Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. With the Christmas rush here, the dedicated InfoVine folks are here on Black Friday with the presses running full steam. Thanks guys and gals for working today, you are the best in the business.

Targeted marketing versus....

It's a tendency to think if I print 5,000 direct mail pieces, 10,000 will get me twice the sales. That's not necessarily true. We find it's better to use targeted marketing and narrow your audience. Through cleaning up your mailing list to acquiring the right new prospects, you can actually print fewer pieces and get better results versus "spray and pray" innudation.

Postal Holiday

Today is Veteran's Day, when we salute our heroes for service to their country. It's also a US Post Office Holiday, and it sometimes catches people off guard. Obviously Thanksgiving and Christmas will be mail-free as well (with some exceptions). Get ready for 2010 by knowing these postal holidays:

• New Year’s Day – Friday, January 1st
• Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 18th
• President’s Day – Monday, February 15th
• Memorial Day – Monday, May 31st
• Independence Day – Monday, July 5th (Since the 4th is a Sunday)
• Labor Day – Monday, September 6th
• Columbus Day – Monday, October 11th
• Veterans Day – Thursday, November 11th
• Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 25th
• Christmas Day – Friday, December 24th

The Holidays Are Approaching...

Here in Houston, TX it is 76 degrees and sunny and the holidays seem far away. Looking at the calendar gives a different story. A little bit of planning goes a long way in ensuring that your direct mail and customer communications not only mail on-time, but stand out from the barrage of mail we all get during the holidays. Several of our customers are ahead of the pack in preparing holiday mailings, so let us help you spread good cheer - in a timely and effective manner!

Happy Birthday Frank!

Our great boss celebrates a birthday today. The team got together and threw him a party at lunch. We had some great Mexican food followed by cake, of course. Thanks for everything you do for us Frank, and Happy Birthday!

Stretch for a Good Cause

We partnered with the good (and flexible) folks at Washington Pilates to produce a new calendar. Titled "Passions and Pilates 2010", a portion of each sale will go to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Each page features a striking photo of staff members, and each calendar page is prepopulated with holidays and other helpful information. This year, give a gift that helps others! Calendars are $20 each and are available at Washington Pilates, 2203 Washington Avenue, east of Sawyer Ave. (281) 352-5791.

Our Home

We've been in the Heights for about five years now, on 23rd Street, west of Shepherd. Just like the rest of the neighborhood, it's seen a lot of change over the years, but still has a unique feel to it. We share our building with the good folks at Pennebaker. They have the top floor and we have most of the bottom, about 100,000 square feet.