July 2003 about us    services    portfolio    news Hi, As you ramp up for the second half of 2003, it's a great time to think about your marketing goals and objectives. Are you getting the results you want and need? You can make assumptions or you can get reliable, instant feedback through the wonders of online surveys. By popular demand, online surveys are a new service we're pleased to offer. With the ability to produce response rates as high as 50 percent (compared to 10 percent with traditional mail), online surveys are critical to meaningful client relations. On that note, please take a moment to complete our online survey. Enjoy the read! Carolyn Gardner President, cardcommunications If you need to expand your reach, you can rent targeted email lists through third parties. But, list renters beware! If you hear of a deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be sure the list you rent contains names that were collected with permission, i.e. through an opt-in process. And ask about "list fatigue" - for obvious reasons, there's nothing worse than renting an overused list.   With the high volume of emails, the need to "slice and dice" your database has never been more important. It may be as simple as splitting your database according to job titles or geographic selects. But no matter how you slice it, targeted email campaigns generate the highest response rates. The average Canadian receives 123 emails per week. 75% of Canadians have Internet access. *Above stats from Ipsos-Reid, 2003 By Ross Laver Q: It seems like every time I sit down to create some marketing content for my company, I get a nasty case of writer's block. Is there a cure? - B.G. A: Children's author Laurie Halse Anderson says that writer's block is your body's way of telling you to go for a walk. Granted, a walk (or something else that will take your mind off the task at hand) won't necessarily get the creative juices flowing, but it will help you relax - which is Step 1 in taming your fears. Read on for more tips...   "Online Surveys - Fast Feedback. Immediate Intelligence." By Carolyn Gardner Whether you're responsible for marketing a small or large business, the challenges are similar. It all comes down to one question - what makes your customers (and prospects) tick? What do they want to hear from you and how often do they want to hear it? It's fair to say the questions are endless. And until online surveys, getting the answers has been no easy task. To quickly understand needs, wants and expectations, online surveys are something you can't afford to overlook. For the benefits of online surveys and some advice on incentives, read on... Please forward this e-newsletter to friends and colleagues... www.cardcommunications.com