The List, the Offer, the Creative: The 1-2-3’s of Direct Marketing
Did you catch RMR’s recent column in Washington SmartCEO Magazine? If not, the article can be found below. You can also find all of RMR’s articles from the magazine here. Direct marketing can be a huge asset to any organization. Whether online or printed, unlike advertising, it can be sent to a carefully selected audience. Unlike public relations, you have total control over the message and the delivery. Unfortunately, it can also be tricky. In a medium where a 3% response rate is considered a success, you want to be sure to leverage every tool you can. The best way to do that is to pay attention to three basic components of your campaign: the list, the offer and the creative. 1.) The list The list alone is responsible for 60% of your campaign’s success or failure. You may have a compelling offer and great creative, but if it’s going to the wrong people, you’re wasting your time and money. If you operate an ice cream parlor in Germantown, MD, but are sending direct mail to people in San Francisco, it’s fairly certain that you won’t see a big response. Choose lists that pre-qualify your targets as being interested. [...]