Spring 2020

direct views

Coffee Talk ................................................................. page 2

Writing Websites That Convert ................................. page 3

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

A Historic Night of Networking

5 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 6 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT by Lisa Mark

If you’re as calendar-obsessed as I am, you may have noticed

something odd about this year’s spring equinox date, it was earlier than usual!

For much of the last century, the spring equinox has occurred on March 20 or 21. This year, however, the equinox happened on the 19th in all U.S. time zones, making it the earliest spring we’ll have seen in our lives (so far). The last time spring arrived this early was in 1896—124 years ago!

This year too marks another event that many of us haven’t seen before in our lives, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the changes it has made thus far on our day to day .

Hoping that this finds everyone safe and healthy! 

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

— Anne Bradstreet

We have postponed all of our in-person spring events, and will revisit our planned events for the summer months.

During this time however, our goals remain the same — learning from industry leaders, continuously looking forward to how our industry adapts and changes over time and then communicating all of that information with our members.

Social interaction has always been a pinnacle within the PhillyDMA, now we’ll have to adjust and rely on digital communication and our newsletter to connect and keep each other up-to-date.

As marketers we are mindful on how people connect with each other, so we hope to do our part in helping others stay safely connected with updates on social media and our website.

Share, Stay Informed, Stay Safe!

And Welcome Spring!

April Coffee Talk

How to Achieve Extraordinary Postage Savings on Direct Mail Campaigns.

Ben Ohanesian, President of The WordTech Group

June Coffee Talk

Addressable Marketing and the Changing Direct Mail Landscape

Matt Bond, VP of Studio and Print Production Services at Merkle

PhillyDMA Postponed EventsFor your safety, we will be postponing the following events.

<————————————————————————————————Front 8.5” wide —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————————Back 8.4375” —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————Overleaf Panel 8.375” —————————————–——————————————>

2020 PhillyDMA Board of DirectorsPresident Lisa Mark, Intellus

Vice President Steve Burkholder, Merkle

Treasurer Tim Hughes, TPG Direct

Administrator Melanie Lodge, ICS Corporation

Members John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics

Jennifer Carahaly, Cenveo

Taylor Brady, Group G Marketing Partners

Sal Caimano, Word Tech Inc

Allison Rigler, ANRO

Spring 2020 — PhillyDMA DirectViews is published by and for members of the PhillyDMA and other interested direct marketers. For more information, visit www.phillydma.org.

Editor Taylor Brady

Design/Layout Green Eye for Design

Printing Independent Graphics, Inc.

Mailing Word Tech Inc

Office PhillyDMA c/o GPAMG, Bala Pointe Centre, 111 Presidential Blvd., Suite 231, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

484-388-4393 Email: info@phillydma.org

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

Make sure to follow us…

www.facebook.com/phillydma.org/

@PhillyDMA

www.linkedin.com/company/philadelphiadma/

phillydma

A Historic Night of Networking .................................. page 4

Thoughts from the President ..................................... page 5

Visit our website for updates and new dates when available: www.phillydma.org/events.

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM

2 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 3 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 4 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

with the PhillyDMA

Creating grounds for discussion

July 19, 2018 • 9:30-10:30 amWeWork Philadelphia

1601 Market St, 20th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103

JUST BREW IT

Lorem ipsum

On December 12, 2019, the PhillyDMA ended the 2019 Coffee Talk Series

with an enlightening presentation hosted by Gary Orso, Vice President of Sales at Midland Paper. Gary led the discussion on “The Changing World of Digital Paper: How to Achieve Print Quality Without Killing Your Budget,” while tackling the question: Why do we make paper for digital printing so difficult? With 35 years of experience, Gary gave compelling insight on how marketers can be effective in the digital printing world.

Originating in 2018, The PhillyDMA’s Coffee Talk Series offers networking opportunities to PhillyDMA members

Attention PhillyDMA Members: The 2020 PhillyDMA Benny Awards

will be postponed to a later date.We believe that your health and well-being is of the utmost importance

right now. With that in mind, we have decided to postpone the 2020 Benny Awards. We are currently working to find a new date later

this year so we can honor the hard work of our members in the safest way possible. Please continue to follow us on social media

and check our events page for further updates.

