Leadpile’s Blog

It seems like most times when I pay attention or notice where things are made, it is frequently “Made in China” or “Product of Mexico”. What is actually made in the US, and how is it determined where something is made when the parts for one item may come from all different companies?
According to msnbc.com a product “Made in America” has to be all or virtually all produced in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission uses up nearly 40 pages to explain what is required to label a product with this title.
To wear the American label, the product must be assembled and majority of the costs associated with producing the product must have incurred in the United States. If a product was made in several different states, one of them being the US, the consumers may be able to see this in a couple of different ways. The product may show the percentage of the content that was made in the U.S., or it can be stated on the product “Made in USA from imported parts”, or “Assembled in the USA”.
If a company gets caught making an untrue “Made in America” claim, the FTC will get an order forcing you to stop making that claim – there is potential for a heavy fine for each infraction. The FTC relies on consumers to “tip them off” to these infractions on their Complaint Assistant Web site.

Arizona may have good news for the Payday loan industry this week as an amendment will be heard on Tuesday at 1:30pm. Adjustments suggested would restrict the number of loans a person could take out at one time, allowing fees of $15 per $100 borrowed, and also allowing the consumer to cancel the transaction if the borrowed money is returned within two business days. The amendment would require businesses to give at least 1.5 % of the fees it collects to “organizations that provide services to low-income and moderate income individuals” in their community.

In previous years, marketing strategies involved companies utilizing direct mail as a source to reach consumers. However, it seems to be going extinct because of it’s lack of effectiveness and cost. Today, companies are using email marketing and other direct marketing sources as a way to reach new consumers. Many however are still planning on utilizing direct mail as a source to get new clients, however the other source to generate consumer is growing at a much faster pace. The bottom line is, the economy seems to be heading in the right direction, which means marketing budgets can start coming back to now generate more customers. Any other marketing methods that are seeing a downward trend from the economy? Mail can’t be the only marketing method being affected by the nation’s struggling economy? Leadpile is certainly seeing the affects of the economy and it’s traffic coming in, so maybe this is affecting all sources of marketing.

Leadpile works a lot in the payday loan industry, with regards to trying to connect those that are looking for a payday loan and those that can provide these short term loans to the consumers. However, if you are in the military you do not qualify for these types of loans, therefore there are alternatives that are offered to these consumers. Leadpile is excited to partner up with a lender that can help service these individuals. We are looking for publishers that can help us generate more of these leads.
This is what we are looking for in these leads:
Nationwide, “active duty” Military (no reserves or government employees) only, consumers must be looking for a $500+ loan, no daily caps and there is no restricted delivery schedules.

There are several ways to generate these leads:

* MicroClick Forms
* MicroClick iForms
* Banners
* Text Links
* “On Exit” Ads
* Open Market

If you are a publisher and looking to help provide these sorts of short term loans to members of our military, reach out to us!

A new bill has passed in Virginia setting new guidelines for car title loans. This bill will enforce caps on interest rates and loan terms which is something that has not been done before. Similar to a law in Tennessee the loans are restricted to a year in length, restrict the loan amount to half of the car’s value in addition to preventing new interest being added onto the loan once the car has been repossessed. A tiered interest rate cap will be put into effect, running from 22 percent per month for a loan smaller than $700, to a maximum 15 percent for loans higher than $1,400.
Car title loans are a topic of controversy lately in a similar way to payday loans. The loans both help consumers who are in need and would not have other options, but can be at times tricky for consumers to understand if they are not taking the time to read the terms. The consumer needs to always be aware of the terms of the loan and the interest rate they will be paying. If applying for a loan, being as educated as possible can help the consumer know all options available and prepare/make a plan to use the loan responsibly.

Just as you thought you had all of the gadgets that you needed, Apple comes up with something new! The iPad, which is a large version of the iPhone without phone capabilities, will be hitting the shelves in the US on April 3rd. The iPad was originally unveiled in Jan and expected to be on the market in March, but has been delayed now until April. The iPad is smaller than most laptops, but much larger than a cell phone. The device’s first version will only be able to connect to Wi-Fi networks, while the second will be able to connect to “3G” cell networks. Ranging in price from $499 – $829 depending on data storage size and version.
There are 12 specific new applications for the iPad, as well as it is able to run many of the apps already created for the iPhone. Apple’s Web site will allow you to place orders for the iPad starting March 12th!!

