Lisa Martensen

Creative Writer
  • Connect with Lisa Martensen

I’m a marketing professional who enjoys helping organizations tell clear, engaging stories. I graduated with a degree in Marketing and Advertising from Indiana University Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business, and over the years, I’ve worked across brand, product, and client-focused marketing roles. I’m at my best when strategy, creativity, and storytelling come together, and I believe great work starts with curiosity, collaboration, and clarity.

I was born in St. Louis and grew up in Indiana before settling in Milwaukee, which I happily call home. The city offers the best of both worlds: big-city amenities, an amazing food scene, world-class festivals, and the added perk of living alongside one of the Great Lakes, without the chaos of a much larger city. An eight-month stint in Germany, where I taught English as a second language to business professionals, gave me a broader perspective and a lasting appreciation for different cultures.

I love traveling and am usually planning my next overseas adventure. I’ve visited several countries across Europe and Japan, but Italy has my heart, from the culture and architecture to the art, food, and language. I love it so much that I’m currently learning to speak Italian.

If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?

Katherine Parr (the last wife of Henry VIII) to learn how she navigated a dangerous court with courage, wit, and intelligence, and to pick her brain on learning, resilience, and personal growth.

What was your favorite band/artist 10 years ago?

David Bowie 10 years ago, 20 years ago, today, and forever.

If you could instantly pick up a new skill, what would it be?

Learning new languages! I’d be fluent in Italian, plus French and Japanese would be next on my list.

Variable Data Best Practices

  • At the quoting stage of your project, please let us know how many fields of variable data your piece will have as this can affect pricing.
  • Data should be provided to us as an Excel spreadsheet with only the applicable data included.
  • Verbiage for variable data fields on artwork file should match up exactly with data fields on spreadsheet.
  • Spacing on artwork must allow for longest data entries. We recommend that your designer tests this in advance to confirm that the fields in the design can fit your longest pieces of data.

Postage Permits

We are happy to mail using a client’s USPS non-profit number. Here are a few best practices for this to go smoothly. Let our team know up front on the project so we can make sure to get the information we need right away. 

While our mail house does prefer to use their permit number for the mailing, we can use the client’s permit, If using their permit number, ensure there is enough postage to cover the mailing.

The information we need to in order to use a client’s nonprofit number includes the following:

  • CRID (customer registration ID)
  • Non-Profit Authorization Number (with USPS, not their nonprofit number for the university)
  • Non-profit indicia
  • Return address that is on file with USPS for the non-profit authorization number
  • Permit number

Formatting the Mailing List

Our account team will advise on specific requirements for your project’s mailing list.  We generally recommend these best practices to format the mailing list:
  • Send your data in a spreadsheet, saving it in the comma-separated values (CSV) format
  • International addresses must be separated from domestic addresses
  • Domestic addresses should at least contain data fields for “first name”, “last name”, “address 1”, “address 2”, “city”, “state” and “ZIP code”