Keep up with Benny updates at www.phillydma.org/events

and industry leaders. During each event, a direct marketing leader presents on a current marketing topic, which typically leads to an open discussion over coffee and breakfast. The Coffee Talks create a space for direct marketing peers and leaders to come together and keep in-step with today’s marketing trends. The PhillyDMA is proud to announce that due to another successful year of Coffee Talks in 2019, we will be continuing the series through 2020. Visit our event page at www.phillydma.org/events and follow us on social media to receive information on our next Coffee Talk and to stay up-to-date with all of our upcoming events.

My confidential, double-secret-probation, direct method of

Writing Websites That Convert Michael Scott Shapiro

The age of the brochure-site is long over. The days when you could rest your laurels on

crafting a bright, beautiful website that made people say “Wow, that looks great!”— those days are gone. Today that website has to have people saying “Yes! This is exactly the product or service or person I need. I need to call (or, click, or fill out that form) right now!”

Stumbling on the secretTen years ago (can’t believe it’s been ten years), I walked away from 30 years of pretty much nothing but direct mail, and joined a company building websites… lots and lots of websites. They literally (really, literally) had rooms full of writers cranking out hundreds of websites a day. The sites were written to get found by Google, they were crafted with all the best SEO and UX of the day…but they weren’t written to sell.

I walked in – the veritable old (direct) dog trying to learn a new (digital) trick – and I learned SEO copywriting, and I learned UX (user experience) best practices, and I wrote dozens of websites… and something odd happened.

The websites that I wrote (and, eventually, the sites written by others in the same style), reported much better results. How much better? How about…

• Search engine traffic increased by 433%

• Unique visitors increased by 151%

• Average time on site went from under 30 seconds to over 3 minutes

So… what’s my secret?The secret that I never told any of my new digitally savvy co-workers? The secret was that I wasn’t writing websites. I was writing direct mail. Sure, they looked like websites, like your average home page, but they read like DM.

I admit, this was ten years ago – today, whether or not people realize it (or admit

it), most websites (the good ones) are written in a direct style. They’re written to inspire response.

Gone are the days when the Headline/H1 is the business name. Gone are the opening paragraphs that start with a geo/location. Today’s websites are built to convert visitors into customers, just like direct mail. In a lot of ways, you can break down a site and re-label the parts as sections of a direct mail letter. Here’s what I mean…

5 ways your home page is a Direct Mail LetterHere’s how I break down website home page copy, conceptually writing direct mail…

1. The “Hero” (top) panel > The OE — great envelope copy has just enough copy to convince the recipient that they need to read the contents inside – and the Hero (the top panel, slab, section… whatever you want to call it) has to do the same. It has to convince the visitor they’ve come to the right place, that you can deliver what they’re searching for, when and how they want it, and why they should choose you. Oh, and just like the OE, it needs to identify you – at the very least, with your logo.

The Hero also borrows a bit from the top of the letter – along with your logo, it should also have very visible CTA options – how to call, or email, or schedule an appointment.

2. First “content panel” > The headline — depending on your website design, you might only see the Hero, but lots of site designs have a shortened hero so just a little bit of the next panel is “above the fold.” This is your letter headline – your USP, a strong offer, or, if you’re a challenger brand or start-up, this is a great place for “trust badges” – BBB, local awards or affiliations, or best of all, customer ratings/reviews.

3. Second, third, fourth slabs > Benefits, benefits, benefits (think bullets) — all the things you’d put in the bullets of your letter, those are the headlines for your heart of your site. Of course, unlike

a DM letter, you can reinforce your “bullets” with videos, links to internal pages or supporting content like white papers and info graphics.

4. Bottom slab > The P.S. – end your home page just the way you end a letter – repeat the offer, whether it’s savings or content, and reinforce your USP. If you didn’t tuck them in at the top, be sure to include trust badges here at the bottom of the page.

