the buck starts here: direct marketing strategies in the 21st

The Buck Starts Here: Direct Marketing in the 21st Century

Presented by:Sue Collins

CollinsConsultsFebruary 21, 2008

What the Heck is Direct Marketing?

• Type of Marketing

• Two key characteristics: • Sends messages directly to purchasers

without intervening media• Focused on driving purchases, e.g., have a

strong “call-to-action”

• Trackable, measurable results if you do it right (response)

And Another Thing . .

• Much more accurate and in-depth way to track and measure ROI

• Offers the ability to track multiple campaigns and multiple offers

• Also feeds into larger sales and marketing intelligence with tracked results

Why Does Direct Marketing Work?

• 1: 1 conversation with your customers• You are reaching your customers directly• Personal • Carries a message• Answers questions• Gets orders/turns customers into insiders

The Value

Source: Responsys

Primary Forms of Direct Marketing

• Direct mail/Catalog

• Telemarketing

• Email marketing

• (Conference Marketing)

Direct Mail

• Catalogs – very important in our market

• Direct Mailers

• Poly-bag packages

• Postcards

• Envelope Mailers

Advantages of Direct Mail

• Targeted

• Personalized

• Optimized by testing

• Analyzed

• Accumulation of responses

Telemarketing

• Salesperson (that’s key)

• Telephone calls to solicit prospective customers to buy products or services

• Over the phone or through a subsequence face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call

Value of Telemarketing

• Lead Generation

• Sales

• Outbound Marketing

• Inbound Calls -- the best of all worlds!

• Added value: market intelligence from customers and prospects

Email

• Enhance relationships

• Acquisition of new customers

• Announcements

• Offers

• Customized

• Tracking by landing pages

Value of Email Marketing

• Broad distribution to a specific targeted group

• Low cost

• Immediate

• Response can trigger additional messages

• Response can be specifically tracked

Direct Marketing Methods Companies Use

Source: QED’s Direct Marketing Study, September 2007

Top Three Direct Marketing Methods Used

Source: QED’s Direct Marketing Study, September 2007

Successful Direct Marketing

Remember 60 - 30 - 10

• 60% of your effort should be directed at the target (list quality)

• 30% against the offer

• 10% is creative

How Do You Know That You Have Been Successful?

• Cost per acquisition

• Cost per piece

• Response rate

• If your average dollar order size has increased

The Keys!!!!

1. Get Attention! 2. Arouse interest and emotion3. Tell an interesting story in a believable way4. Offer an incentive to take action…NOW5. Ask for action, and make it easy for people to do it6. Test, Test, Test!!

Do everything you can to hold people’s attention for as along as possible– that means lots of small pieces and parts, compelling covers or intriguing envelopes.

7 (Deadly) Mistakes

• Wrong list, wrong result• Only one contact/customer• Offer that doesn’t answer a customer need• Dull headline • Unbelievability • Not reaching the right people with the right

promise• Not asking for the order in a simple, easy way

When Should You Use Direct Marketing?

• When you know who your buyer is and can “get” to them

• You have a clear, compelling offer that meets a customer need

• You have a call to action• A time window for sales (buying cycle)• Product, seasonal news, anything

temporal

What Has Changed????

Our Customer Are:

• Getting their information in different ways• Searching the Web• Through Blogs and Podcasts• Participating in Social Networks• Registering and showing up at Webinars• Reading daily alerts (role of PR)

Go To Where Your Customers Are: Web 2.0 Marketing

• Web – How easy is it for customers to find you?

• Blogs – Who can speak for you? What are people saying about you?

• Social Networks –Should you participate?• Online media room – What should you have

on your website?• Podcasting – What should you broadcast?

Marketing Framework

Foundational ActivitiesConference / PR / Collateral / Sales & Channel Tools / Ads /

Online Media Room

Training/UsageDrivers

Website

Word of Mouth/New MediaCommunity / Blogging / Camtasia / Podcasting /

Content / Influencers / Contests

Offers

Lead Generation/

Direct MarketingeMail andDirect Mail

Existing Customers New Customers

Handout

Marketing Toolkit

• Audience

• Key Drivers

• Images

• Messages

• Vehicles

Source: CollinsConsults/Winter Group

Handout

QED’s Direct Marketing Study: A Snapshot of the Educational

Marketplace

September 2007

Thank you! Sue Collins

CollinsConsults

sue@collinsconsults.com

206-275-3419