Despite all the new forms of Internet marketing and the plethora of social media networks that have sprouted up in the last couple of years, direct marketing through direct mail and email marketing still remains one of the most effective advertising channels for businesses of all sizes.
However, that does not mean that rushing and just sending out any direct mail or email campaigns is going to guarantee your success, achieve maximum advertising effectiveness, and result in the best ROI for your marketing budget. Throwing all of your resources into one large campaign that flops can not only stall your operation and income but could even cripple your organization.
Fortunately, by using web analytics and blocks of toll free numbers, you can perform affordable tests quickly in order to hone your direct marketing campaigns and maximize your marketing ROI. By acquiring blocks of toll free numbers, you can use different numbers in a split test campaign to improve the various factors that determine optimal advertising effectiveness, such as your lead and data lists, the copy of your direct marketing pieces, email subject lines, mail packaging, and the timing of your delivery.
Some marketers see testing as something that slows them down. However, testing means you can still get out a partial campaign and receive leads now while you will get a lot bigger return for your money when you go all out. Just look at the difference in not only leads but in actual dollars that a great direct marketing campaign offers. For both mail and email direct marketing campaigns, the response rates can range from less than 1 percent on the low end to over 10 percent for those who have honed and tested. Good campaigns will also yield higher closing ratios. So on the same 10,000 piece campaign, without testing you may end up with 100 responses and one closed deal, while those you have tested could be looking at over 1,000 responses and as many as 250 new deals. Which results do you want for your money?
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Direct marketing is one of the most effective ways to advertise to your target market. Why? Because it is more intimate and personal – customers will feel special because their individual needs are addressed. Now, direct marketing can come in different forms. But one of its best manifestations is mail and email campaigns because they enable marketers to reach a vast number of individuals with minimum time and effort spent (compared to face to face contact).
Testing remains the best way to find out what works for your company. However, general guidelines need to be followed. The best practices in the direct marketing field include:
Readable Emails– No marketing campaign can be effective if people don’t even know what you’re trying to say. In email marketing, a lot of companies integrate multimedia images and content – but these are not necessarily readable on some computers. Even if you include multimedia content, you should still make it a point to put HTML text content so the recipients will still understand what the email was all about.
Interesting Subject Line– If your company is associated with a certain brand or product, it is best to use that. Around 69 percent of recipients make the choice whether to open their mail or not at first glance. Maximize the success rate of your email campaign; it is critical to ensure that the sender name you use is trustworthy and recognizable.
Personalized Mail and Email– Direct marketing is all about establishing a personal connection. With the email management technologies available today, there is no reason why you cannot personalize emails (by adding the recipient’s name, etc). The process allows your campaign to become even more effective.
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