Hit or Miss Marketing a Major Frustration for Small Businesses — Project Rev Zeroes in on Marketing That Works

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new survey from Deluxe Corporation (NYSE: DLX) shows that figuring out what "works" is the top marketing concern for almost 80 percent of small businesses. To help, Deluxe today launched Project Rev — a marketing lab to provide small businesses with the tools and expert resources to discover and execute marketing programs that will work for them.

"Much of our research shows that small business owners are frustrated with marketing," said Laura Radewald, vice president, Deluxe. "Many say they don't know how to choose the right marketing tools, or how to measure the effectiveness of their effort. Project Rev was specifically created to help small businesses find the marketing tools that work for them — at Deluxe's expense."

Among the Deluxe survey findings:

    --  27 percent of small businesspeople said their marketing results are hit
        or miss
    --  26 percent believe marketing that succeeds for other businesses doesn't
        work for them
    --  23 percent don't know how to determine the effectiveness of marketing
        efforts

Small businesses interested in participating can apply at www.projectrev.com until May 3, 2010. Selected participants will win a range of marketing tools and services valued up to $5,000. The marketing resources from Deluxe will be determined based on the individual needs of the business, and could include:

    --  Web site design and hosting
    --  Search engine optimization
    --  E-mail marketing
    --  Promotional products
    --  Logo design
    --  Print marketing support
    --  Market research insight
    --  Marketing plan development

SCORE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to entrepreneur education and small business success nationwide, will support Project Rev with its information resources and the assignment of a skilled business counselor to each of the chosen participants.

"We are proud to partner with Deluxe on Project Rev. Helping small businesses win at marketing, especially online, is an important mission," said Ken Yancey, CEO, SCORE. "With Project Rev, Deluxe and SCORE take on a challenge of importance to every small business — finding the marketing tools that work for their individual businesses and for their unique markets."

Throughout the program, Project Rev participants and experts will have a chance to share their knowledge and experiences through videos, social media, speaking engagements and at www.projectrev.com. "This year we will be working closely with 10 small businesses, but we want small businesses everywhere to benefit from what we learn together," Radewald said.

About the Survey

Deluxe Corporation fielded an online survey completed by 450 respondents through its affiliate, PartnerUp, the first and largest online community for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Complete results are available on request.

About Deluxe Corporation

Deluxe Corporation is a growth engine for small businesses and financial institutions. Through its industry-leading businesses and brands, the Company helps small businesses and financial institutions attract and retain customers. The Company employs a multi-channel strategy to provide a suite of lifecycle driven solutions to its customers. In addition to its personalized printed products, the Company offers a growing suite of business services, including logo design, payroll, web design and hosting, business networking and other web-based services to help small business grow. In the financial services industry, Deluxe sells check programs and fraud prevention, customer loyalty and retention programs to help banks build lasting relationships and grow core deposits. The Company also sells personalized checks, accessories, and other services directly to consumers. For more information about Deluxe, visit http://www.deluxe.com.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" has helped more than 8.5 million aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling and business workshops. More than 12,400 volunteer business counselors in 364 chapters serve their communities through entrepreneur education dedicated to the formation, growth and success of small businesses. For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800/634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE on the web at www.score.org and www.score.org/women.

SOURCE Deluxe Corporation