Over the past six issues, we've looked at the components of
a successful Direct Marketing campaign: Setting Goals, the List, the Offer,
Creative, and Measuring Results. Here are the "5 Steps to Success"
we've found.
(Note: if you haven't been "on board" for the whole series, you can see past
issues in our
online archive at
www.MarketingAcumen.com/l3mb_newsletter.html.)
Setting Goals
Set a single goal for each campaign, and state it as
numbers. For B2B campaigns, we're usually trying to bring new leads into the
sales funnel. You can determine how many leads you need from your sales goals
and conversion rate:
|
Leads |
= |
Sales / Conversion Rate |
Selecting the List
Ensure your campaign's success by building a quality list.
Qualify the names on your list. Select companies who need
your product or service using SIC, NAICS or NAPCS codes. (You can also select
by geography, if appropriate.) Select individuals who are buyers or
influencers, using job title or job function.
Determine how big your list should be based on your leads
and expected response rate:
|
Contacts |
= |
Leads / Response Rate |
And always use a quality list. We like subscribers from
BPA-audited publications, or a reliable list broker. For email, always use
"double opt-in" lists - and subscribe yourself to verify this. Use
selections to narrow your list - it costs more, but you'll save money on the
total campaign.
And remember - your best list will be your
"in-house" list of customers or newsletter subscribers.
Crafting Your Offer
Your offer must attract
people who will buy your product.
Don't make the mistake of focusing only on response rate - your offer can also
have a big impact on lead qualification.
The offer must give your prospects a reason to respond now. Prospects must see real value and,
if they don't have to act now, most will set your offer aside - and forget to
get back to it. Be sure every one of your offers has a specific time limit.
Compelling Creative
Compelling and smart creative is important. Your first challenge is to get your piece opened - so
focus on the subject line for email, on the voice mail message in
telemarketing, and the color, size, format and delivery method in direct mail.
Ask a question that must be answered, and make your piece stand out in the
inbox.
Always tell your prospects exactly how to respond - don't
leave it up to them to figure it out! Never send a direct marketing piece
without a clear call to action.
And remember, even if your campaign is wildly successful,
many more people will see the piece than respond. If the piece is consistent
with your brand, they'll be more likely to do business with you later. If it's
tied into your other marketing efforts, they'll be more likely to respond.
Measuring Results
Direct Marketing programs are directly measurable, which
makes them easy to justify, and easy to improve. But don't stop with response rate - you need
to measure results all the way through sales, by tying your campaigns into your
affiliate or corporate SFA/CRM software. Key measures to watch:
View every campaign as a science experiment, with your
best-performing past campaign as your control, and test every new proposal.
Create a grid (Lists x Offers x Creatives), and measure results in each cell,
using separate landing pages, phone numbers or offer codes. Then compare the
results. If your new campaign doesn't beat the control, use the control again.
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