5. Sidebar > Letter sidebar and “letterhead” — depending on your design/layout/theme your home page could have a sidebar, if it does, don’t over think it. Treat it just like the sidebar in a DM letter – lead with your USP, provide clear, easy-to-use engagement options.

Sites that sellIf you’ve been writing direct mail for a long time and also write websites, there’s a good chance you read through the list above and thought, “Well, yeah, of course.” But I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone when I say I look at dozens, if not hundreds, of bad websites each year – professionally and simply as a consumer. Websites that don’t sell.

The solution to bad websites is easy — don’t write websites, write direct mail… for websites that convert.

Michael Scott Shapiro is a proven Creative Director, Copywriter, and Customer-Communications Specialist with over 30 years experience creating, managing, and inspiring advertising and marketing that generates a response and gets results. He specializes in creating marketing and content that speaks to the customer and inspires a response. He’s currently the Manager of Marketing Copy & Design for Hibu by day while doing creative consulting for an array of clients at night. Previously, he was Creative Director for Chase, and Senior Writer/Writer Producer for HBO.

Spring has pretty much sprung and so has the PhillyDMA’s 2020 events! On March 11, the PhillyDMA held its first

networking event of the year at the historic Black Powder Tavern. Members, and some new faces, stopped by the tavern to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and plenty of industry chatter.

The Black Powder Tavern held a small presentation on the rich history of the building, known as a stop George Washington made along the way to Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Prizes were also raffled off to a few lucky members throughout the night.

The event, made possible by gracious sponsors Paul Padratzik and Debbie Roth from Japs-Olson, had a great turn out with lively conversation from start to finish. Thank you to all that attended and keep an eye out for more PhillyDMA networking events in the future.

A Historic Night of Networking

Event sponsor, Paul Padratzik, Japs-Olson Company, Jamie McMullan, Next Generation Fundraising, Inc., and Joann Hoffsis, Intellus.

Left: Lisa Capece, ANRO and Cheryl Doran, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors. Right: Catherine Schneider, Nevus Marketing & Communications and Sal Caimano, The WordTech Group.

Steve Burkholder, Merkle and Tom McAndrews, Grapevine.

John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics, Scott Tannenbaum, Direct Mail Depot and Travis Eldridge, Intellus.

As a PhillyDMA member, we want you to be a part of our publication. Do you have photos you’d like to share from one of our events, or an event that your company hosted? Maybe a direct marketing topic you’ve been dying to write about that we could all learn from?

Send it to us: Submit your content by emailing us at info@phillyDMA.org

We want to hear

from you!

GET ACTIVE!Join our Board of Directors

Email us at info@phillydma.org

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM

2 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 3 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 4 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

with the PhillyDMA

Creating grounds for discussion

July 19, 2018 • 9:30-10:30 amWeWork Philadelphia

1601 Market St, 20th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103

JUST BREW IT

Lorem ipsum

On December 12, 2019, the PhillyDMA ended the 2019 Coffee Talk Series

with an enlightening presentation hosted by Gary Orso, Vice President of Sales at Midland Paper. Gary led the discussion on “The Changing World of Digital Paper: How to Achieve Print Quality Without Killing Your Budget,” while tackling the question: Why do we make paper for digital printing so difficult? With 35 years of experience, Gary gave compelling insight on how marketers can be effective in the digital printing world.

Originating in 2018, The PhillyDMA’s Coffee Talk Series offers networking opportunities to PhillyDMA members

Attention PhillyDMA Members: The 2020 PhillyDMA Benny Awards

will be postponed to a later date.We believe that your health and well-being is of the utmost importance

right now. With that in mind, we have decided to postpone the 2020 Benny Awards. We are currently working to find a new date later

this year so we can honor the hard work of our members in the safest way possible. Please continue to follow us on social media

and check our events page for further updates.

Keep up with Benny updates at www.phillydma.org/events

and industry leaders. During each event, a direct marketing leader presents on a current marketing topic, which typically leads to an open discussion over coffee and breakfast. The Coffee Talks create a space for direct marketing peers and leaders to come together and keep in-step with today’s marketing trends. The PhillyDMA is proud to announce that due to another successful year of Coffee Talks in 2019, we will be continuing the series through 2020. Visit our event page at www.phillydma.org/events and follow us on social media to receive information on our next Coffee Talk and to stay up-to-date with all of our upcoming events.

