Dr. Forrest E. Long founded MCH in 1928. Dr. Long had many titles — New York University education professor, author, editor, publisher, and administrator. Since hindsight is always 20/20, it's easy to see that Dr. Long was also an innovator. While at NYU, he became the editor and publisher of The Clearing House, an educational journal for secondary schools. The journal served as a "clearing house" for ideas and research about the new junior high school model for educating students in grades six through nine. Dr. Long also launched an annual conference where junior high principals could meet to exchange ideas and discuss best practices. The educational community pioneered by Dr. Long in the late 1920s became a successful model that is still utilized today.

In keeping with Dr. Long's vision, MCH and The edWeb have partnered together to create a new forum for educators and educational marketers. The edWeb is an online forum where administrators and teachers from around the country can come together to discuss issues, get feedback, and provide resources and support. Marketers of educational products can utilize this new social media channel to build brand awareness and connect with customers that use their products and services. Marketers can create public communities to discuss issues in education that are particularly suited to their products and to provide information and customer support. They can create private communities to share internal communications regarding best practices, sales and marketing techniques, and training programs. Click to continue

Dan Zarrella, a self-proclaimed "social marketing guru" recently presented a webinar entitled, The Science of Social Media Marketing. Social media marketing is still new and many of us are still trying to make sense of "how it can work for our companies and our products.” This particular webinar spanned the history of word-of-mouth marketing from pre-web to current online venues, lessons learned from social psychology, statistics about "why people share" and "what people share", and best practices for getting people to talk about your business online. There is a lot of information in this webinar and we recommend that you download it so you can refer to it often as you are developing your strategies for 2010.

Click here to sign in and download the webinar.

Amy Rambo, MCH IT & Response Lab Director

The USPS began enforcing compliance with Move Update requirements on January 4, 2010. To meet the requirements, mailers must be using addresses on mailpieces that have been updated using an approved method within 95 days prior to the mailing date. The threshold that became effective in 2010 includes the following:

• There must be more than five pieces with a Change of Address that were not updated.
• A passing score requires updating 70% or more of the COAs.
• First-Class mail and Standard Mail will be assessed at 7 cents for each piece that isn't compliant. 
• Additional postage will only be assessed against the portion of the mail that is below the threshold.
  

The USPS presented a Move Update Technical webinar in August 2009. The 81-page presentation contains information about acceptable methods of processing addresses prior to a mailing, the appeal process, and interpreting Move Update worksheets and reports.

Click here to review the USPS presentation.

Direct marketers who target religious institutions have a hot deadline just around the corner. It is a well-known fact that churches have increased spending power after major religious holidays like Easter and Christmas when attendance and contributions are typically high. This year, Easter falls on April 4th. Make plans now to ensure that your product offerings are delivered to religious prospects and customers prior to the holiday.

Institutions are big buyers of group tickets. Many churches have multigenerational activities, day cares, before and after school programs, and summer programs. Schools often utilize large group events to recognize or reward students. They also sponsor field trips, summer programs, and before/after school care. Senior citizens are active and enjoy group outings sponsored by various community organizations. Healthcare providers and hospitals often purchase tickets to reward employees. Make sure you aren't missing an opportunity to extend your reach in the group sales market.

Click here to review datacards that are suitable for marketers of group sales products then call your MCH sales representative to get a count on those "why didn't I think of that?" institutions you may have missed.

Click here to request a quote for any of MCH's institutional databases and services.