Read an email received from one of our owners, Mike Schaefer, about how direct mail is still the leader in advertising!

Franchisee satisfaction is key indicator in evaluating a franchise investment

Given the current uncertainty of the global marketplace, many see franchising as “the new stock market.” In other words, investing in a franchise opportunity (while not without risk) is often viewed not only as a great path to self-employment, but also as a relatively safe bet.

Of the 3,000-plus franchise companies offering licenses in North America, the good, the bad, and the ugly are all represented. More...

Why Groupon Sucks for Small Businesses

By Ilie Mitaru, PCWorld

Groupon, the three year old coupon company, has been all the hype across business and tech sites lately. The company is the largest of its competitors and claims it distributes online coupons from merchants in 500 markets and 44 countries. Facebook and Google, in an attempt to get a piece of the action, have recently rolled out similar services.
As Groupon gears up for its much-anticipated IPO, there's a lot of noise about social coupon services, and less concrete advice about how to use them. It's a good time to outline some of the potentially harmful effects that Groupon and other daily-deal services can have on your business.

You'll lose money. Horror stories--like this one from a café owner in Portland who lost $8000 using Groupon--are all over the Web. For some companies, especially those with a high fixed cost but low marginal costs--such as a yoga studio, for example--the numbers can pan out. But even if it does make financial sense, there are other reasons to be wary of the Groupon craze.
The split is actually more than half. The Groupon split with businesses is currently advertised at around 50 percent. Although some businesses have reported getting much better splits with Groupon, businesses should still be wary of the fine print: Groupon does not share your credit-card burdens.
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September is National Coupon Month!

And our September Business Builder e-News has been posted.

Are Consumers looking for you in the Red, White & Blue envelope?

Groupon Hits Growth Wall

Groupon Inc.'s GRPN +1.46% once-torrid daily deals business slowed in its latest quarter, fueling investor concerns about the onetime Web commerce star and sending shares to a new low.

The Chicago Company reported its first-ever quarterly profit as a public company, on revenue that increased 45% from the year-earlier period. But gains in the second quarter were driven by Groupon Goods, a relatively new, low-margin business of selling merchandise such as jewelry or kitchen appliances.

Revenue rose just 2% sequentially from the first quarter. Second-quarter billings—the total amount of money Groupon pulls in before it pays a cut to merchants—slipped 5% in the quarter More...

Indianapolis 5th Most Frugal City

Indianapolis ranks as the fifth-most frugal city in the nation, according to mobile-couponing site SaveEveryday.com. More...

Unused Coupons Still Pay Off

In 2010, U.S. consumers redeemed 3.3 billion coupons, cutting roughly $3.7 billion from purchase prices. That’s a lot, particularly since only about 1% of all coupons are ever used. Conventional wisdom holds that manufacturers and retailers see little benefit from the other 99%. But new research suggests that unredeemed coupons are highly valuable. In fact, the coupons that wind up in the trash ultimately deliver greater returns to a company than the coupons that are redeemed.

In a experiment with eight national retailers, we analyzed campaigns involving more than 500,000 targeted coupons, for items representing more than 300 brands, mailed out over 16 months. We found that consumers who received but did not redeem coupons still typically increased their purchases more...

Here’s what consumers are saying about digital media and direct mail marketing:

Direct Mail is rated as the preferred and trustworthy source for marketing information¹
A printed ad consumers can touch and feel leaves a deeper impression in the brain than ads viewed on a screen²
Direct Mail produced the strongest ROI for consumer acquisition and retention²
65% of consumers feel they receive too many emails on a daily basis¹

Our portfolio of products address all usage occasions, bringing you the benefits of direct mail and digital advertising.

Our Red, White, and Blue Mailed Envelope is a trusted source for local coupons and a proven way to put your business in the hands of consumers

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Coupon Usage up 12%

Americans love their coupons. And cutting coupons paid off big in 2011. Americans redeemed $4.6 billion worth of coupons last year, more...

America's Most Popular Coupons

By: David Mielach, BusinessNewsDaily Staff Writer

Americans love their coupons. And cutting coupons paid off big in 2011. Americans redeemed $4.6 billion worth of coupons last year, out of a possible $470 billion in savings offered by the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, according to NCH Marketing Services' 2012 coupon facts survey.

While the total represented a 12 percent increase from 2010, NCH said the record for savings from redeemed coupons remains 7.7 billion, set in 1992. more...

Families Want to Have Fun but Need to Save Money

Although the economy is improving, most families are still on a budget. Most are still going out to their favorite locations for entertainment and dining, but are going less frequently. There is no better time to give consumers a deal to make their family outings more affordable.

Attract new customers, by offering the deals they’re looking for. Consumers are becoming increasingly price sensitive and putting a coupon in their hands could mean the difference between staying at home or visiting your business.

Be proactive with your offers. With summer just a few months away, families are looking for restaurants and activities to try when school is out.
Consumers looking for coupons know they can find them in Money Mailer. We’ve been delivering local deals on food, family fun, and all of the categories they want most. If you’re looking for local customers, we can help you reach them.

Shopping Poll: 76% of Women Say They’re Bargain Hunters
By Ned Smith

Business News Daily
If you want your store to get a second glance from female shoppers, the best way is to offer a bargain, according to a national poll. Over three-quarters of women (76 percent) consider themselves to be bargain hunters, with 10 percent admitting they enjoy the challenge of finding the best deal.

Money is the shoppers' main motivation, with 40 percent of women saying they bargain shop because they are on a limited budget more...

Rising Food Prices Driving Coupon Usage Higher

Coupons.com and Harris Interactive recently released a consumer survey that looked at the affect of rising food prices. The survey found that almost all U.S. adults are aware of increasing food prices and 95% of them plan to more...