My confidential, double-secret-probation, direct method of

Writing Websites That Convert Michael Scott Shapiro

The age of the brochure-site is long over. The days when you could rest your laurels on

crafting a bright, beautiful website that made people say “Wow, that looks great!”— those days are gone. Today that website has to have people saying “Yes! This is exactly the product or service or person I need. I need to call (or, click, or fill out that form) right now!”

Stumbling on the secretTen years ago (can’t believe it’s been ten years), I walked away from 30 years of pretty much nothing but direct mail, and joined a company building websites… lots and lots of websites. They literally (really, literally) had rooms full of writers cranking out hundreds of websites a day. The sites were written to get found by Google, they were crafted with all the best SEO and UX of the day…but they weren’t written to sell.

I walked in – the veritable old (direct) dog trying to learn a new (digital) trick – and I learned SEO copywriting, and I learned UX (user experience) best practices, and I wrote dozens of websites… and something odd happened.

The websites that I wrote (and, eventually, the sites written by others in the same style), reported much better results. How much better? How about…

• Search engine traffic increased by 433%

• Unique visitors increased by 151%

• Average time on site went from under 30 seconds to over 3 minutes

So… what’s my secret?The secret that I never told any of my new digitally savvy co-workers? The secret was that I wasn’t writing websites. I was writing direct mail. Sure, they looked like websites, like your average home page, but they read like DM.

I admit, this was ten years ago – today, whether or not people realize it (or admit

it), most websites (the good ones) are written in a direct style. They’re written to inspire response.

Gone are the days when the Headline/H1 is the business name. Gone are the opening paragraphs that start with a geo/location. Today’s websites are built to convert visitors into customers, just like direct mail. In a lot of ways, you can break down a site and re-label the parts as sections of a direct mail letter. Here’s what I mean…

5 ways your home page is a Direct Mail LetterHere’s how I break down website home page copy, conceptually writing direct mail…

1. The “Hero” (top) panel > The OE — great envelope copy has just enough copy to convince the recipient that they need to read the contents inside – and the Hero (the top panel, slab, section… whatever you want to call it) has to do the same. It has to convince the visitor they’ve come to the right place, that you can deliver what they’re searching for, when and how they want it, and why they should choose you. Oh, and just like the OE, it needs to identify you – at the very least, with your logo.

The Hero also borrows a bit from the top of the letter – along with your logo, it should also have very visible CTA options – how to call, or email, or schedule an appointment.

2. First “content panel” > The headline — depending on your website design, you might only see the Hero, but lots of site designs have a shortened hero so just a little bit of the next panel is “above the fold.” This is your letter headline – your USP, a strong offer, or, if you’re a challenger brand or start-up, this is a great place for “trust badges” – BBB, local awards or affiliations, or best of all, customer ratings/reviews.

3. Second, third, fourth slabs > Benefits, benefits, benefits (think bullets) — all the things you’d put in the bullets of your letter, those are the headlines for your heart of your site. Of course, unlike

a DM letter, you can reinforce your “bullets” with videos, links to internal pages or supporting content like white papers and info graphics.

4. Bottom slab > The P.S. – end your home page just the way you end a letter – repeat the offer, whether it’s savings or content, and reinforce your USP. If you didn’t tuck them in at the top, be sure to include trust badges here at the bottom of the page.

5. Sidebar > Letter sidebar and “letterhead” — depending on your design/layout/theme your home page could have a sidebar, if it does, don’t over think it. Treat it just like the sidebar in a DM letter – lead with your USP, provide clear, easy-to-use engagement options.

Sites that sellIf you’ve been writing direct mail for a long time and also write websites, there’s a good chance you read through the list above and thought, “Well, yeah, of course.” But I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone when I say I look at dozens, if not hundreds, of bad websites each year – professionally and simply as a consumer. Websites that don’t sell.