According to the Associated Press, the number of items handled by the post office fell from 213 billion in 2006 to 177 billion last year – the volume is expected to continue to shrink to 150 billion by 2020. Post office hours and delivery times are possibly changing, as the loss of a predicted $7 billion dollars this year is becoming reality. The post office is asking for a decrease in delivery days from 6 down to 5 cutting delivery on Saturdays.
The demands for mail delivery are increasing as new homes and businesses continue to develop and the number of places needing mail delivery increases. The type of materials sent are also shifting from first-class mail to the less lucrative standard mail. The thought of closing post office locations worries many people due to the lines and wait times that are frequently at current locations. Suggestions of opening post office facilities in places like convenience stores and supermarkets has been discussed as the average post office has 600 customers per week, and the average supermarket brings in 20,000 people each week. In addition to being open longer hours and more days having post services in places that you frequent is a benefit to many people!
So what is causing the change in the use of our nation’s post offices? Is it because of the use of the internet? Do we see the use of the post office totally going extinct? That seems a little far fetched but who knows what the future of the USPS really is!

It is official…. Leadpile has teamed up with Payday loan lenders to help deliver real time, qualified, payday loan customers to their institutions. In an effort to try and connect as many people as we can with the payday loan lenders, we have rolled out the “NEW” payday loan live transfers.
Business rules/filters we will capture before transferring the payday loan customer:

1. State the customer lives in.
2. Do they have a checking or savings account, if so which one?
3. How many outstanding payday loan(s) does the customer have?
4. Other filters such as the consumer’s income, do they have direct deposit, or employed by military and more!

If you are a payday lender and looking for unique consumers transferred to you, simply contact us and we will help you connect with those consumers that are needing a payday loan.

The home buyer credit which was expected to boost sales and encourage buying with an incentive of a $6,500 tax credit, is not performing like had been expected.
The tax credit which offered up to $8,000 for people who had not owned a home for three years, had increased sales in the summer and fall of 2009. This credit was extended past it’s initial limited time with a slightly lower credit of $6,500 in hopes of keeping the buying momentum going. Unfortunately, the new credit is not boosting sales as it was hoped to with the unemployment rate still high and the economy still uncertain. Many potential buyers also face the dilemma of selling the home they are currently in before being able to purchase a new home… and for many selling a home where they owe more on it than it is currently worth, this is not an option.
To qualify for the $6,500 credit:
*Buyers must have owned and lived in the same home for five consecutive years out of the past eight.
*Buyer must sign a contract by April 30, and close before June 30.
*The home’s purchase price can’t exceed $800,000 and it must be used as a main residence. *The income limit for single taxpayers is $125,000 and for a married couple $225,000.

Creativity is not something that everyone has the ability to express, it takes a certain “breed” of people to be able to come up with the ideas and works of art that the rest of us often times look at with amazement, wondering “why didn’t I think of that”?

A creative mind and ability to market can be truly valuable and pay off for some lucky people and companies!

According to Entrepreneur.com here are few of the 10 of the most brilliant marketing ideas:

- “Danicing in the Tube” – an ad for T-mobile featuring flash mobs in the middle of a London Tube station. This YouTube video has received tens of millions of page views.

- “The Coke geyser” – The YouTube video of mentos being dropped into a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. Record numbers of people viewed this on the internet, and sales of Mentos and Coke went up much higher.

- “Does she…or doesn’t she?” – Clairol’s series of ads for hair tints and dyes asking the question and making you wonder “does she….or doesn’t she??

- “Marlboro Man” – Marlboro originally marketed to women introduced the American cowboy in an effort to grab more of the market. The ads made Marlboro the bestselling cigarette in the world!

- “A diamond is forever” – De Beers mining company promoted the “requirement “of a diamond for marriage and attached the two months’ salary spending rule with it.

To come up with an icon or phrase that everyone recognizes and last forever is something that is truly amazing and inspiring!

Twitter and Yahoo! have announced a new relationship that will change the “tweeting” world forever! As if there is not already enough instant access to your friends, neighbors, and now even your dogs every tweeted thought, Yahoo! search will now include real-time twitter updates!

According to CNN, real-time tweets will now be available to the 600 million users in Yahoo’s global network. Twitter users will also be able to update their status from Yahoo! sites and share content from Yahoo! in their Twitter stream.

Is having bad credit preventing some people from being hired for positions that they would otherwise qualify for? According to some, this may be true.

In theory it has been thought that credit reports can give outsiders a glimpse into a persons reliability and honesty, however with the current economy and jobless rate, this might not be a fair way to judge or determine levels of responsibility. With so many people out of work and unable to pay bills, consistency in financial liability may not be as clear as it once was.

Credit checks may have some relevancy when hiring for positions with authority to spend, access to cash, financial responsibilities, or for an employee with the ability to access confidential information about other employees.These positions all need an individual who has proven dependability and honesty… of course, these are qualities that every employer looks for and hopes that their candidates of choice will hold, but does every job position constitute pulling a credit history? When does the line get drawn and personal information remains personal?