It only makes sense that we employ the same recommendations that we give to our clients for marketing our agency, doesn’t it? With that thought in mind, three years ago we created the Paulsen Post, a quarterly electronic newsletter intended to share relevant and interesting news about our agency, our staff members and our clients.

I have to admit that at first, I was skeptical. As with all newsletters, the first one is the easiest for two reasons. First, there’s always plenty of enthusiasm and excitement in launching a newsletter, and secondly, there’s lots of great design ideas and suggestions for content. The first one is always a huge success. The problem is, there’s always a next issue to follow.

However, I must admit that I’ve been proven wrong on several accounts. First, due to the diligent efforts of Nicola Freeman, our first editor of the Paulsen Post, and now Tara Young, as well as our entire digital, creative and production staff, our e-newsletter is getting the attention it deserves. Getting the next issue out on time is never a problem. As for interesting and relevant news, I’m amazed how many stories evolve during each quarter. There are always newsworthy events to share about our staff or our clients.

But the best part is the tremendous response we get from each issue of the Paulsen Post. This “relationship-building effort” is working! Our e-newsletter is distributed to over 500 recipients including Paulsen clients, media representatives, suppliers, industry associates and prospective new clients.

Every time an issue goes out, my e-mail box fills up with various comments from recipients, mostly positive affirmations such as “It’s great to keep up with all that’s going on—I enjoy reading each issue.”

One reason for the feedback, I believe, is that submitting a reply to an e-newsletter is so easy—hit reply, share your thoughts and then send—another convenience of the digital age we live in today.

Additionally, we receive a report of “opened” and “click-throughs” which is further proof we’re making a connection. And, the cost associated with an e-newsletter is another benefit—no printing and no postage.

Probably the most important element, other than content, is the list of recipients. We’ve built the list carefully over several years, making sure that we complete additions and deletions as needed. We’re especially certain to remove addresses of those who have requested to unsubscribe or whose e-mail address is undeliverable.

I can’t help but do a little bragging about our agency newsletter. It was awarded First Place in the category of “Electronic Publications” in the recent Region III Best of NAMA awards competition. We’re pretty darned proud of that!

Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks, as I’ve become a big believer in the effectiveness of electronic newsletters, based on our own Paulsen Post.

See you “on the road!”

I enjoyed the opportunity to attend the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA last week and have to say that this show certainly lives up to its name with acres of exhibits, a world-class dairy industry presence and a large number of international visitors.

Paulsen Account Executive Heather Covrig joined me for the two-day visit to the show. Several of her clients were exhibiting including Grain States Soya (Soy Best), Ecolab and POET Nutrition.

Each of these clients reported lots of booth traffic with dairy producers much more optimistic than just one year ago. The outlook is good for improved profitability for the dairy industry—none too soon after a...

Just back from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) annual meeting and trade show in San Antonio. This convention is one of my favorites and always an enjoyable time. I had an opportunity to meet with so many friends, clients and media representatives during my three-day visit. It was a nice break from the unusually hard winter we’re experiencing in the North Central states.

Everyone agrees that the business outlook is better than that of one year ago, but there still seems to be plenty of room for improvement. Many of my media friends note that advertisers are making shorter-term commitments—quarter by quarter, rather than annual...

A group of seven Paulsen-ites attended the Region III “Best of NAMA” awards banquet in Minneapolis last Thursday, and we were not at all disappointed with the results—six First Place Awards and five Merit Awards. Here’s a quick recap:

Merit Awards
New Product Introduction, Pet Medicus, Inc.
Advertising Campaign to Rural Lifestyle Audience, Kubota Tractor Corporation
Unique Print Advertising, WildBlue Communications
Internet Web Site, Educational Focus—Walters Gardens
Less Than Page Ad Series, Ridley Nutrition Solutions

First Place Awards
Customer...

I sat down to write a New Year’s Eve blog entry a week ago. It was a pretty emotional tirade. “Good riddance to 2009!—a miserable year for business, especially for those of us in marketing and advertising”, the first sentence stated.

I even had the national advertising industry statistics to prove my point:
• Ad spending down 12.9% (sharpest drop since the Great Depression)
• Ad agency revenue down 9.7%
• Ad agency staffing down 14% (76,300 jobs lost since November 2007)
• Media employment down 12.7% (newspapers and TV hardest...