The solution to bad websites is easy — don’t write websites, write direct mail… for websites that convert.

Michael Scott Shapiro is a proven Creative Director, Copywriter, and Customer-Communications Specialist with over 30 years experience creating, managing, and inspiring advertising and marketing that generates a response and gets results. He specializes in creating marketing and content that speaks to the customer and inspires a response. He’s currently the Manager of Marketing Copy & Design for Hibu by day while doing creative consulting for an array of clients at night. Previously, he was Creative Director for Chase, and Senior Writer/Writer Producer for HBO.

Spring has pretty much sprung and so has the PhillyDMA’s 2020 events! On March 11, the PhillyDMA held its first

networking event of the year at the historic Black Powder Tavern. Members, and some new faces, stopped by the tavern to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and plenty of industry chatter.

The Black Powder Tavern held a small presentation on the rich history of the building, known as a stop George Washington made along the way to Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Prizes were also raffled off to a few lucky members throughout the night.

The event, made possible by gracious sponsors Paul Padratzik and Debbie Roth from Japs-Olson, had a great turn out with lively conversation from start to finish. Thank you to all that attended and keep an eye out for more PhillyDMA networking events in the future.

A Historic Night of Networking

Event sponsor, Paul Padratzik, Japs-Olson Company, Jamie McMullan, Next Generation Fundraising, Inc., and Joann Hoffsis, Intellus.

Left: Lisa Capece, ANRO and Cheryl Doran, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors. Right: Catherine Schneider, Nevus Marketing & Communications and Sal Caimano, The WordTech Group.

Steve Burkholder, Merkle and Tom McAndrews, Grapevine.

John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics, Scott Tannenbaum, Direct Mail Depot and Travis Eldridge, Intellus.

As a PhillyDMA member, we want you to be a part of our publication. Do you have photos you’d like to share from one of our events, or an event that your company hosted? Maybe a direct marketing topic you’ve been dying to write about that we could all learn from?

Send it to us: Submit your content by emailing us at info@phillyDMA.org

We want to hear

from you!

GET ACTIVE!Join our Board of Directors

Email us at info@phillydma.org

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM

2 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 3 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 4 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

with the PhillyDMA

Creating grounds for discussion

July 19, 2018 • 9:30-10:30 amWeWork Philadelphia

1601 Market St, 20th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103

JUST BREW IT

Lorem ipsum

On December 12, 2019, the PhillyDMA ended the 2019 Coffee Talk Series

with an enlightening presentation hosted by Gary Orso, Vice President of Sales at Midland Paper. Gary led the discussion on “The Changing World of Digital Paper: How to Achieve Print Quality Without Killing Your Budget,” while tackling the question: Why do we make paper for digital printing so difficult? With 35 years of experience, Gary gave compelling insight on how marketers can be effective in the digital printing world.

Originating in 2018, The PhillyDMA’s Coffee Talk Series offers networking opportunities to PhillyDMA members

Attention PhillyDMA Members: The 2020 PhillyDMA Benny Awards

will be postponed to a later date.We believe that your health and well-being is of the utmost importance

right now. With that in mind, we have decided to postpone the 2020 Benny Awards. We are currently working to find a new date later

this year so we can honor the hard work of our members in the safest way possible. Please continue to follow us on social media

and check our events page for further updates.

Keep up with Benny updates at www.phillydma.org/events

and industry leaders. During each event, a direct marketing leader presents on a current marketing topic, which typically leads to an open discussion over coffee and breakfast. The Coffee Talks create a space for direct marketing peers and leaders to come together and keep in-step with today’s marketing trends. The PhillyDMA is proud to announce that due to another successful year of Coffee Talks in 2019, we will be continuing the series through 2020. Visit our event page at www.phillydma.org/events and follow us on social media to receive information on our next Coffee Talk and to stay up-to-date with all of our upcoming events.

My confidential, double-secret-probation, direct method of

Writing Websites That Convert Michael Scott Shapiro

The age of the brochure-site is long over. The days when you could rest your laurels on

crafting a bright, beautiful website that made people say “Wow, that looks great!”— those days are gone. Today that website has to have people saying “Yes! This is exactly the product or service or person I need. I need to call (or, click, or fill out that form) right now!”

