by Dave Blanchard
Higher Response Rates. Less Waste.
Direct mail still provides businesses with a means of putting a physical message in the hands of prospects. Unlike electronic media this message stays visible after the initial delivery so it is not as easily ignored or forgotten.
But the traditional approach to direct mail is highly inefficient. Response rates industry wide typically average between 0.5% and 3%. In other words at least 97% of direct mail goes right from the mail box to (hopefully) the recycling bin (or worse, the trash can). That’s 85.7 billion pieces of mail wasted per year! (1) By sending mail only to the prospects most likely to respond, and by using direct mail to gain permission to carry on a marketing dialog via electronic media, this waste could be cut by half or more.
Cross Media Campaign Management
Four key factors contribute to a higher response rate. First, the prospect is touched multiple times through different media. This repetition increases retention off the message. Second, the content of the marketing message is highly personalized. Increased relevance increases the chances of connecting in a meaningful way with the prospect and eliciting a response. Third, once a prospect does respond, immediate telephone follow up reached the customer at the time of peak interest. Finally, all response activity is tracked so that marketing resources can be shifted to the methods that are delivering the best results while the campaign is running.
An integrated campaign starts with:
- Personalized direct mail or e-mail sent to a list.
- Response is to a web page with personalized messages and images.
- A personalized survey page collects additional prospect information which is saved in the customer database.
- An alert is triggered and sent to the salespersons’ e-mail inbox or cell phone for follow up along with a thank you email.
- All campaign activity is tracked on a real time dashboard. Campaign data can be downloaded in to a CRM system such as ACT or SalesForce.com
One particularly cost effective way to use Cross Media Marketing is to reach out to a target group and invite them into an opt in marketing communication program where they receive regular e-mails containing interesting and engaging content, announcements and special offers. Typically an incentive is offered in exchange for emailing permission. This moves the marketing dialogue from offline to online.
Companies employing Integrated Marketing Campaigns have seen sales volumes double, and achieved double digit response rates – far better results than with traditional methods, Superior response combined with lower printing costs results in a far greater return on investment. With Cross Media Marketing Campaigns, you can market smarter and be kinder to the environment at the same time.
Dave Blanchard is the owner of Cognesis Marketing. To a mission of helping small businesses attract more customers for the time and money they invest in marketing, Dave brings over 26 years of fortune 500 marketing experience and a passion for producing measurable results for his clients.
(1-Robert Coen-Presentation on advertising expenditures, July 2008)
