.

Let me know about the good things happening in your world, and we might send you one of these magic chickens!

In the meantime, we are launching our brand new Idea Incubator for companies who want to lift response to their email programs, websites and direct mail.

Email: loisgeller@loisgellermarketinggroup.com for more information.

Last night, I gave a speech at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami for Chris Ramey, who heads up the Luxury Marketing Council here in the Southeast. My subject: Luxury Marketers are Looking with new interest at DM…with good reason.

They are looking at DM (Direct Marketing) because it is a science, and you can track your results. In the years that I worked at major agencies, many clients looked down their noses at DM, as if their product or service was to “high end” to be sold in that way. Now, things have changed.

First the internet changed the direct relationship between buyers and brands. Now prospects can comparison shop, look at products closely and buy them immediately. It is really direct mail…on steroids.

Second, the luxury brands realize that word-of-mouth advertising is a key element of their success, so they’re popping up on websites, and on social media…like Facebook and Twitter.

Third, Luxury brands want to know what their ROI is, and what’s working and what isn’t. They can’t always see the results of on-page advertising, or even their commercials. In direct mail, email, or website…you see the stats right away ,and can tell how many are converting to sales now. In this time of economic uncertainty…DM is a science that can provide measurable results, and that’s what they’re looking for now.

The second speaker last night is a fascinating man, named Stephen Kraus, who works for the Harrison Group, a market research firm. He’s a co-author of a new book, entitled The New Elite, Inside the minds of the truly wealthy.

He told us about the many faces of the American rich and the diverse factors that drive this high end customer (like the fact that a large percentage of them shop at Target and love Costco). I’m looking forward to reading his book.

All in all, it was an interesting evening. I met an old friend there from New York: Susan Schein, and there was quite a large crowd of really nice marketers at the event.

Direct mail has always been the work horse of direct marketers. Over the years, we have mailed all kinds of offers for our clients, from insurance to books, and coins, and stamps, and vitamins and health newsletters, spa visits, and even home cleaning products.

Now, clients are calling us for email marketing programs. I encourage them not to use email for acquisition, only for existing customers or opt-ins.

We’ve done many programs now, and one for a cookie and gift company out of Atlanta. The first few efforts were amazing, as I could see (virtually) how many people were clicking through, and the numbers that were ordering on the spot. And, we could see the spikes in our client’s phone room. We also measured the numbers who were opting out.

It was like a fast-paced, warped speed direct mail program.

Our lists were kept separately and we could instantly see which list was performing the best, an which lists needed more or richer offers.

So, now all of our clients are asking if they can replace direct mail with email efforts. You know the answer, in direct marketing, we always test, test, test. Some offers will always do best in direct mail, especially now when mailboxes are really pretty empty. And, after all, you can’t hold an email catalog in your hand, or read a long offer in email, or see a product in a glamour shot.

What are your thoughts? Let me know.