Stumbling on the secretTen years ago (can’t believe it’s been ten years), I walked away from 30 years of pretty much nothing but direct mail, and joined a company building websites… lots and lots of websites. They literally (really, literally) had rooms full of writers cranking out hundreds of websites a day. The sites were written to get found by Google, they were crafted with all the best SEO and UX of the day…but they weren’t written to sell.

I walked in – the veritable old (direct) dog trying to learn a new (digital) trick – and I learned SEO copywriting, and I learned UX (user experience) best practices, and I wrote dozens of websites… and something odd happened.

The websites that I wrote (and, eventually, the sites written by others in the same style), reported much better results. How much better? How about…

• Search engine traffic increased by 433%

• Unique visitors increased by 151%

• Average time on site went from under 30 seconds to over 3 minutes

So… what’s my secret?The secret that I never told any of my new digitally savvy co-workers? The secret was that I wasn’t writing websites. I was writing direct mail. Sure, they looked like websites, like your average home page, but they read like DM.

I admit, this was ten years ago – today, whether or not people realize it (or admit

it), most websites (the good ones) are written in a direct style. They’re written to inspire response.

Gone are the days when the Headline/H1 is the business name. Gone are the opening paragraphs that start with a geo/location. Today’s websites are built to convert visitors into customers, just like direct mail. In a lot of ways, you can break down a site and re-label the parts as sections of a direct mail letter. Here’s what I mean…

5 ways your home page is a Direct Mail LetterHere’s how I break down website home page copy, conceptually writing direct mail…

1. The “Hero” (top) panel > The OE — great envelope copy has just enough copy to convince the recipient that they need to read the contents inside – and the Hero (the top panel, slab, section… whatever you want to call it) has to do the same. It has to convince the visitor they’ve come to the right place, that you can deliver what they’re searching for, when and how they want it, and why they should choose you. Oh, and just like the OE, it needs to identify you – at the very least, with your logo.

The Hero also borrows a bit from the top of the letter – along with your logo, it should also have very visible CTA options – how to call, or email, or schedule an appointment.

2. First “content panel” > The headline — depending on your website design, you might only see the Hero, but lots of site designs have a shortened hero so just a little bit of the next panel is “above the fold.” This is your letter headline – your USP, a strong offer, or, if you’re a challenger brand or start-up, this is a great place for “trust badges” – BBB, local awards or affiliations, or best of all, customer ratings/reviews.

3. Second, third, fourth slabs > Benefits, benefits, benefits (think bullets) — all the things you’d put in the bullets of your letter, those are the headlines for your heart of your site. Of course, unlike

a DM letter, you can reinforce your “bullets” with videos, links to internal pages or supporting content like white papers and info graphics.

4. Bottom slab > The P.S. – end your home page just the way you end a letter – repeat the offer, whether it’s savings or content, and reinforce your USP. If you didn’t tuck them in at the top, be sure to include trust badges here at the bottom of the page.

5. Sidebar > Letter sidebar and “letterhead” — depending on your design/layout/theme your home page could have a sidebar, if it does, don’t over think it. Treat it just like the sidebar in a DM letter – lead with your USP, provide clear, easy-to-use engagement options.

Sites that sellIf you’ve been writing direct mail for a long time and also write websites, there’s a good chance you read through the list above and thought, “Well, yeah, of course.” But I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone when I say I look at dozens, if not hundreds, of bad websites each year – professionally and simply as a consumer. Websites that don’t sell.

The solution to bad websites is easy — don’t write websites, write direct mail… for websites that convert.

Michael Scott Shapiro is a proven Creative Director, Copywriter, and Customer-Communications Specialist with over 30 years experience creating, managing, and inspiring advertising and marketing that generates a response and gets results. He specializes in creating marketing and content that speaks to the customer and inspires a response. He’s currently the Manager of Marketing Copy & Design for Hibu by day while doing creative consulting for an array of clients at night. Previously, he was Creative Director for Chase, and Senior Writer/Writer Producer for HBO.

