Steve Mertel

Yes, his first job at Rubin Response right after college was brokering consumer files. But he was fascinated by the high-tech field, an area in which Rubin had strength, and he moved into it as soon as he could.

Now look at him. Steve is a vice president at ePostDirect—he moved here after Rubin was acquired by our parent infoGroup. And it was a good fit.

“I felt ePostDirect had a great concentration in B2B email marketing with an exceptional list management staff,” he says.

As Steve sees it, a good broker is indispensible in times like these.

“The biggest challenge my clients are facing is budget constraints,” he says. “Times are a little tougher and they need to stretch their marketing dollar as far as they can.”

His solution: “We need to get more creative in pricing and make sure we are doing everything we can to find the best deals for them.”

For example, a client wanted to mail the same list four times in a month, but the budget was cut. “We worked out a block buy,” which gave us a 25% discount,” Steve says. “Our client ended up getting a great deal while marketing to the same number of people as initially planned.”

What other advice is Steve giving these days?

“Test! Not just new lists, but creative and subject lines,” he says. “Email marketing can be very effective, but you need to have the correct message in front of people. Doing an A/B split on a new test can tell you a lot about this new audience you are putting your message in front of.”

Any thoughts on the future of B2B email?

“Email marketing is going to stay strong for a long time,” Steve says. “New lists are coming out all the time and there will always be mailers with a need to put their message in front of people.”

Steve works in our Midwest office in Elk Grove, IL, with two assistants: Christine Strickland and Tracy Schatz. They recently moved, with other infoGroup units, into a new facility.

Where can you find Steve when he’s not working? At home in Cary, IL, or on his pontoon in Lake Crystal, with his wife Kelly and their 19 month-old daughter Grace.

Want to talk to Steve? Here’s his new number: 847-378-2216. Or via email.