Turbo Charge Your Direct Mail with Magnitude

Unveiled at the 2010 DMA show in San Francisco, the new Magnitude social sharing platform is designed to transform traditional direct mail into a complete social media campaign.

San Francisco, the center of the technology industry, was a perfect venue to introduce this powerful new software. By reaching a brand’s biggest fans and encouraging them to become brand ambassadors Magnitude can generate response rates 20 times higher than the number of physical pieces sent. The best part is this low-cost solution allows most companies to create a social media presence by continuing to use a medium with which they are familiar - direct mail promotions.

Magnitude, at its core, is a lead generation tool which provides sophisticated analytics for each respondent. By adding Magnitude to direct mail promotions companies have access to a wealth of customer data including; geographic location, age, gender, social influence, and more.

With the introduction of Magnitude, StoneHouse strengthens it’s commitment to providing customers with the latest innovations in customer loyalty and communication. StoneHouse will continue to innovate and introduce new products like the Enhanced GiftCard, TeamTags, and Magnitude to help you build your business.

StoneHouse celebrates its 15th anniversary!

StoneHouse was founded on September 1st, 1995. An original staff of 10 has grown to over 100 today. A 25,000 card order that would have taken days to produce now takes only hours. We've added many unique capabilities over the years and are on the verge of launching several exciting new services. One thing has not changed in a decade and a half however; our commitment to outstanding customer service. This remains our primary focus today more than ever, and we would like to thank our customers for making our first 15 years possible. You have helped us grow and expand, develop new products, and become a leader in our industry. We are proud of the history that you've helped us make, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with each of you and helping you grow your businesses and build your brands. We would also like to thank our hardworking employees. Your tireless efforts are integral to our success and you continue to amaze us with your dedication and excellence. A startup company cannot survive and succeed for 15 years without a strong team and ours is the finest in the business. Finally we would like to thank our vendors and financial supporters who have always been there for us. Your belief in what we do and your willingness to work alongside us so closely is truly amazing. As we celebrate 15 years in business we are pleased to announce that we have begun construction on a 25,000 square foot facility expansion scheduled to be complete within six weeks that will more than double our manufacturing space. This will allow us plenty of room to grow and succeed for another 15. Stay tuned for some exciting updates over the next few months!

Sincerely,

Jeff Tucker
President
StoneHouse Marketing Services

The 6 New Colors of Spring

We're well into spring and quickly approaching summer, and that means growth and color is everywhere. The StoneHouse campus is alive with the vibrant colors of spring; the pink and red roses, green trees, and the purples, whites, and yellows of flowers scattered across the landscape set underneath a bright blue Oklahoma sky. However, new growth and beautiful colors aren't just limited to outside the campus.

StoneHouse Marketing Services has added a brand new HP Indigo 7000 Digital Printing Press. This amazing piece of technology expands StoneHouse's current line of digital presses to 4 and is able to print vibrant fully variable images at nearly twice the speed of our current Indigo 5500 models. This powerful digital press can print on a variety of substrates, expanding StoneHouse's ability to provide unique one-to-one cards, carriers, letters, forms, or just about anything you can imagine.

Featuring six colors each, our HP Indigo Presses will create that perfect look for your card programs. Let StoneHouse help grow your business this season with our exciting digital printing capabilities.

Welcome to 2010

A lot has changed in the last decade. We’ve seen the deaths of companies and industries as well as the births and growth of others. One story of amazing growth is Google. In 2000 Google was a 2 year old Internet search company trying to survive the dot-com bubble. Today Google.com is the most visited web site in the world and the company has a market cap of $193 Billion. What makes it possible for Google to survive and thrive in a decade that saw its competitors struggle and fall? The same thing that allows any company to survive - innovation.

At StoneHouse we are driven by the same spirit of innovation. From our humble beginnings as a small plastic card producer to a complete managed print solution provider, we’ve spent the last decade on the forefront of a competitive and complex industry by providing innovative products and exceptional customer service. Today StoneHouse helps hundreds of organizations create unique marketing and loyalty programs as a leader in card production and print management solutions.