Spring has pretty much sprung and so has the PhillyDMA’s 2020 events! On March 11, the PhillyDMA held its first

networking event of the year at the historic Black Powder Tavern. Members, and some new faces, stopped by the tavern to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and plenty of industry chatter.

The Black Powder Tavern held a small presentation on the rich history of the building, known as a stop George Washington made along the way to Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War. Prizes were also raffled off to a few lucky members throughout the night.

The event, made possible by gracious sponsors Paul Padratzik and Debbie Roth from Japs-Olson, had a great turn out with lively conversation from start to finish. Thank you to all that attended and keep an eye out for more PhillyDMA networking events in the future.

A Historic Night of Networking

Event sponsor, Paul Padratzik, Japs-Olson Company, Jamie McMullan, Next Generation Fundraising, Inc., and Joann Hoffsis, Intellus.

Left: Lisa Capece, ANRO and Cheryl Doran, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors. Right: Catherine Schneider, Nevus Marketing & Communications and Sal Caimano, The WordTech Group.

Steve Burkholder, Merkle and Tom McAndrews, Grapevine.

John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics, Scott Tannenbaum, Direct Mail Depot and Travis Eldridge, Intellus.

As a PhillyDMA member, we want you to be a part of our publication. Do you have photos you’d like to share from one of our events, or an event that your company hosted? Maybe a direct marketing topic you’ve been dying to write about that we could all learn from?

Send it to us: Submit your content by emailing us at info@phillyDMA.org

We want to hear

from you!

GET ACTIVE!Join our Board of Directors

Email us at info@phillydma.org

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 1 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM

Spring 2020

direct views

Coffee Talk ................................................................. page 2

Writing Websites That Convert ................................. page 3

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

A Historic Night of Networking

5 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 6 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT by Lisa Mark

If you’re as calendar-obsessed as I am, you may have noticed

something odd about this year’s spring equinox date, it was earlier than usual!

For much of the last century, the spring equinox has occurred on March 20 or 21. This year, however, the equinox happened on the 19th in all U.S. time zones, making it the earliest spring we’ll have seen in our lives (so far). The last time spring arrived this early was in 1896—124 years ago!

This year too marks another event that many of us haven’t seen before in our lives, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the changes it has made thus far on our day to day .

Hoping that this finds everyone safe and healthy! 

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

— Anne Bradstreet

We have postponed all of our in-person spring events, and will revisit our planned events for the summer months.

During this time however, our goals remain the same — learning from industry leaders, continuously looking forward to how our industry adapts and changes over time and then communicating all of that information with our members.

Social interaction has always been a pinnacle within the PhillyDMA, now we’ll have to adjust and rely on digital communication and our newsletter to connect and keep each other up-to-date.

As marketers we are mindful on how people connect with each other, so we hope to do our part in helping others stay safely connected with updates on social media and our website.

Share, Stay Informed, Stay Safe!

And Welcome Spring!

April Coffee Talk

How to Achieve Extraordinary Postage Savings on Direct Mail Campaigns.

Ben Ohanesian, President of The WordTech Group

June Coffee Talk

Addressable Marketing and the Changing Direct Mail Landscape

Matt Bond, VP of Studio and Print Production Services at Merkle

PhillyDMA Postponed EventsFor your safety, we will be postponing the following events.

<————————————————————————————————Front 8.5” wide —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————————Back 8.4375” —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————Overleaf Panel 8.375” —————————————–——————————————>

2020 PhillyDMA Board of DirectorsPresident Lisa Mark, Intellus

Vice President Steve Burkholder, Merkle

Treasurer Tim Hughes, TPG Direct

Administrator Melanie Lodge, ICS Corporation

Members John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics

Jennifer Carahaly, Cenveo

Taylor Brady, Group G Marketing Partners

Sal Caimano, Word Tech Inc

Allison Rigler, ANRO

Spring 2020 — PhillyDMA DirectViews is published by and for members of the PhillyDMA and other interested direct marketers. For more information, visit www.phillydma.org.

