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!”

The Corn Belt Chapter of NAMA held a panel discussion in Coralville, IA Thursday. The topic was Social Networking: Virtual & Word-of-Mouth Marketing Case Studies. Our own Sara Steever, VP of Digital Services, spoke along side Stephanie Liska, President of BeckAg, and Reid Travis, Social Media Manager, Panchero’s Franchise Corporation. Over 30 agrimarketers attended this session, which included a lively interchange of ideas and conversation. I continue to be amazed at the desire in the ag community to learn more about how this topic applies to overall marketing programs. Our thanks to Wendy Gady at Pohaku for the invitation and for moderating and organizing the event.

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I’m Sara Steever, VP of Digital Services, guest blogging for Greg today.

This is an open thread about the opportunities in digital media and the acceptance of it by producers. Their preferences provide us with communication channels and relationship building tools. The potential for communicating with them using mobile and social media grows as younger producers become decision makers. Please share your thoughts on the best way to reach producers in the digital space.

We also welcome comments on our article, “Digital Ag: How to talk to producers online.” You can download it here: http://www.paulsenmarketing.com/digitalag.

If you're a regular reader of either ADWEEK or Advertising Age, you are well-aware of the havoc the current economic recession has had on the advertising industry. While we've certainly been affected as well, comparatively speaking, Paulsen Marketing is weathering the storm fairly well. Our focus on agriculture and rural lifestyle is partially the reason as these industries have not been as negatively impacted as the retail, business-to-business or manufacturing sectors.

As a result of the current slow-down, we've embarked on an active business development effort. We've identified a number of companies who we...

Guest Blogger: Sara Steever, VP Digital Servies

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