Our Norman, Oklahoma facility is home to management, design, and support staff as well as the latest in production technologies. Having the production equipment and management in one facility allows our team to quickly respond to customer needs and create new solutions every day.

This year we will continue our commitment to innovation while providing our customers with an ever increasing level of service. Thanks to a new patent allowing more efficient and appealing card products, and an increased customer service staff, StoneHouse enters 2010 with a greater ability to help you build your business and prosper in the new decade.

Never stop innovating.

The Business of Free: Using Customer Loyalty Cards & Coupons To Save Hundreds

With the current state of the economy more and more people are thinking about ways to save money. Some people have been able to cut their grocery bills to ZERO by simply using customer loyalty cards, coupons, and advertised specials.

Most of us have customer loyalty cards attached to our key rings; perhaps one for our favorite grocery store, drug store, and hardware store and, if you're like most people, you use them rather passively. However, if you are careful you can combine that customer loyalty card with coupons and specials to save hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill. In fact, several people have made a business out of using customer loyalty cards and coupons to feed their families for free or very close to it.

Now while you may not be able to feed a family of 6 for $4 per week, with a little time and creativity imagine what you could do with that simple plastic card on your key ring and those coupons in the paper.

Customer Loyalty Cards and Coupons - the recession buster... who knew?

Happy Birthday Barcode!

Today the barcode celebrates its 57th birthday.

On October 7, 1952 Norman J. Woodland and Bernard Silver were awarded U.S. Patent 2,612,994 - the patent for the barcode system.

This patent revolutionized the retail industry and gave birth to the Universal Product Code or UPC. Today the UPC and other barcodes are a crucial part of modern society. Imagine a world where UPS and FedEx did not have barcoded package labels, the grocery store did not implement UPC, or your favorite loyalty card was a stamp book rather than a barcoded keytag.

The barcode has become so common in modern civilization that it practically touches every part of our lives... increasing efficiency and lowering costs for every product or service we use.

Today as you go about your work and errands, pause for a moment to remember that rather plain white block with black stripes and reflect on how after 57 years it is still as important a technology as the microchip, satellite communication, or fiber optics.

*StoneHouse Marketing Services is a leader in managed print solutions with over 14 years of experience in barcoded gift and loyalty marketing products. Contact us today to learn how we can help create a variable barcoded product to help you build your business.

Loyalty Program Participation Increasing During Recession

With the news of the economic recession and shrinking discretionary spending many retailers are looking for ways to increase customer loyalty. One of the best ways to compete in the current economic climate is with a strong, rewards based, customer loyalty program.

According to a recent study, participation in reward and loyalty programs has risen 19% since 2007 with many consumers reporting the economy having a positive influence on their participation in such programs.

The greatest growth came from the 19–25 age group, dubbed Millennials. This group showed an increase in program participation of 32%. Participation among this group is expected to increase even further with 27% expressing a desire to join new rewards programs in the future.

A huge opportunity exists with Millennials as these young consumers are building brand loyalty and are eager to participate in programs which reward repeat business.

StoneHouse Marketing Services has been providing companies with tools to cultivate customer loyalty for over a decade. We have seen booms and recessions and know that a strong customer loyalty effort plays an important role for any organization hoping to weather the storm. We can help you design a loyalty program that will reach your customers on a personal level and show them you truly appreciate their business.

Contact StoneHouse Marketing Services today to learn how your company can benefit from the increase in customer loyalty program participation. We have the tools to help increase customer loyalty and help you build your business.

StoneHouse Marketing Services
2039 Industrial Blvd.
Norman, OK 73069
405-360-5674

http://stonehousemarketing.com
http://bit.ly/SHMSfacebook

Source: “Despite recession, program participation jumps 20 percent,” July 2009, Colloquy. http://www.colloquy.com/article_view.asp?xd=6179