Editor Taylor Brady

Design/Layout Green Eye for Design

Printing Independent Graphics, Inc.

Mailing Word Tech Inc

Office PhillyDMA c/o GPAMG, Bala Pointe Centre, 111 Presidential Blvd., Suite 231, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

484-388-4393 Email: info@phillydma.org

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

Make sure to follow us…

www.facebook.com/phillydma.org/

@PhillyDMA

www.linkedin.com/company/philadelphiadma/

phillydma

A Historic Night of Networking .................................. page 4

Thoughts from the President ..................................... page 5

Visit our website for updates and new dates when available: www.phillydma.org/events.

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM

Spring 2020

direct views

Coffee Talk ................................................................. page 2

Writing Websites That Convert ................................. page 3

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

A Historic Night of Networking

5 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook! 6 | PhillyDMA direct views | Spring 2020 Visit PhillyDMA on Linkedin and Facebook!

THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT by Lisa Mark

If you’re as calendar-obsessed as I am, you may have noticed

something odd about this year’s spring equinox date, it was earlier than usual!

For much of the last century, the spring equinox has occurred on March 20 or 21. This year, however, the equinox happened on the 19th in all U.S. time zones, making it the earliest spring we’ll have seen in our lives (so far). The last time spring arrived this early was in 1896—124 years ago!

This year too marks another event that many of us haven’t seen before in our lives, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the changes it has made thus far on our day to day .

Hoping that this finds everyone safe and healthy! 

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

— Anne Bradstreet

We have postponed all of our in-person spring events, and will revisit our planned events for the summer months.

During this time however, our goals remain the same — learning from industry leaders, continuously looking forward to how our industry adapts and changes over time and then communicating all of that information with our members.

Social interaction has always been a pinnacle within the PhillyDMA, now we’ll have to adjust and rely on digital communication and our newsletter to connect and keep each other up-to-date.

As marketers we are mindful on how people connect with each other, so we hope to do our part in helping others stay safely connected with updates on social media and our website.

Share, Stay Informed, Stay Safe!

And Welcome Spring!

April Coffee Talk

How to Achieve Extraordinary Postage Savings on Direct Mail Campaigns.

Ben Ohanesian, President of The WordTech Group

June Coffee Talk

Addressable Marketing and the Changing Direct Mail Landscape

Matt Bond, VP of Studio and Print Production Services at Merkle

PhillyDMA Postponed EventsFor your safety, we will be postponing the following events.

<————————————————————————————————Front 8.5” wide —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————————Back 8.4375” —————————————–———————————————<————————————————————————————Overleaf Panel 8.375” —————————————–——————————————>

2020 PhillyDMA Board of DirectorsPresident Lisa Mark, Intellus

Vice President Steve Burkholder, Merkle

Treasurer Tim Hughes, TPG Direct

Administrator Melanie Lodge, ICS Corporation

Members John Caliendo, Bradley Graphics

Jennifer Carahaly, Cenveo

Taylor Brady, Group G Marketing Partners

Sal Caimano, Word Tech Inc

Allison Rigler, ANRO

Spring 2020 — PhillyDMA DirectViews is published by and for members of the PhillyDMA and other interested direct marketers. For more information, visit www.phillydma.org.

Editor Taylor Brady

Design/Layout Green Eye for Design

Printing Independent Graphics, Inc.

Mailing Word Tech Inc

Office PhillyDMA c/o GPAMG, Bala Pointe Centre, 111 Presidential Blvd., Suite 231, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

484-388-4393 Email: info@phillydma.org

PHILADELPHIA DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION

Make sure to follow us…

www.facebook.com/phillydma.org/

@PhillyDMA

www.linkedin.com/company/philadelphiadma/

phillydma

A Historic Night of Networking .................................. page 4

Thoughts from the President ..................................... page 5

Visit our website for updates and new dates when available: www.phillydma.org/events.

PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2PhillyDMA_DirectViews_Spring2020.indd 2 3/25/20 4:33 PM3/25/20 4:33 PM