Direct Mail 2.0—Talking Integrated Marketing and Postcards with Joy Gendusa

Joy Gendusa is the Founder and CEO of PostcardMania. After more than twelve years of leading one of the most innovative and successful postcard marketing companies in the industry, Joy has obtained a level of marketing expertise that is sought after for counsel and speaking engagements all over the country. We are delighted that Joy will joining us as a speaker in May for the Integrated Print Forum and we recently had the opportunity to speak with her about her business, direct mail, and the value of integrated marketing strategies. Along with speaking engagements, Joy also regularly shares her knowledge and expertise on her blog Maniac Marketing.

How has your personal experience as an entrepreneur shaped your approach to business and your relationship with your clients? I feel like entrepreneurs are "my people"(if you know what I mean)! I know what it’s like to have to make a payroll despite a lousy month and what it feels like to have lay off good people that just aren't cutting it at their job (heartache). We entrepreneurs have a certain camaraderie that can only be experienced. With that said—being that my customer base consists mainly of entrepreneurs—I feel like I really understand what they need and what their pain is. It takes my personal care factor for them to a level I don't see often enough. For instance we just had our third client appreciation event where we had 100 attendees. These folks REALLY want help growing their businesses and are hungry for the information! I love these guys! So, my relationship with my clients is at the forefront; they are not considered numbers in a database or CRM, they are my people.

Why is direct mail still an effective marketing and communications tool? These days, people are so inundated with online advertisements that when they receive a postcard in the mail regarding something that is relevant to them, they take notice. Postcards are also an effective way to drive people to your website or get them to call your business—they get people to reach out for more information about your products and services. Plus there are loads of businesses out there that folks are not searching for online—direct mail is a GREAT way to enlighten the market and truly target. This cannot be done with paid search to the same degree.