Maximizing Direct Marketing Effectiveness
No longer is it good enough just to get a return on your direct marketing. To survive in this economy, you must maximize marketing ROI. That means not only ensuring advertising effectiveness in terms of response rates, but also in terms of closing ratios and how you handle those customers once they make the effort to contact you.
ShareThisSecrets Direct Marketing Companies Don’t Want You to Know
Direct marketing companies generate a lot of money from creating fancy ad campaigns for businesses. While that is all well and good, the challenge lies in actually measuring results. How much has your brand awareness increased since the campaign? And did you experience an increase in profitability during the campaign's timeframe? These questions are difficult to answer. In some cases, it takes months to analyze the customer response rates to television, radio, and direct mail advertisements.
Testing Advertising Strategy
Before spending good money to test advertising initiatives or strategies, it is crucial you do good research. The research process doesn't always have to be incredibly expensive or lengthy, but it should be the foundation for any business decision. A great product or service isn't going to be of much value if you don't have advertising skills or an idea of what is working in the current environment. It is always best to bounce your ideas off a marketing professional before testing advertising ideas. If you're on a tight budget, you can also analyze and research what is working for the competition or outsource the research for a few hundred dollars to a third party that can provide an outside point of view.
Toll Free Number Quality- What Works?
When running an ad campaign it's easy to grab any readily available number, but have you thought about the effect this may have on conversion rates? In this economy conversion rates are becoming increasingly important. Conversion rates measure each campaign's effectiveness and more importantly the effectiveness of each marketing dollar spent.
Use toll-free numbers to test your direct marketing campaigns
New products, new competition, new mailing lists, new government regulations — there are always reasons why you should be updating your direct marketing materials.
One of the best ways to test and compare the effectiveness of new materials is by using toll-free numbers. That way you can tell immediately which offers are getting responses. Plus, response rates can be tabulated automatically through your phone system.
Direct response consultants will tell you that you need to be constantly testing and refining. Here are a few of the ways you can test your materials:
- Test your new campaign to your current customer base. Mail to existing lists, or advertise in the existing channels. See how the new campaign compares to previous ones to the same lists.
- Test current directing marketing campaigns to a new customer base. Try a new mailing list, put your ads in a new periodical or on a new radio station. See how the new customer lists responds.
- Try out preliminary versions of a new campaign, testing to sub-sections of your existing customer list. This will help you determine which version of the new campaign to roll out to your full list.
When you sign up for toll-free numbers with Custom Toll Free, you get access to an online management tool that assists you with direct response tracking. There’s even a free campaign analysis tool included; input advertising costs and see your return-on-investment expressed in terms of cost per call.
5 things to do (right away!) with your vanity toll-free number
At last, you’ve got it: Your new vanity toll-free number. It’s catchy and memorable — and powerful. But only if you get it out there where prospective customers can see it. While you certainly have plans to use it in the next big direct marketing campaign you roll out, keep in mind that there are many other ways you can a vanity toll-free number to boost business and improve ROI.
- Update your advertising. Redesign your ads and get new versions to all the publications, websites, and broadcast outlets where you currently advertise.
- Update your printed materials. This includes business cards, envelopes, packaging, invoices, br ochures, and signage. It’s amazing how many people may drive by your bricks-and-mortar business every day and not stop in, but who will call as a result of seeing your 1-800 number.
- Update your website. The new custom toll-free number should be prominently displayed on the home page and any sales pages — not buried on the “Contact Us” page or at the very bottom of the web pages.
- Update your phone message. If people who call your current number get a recording (when you are closed, or if they are on hold), take advantage of those recordings to inform them about the new toll-free number. It will make it easier for them to call you next time.
- Explore new types of advertising that are now open to you with an easy-to-remember vanity toll-free number. Those include vehicle signage, t-shirts, and all manner of corporate memorabilia, from mugs to license-plate frames.
