Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
Should brands discontinue print catalogs? Is print direct marketing less valuable than digital direct marketing? Or is the move to digital by many companies actually making snail mail a channel with less competition? Here are two answers to this question from Direct Marketing News
Pro Print
Rob Reif, president of Media Networks Inc.,
with 24 years of marketing
experience
, says, "While there are higher overhead costs in sending out print catalogs and direct mail fliers, research shows that print channels are highly engaging when targeted to the appropriate consumer segment. Engagement with ads is higher in magazines than on TV or the Web, according to the marketing research firm Market Research Insight."
He also says, "Print is a strong driver of online behavior, too. Have you noticed that in the past several years, almost all print ads have begun to feature a URL or digital code? A lot of the new Internet-based mobile technologies, such as quick response codes, have forced media planners (and consumers) to give print a closer, more appraising look. Short code activation from print ads can help big-brand retailers build solid customer databases.
"
"Integration between print and digital is essential. If you're a retailer, it shouldn't be an either/or proposition."
Pro Digital
Nancy Sloane, principal at Zoom IQ2,
with over 20 years of experience
says, "Looking strictly at return on investment (ROI), the ROI for electronic catalogs sent through email is significantly better than for printed pieces mailed the old-fashioned way. Factor out the costs for printing and postage and factor in an opt-in list with recipients indicating an interest in what you offer and the ROI gets even better. " She also says, "Not only are results more accurately measured in the digital world, but in terms of comparing sales results, digital marketing has been shown to also deliver better returns. A typical direct marketing piece that is "snail-mailed" will deliver a response ranging from 1% to 4%. Statistics on opt-in lists for email returns are significantly higher by comparison. Not only are your recipients interested in receiving the piece and therefore more likely to respond with a purchase, but according to the Direct Marketing Association, 'email marketing has an average ROI of $43.52 for every dollar spent and [that] is only expected to rise.'"
You can read more about what Nancy Sloane and Rob Reif have to say on the subject here: Should brands discontinue print catalogs?
Who do you agree with? Is digital direct marketing the way of the future or is email marketing just a trend? Sound off in the comments!
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
Most likely, you are already planning for the holiday season. Whether you're doing an email campaign or a direct mail campaign, you should prepare for a stronger holiday season than last year's. Read on to find out why.
Why this year's holiday season will be stronger than last year's:
In 2011, email click and open rates outperformed 2010's numbers by 23% and 11%, respectively. Direct marketers should prepare for a stronger holiday season than last year based on this information.
Haven't started planning yet?
The average retailer began its holiday email campaign on October 17 in 2010. The average start date was October 19 in 2009 and October 28 two years prior. Retailers, especially, are clamoring to be the first to start their holiday campaigns. The volume of emails sent between November 1 and the Friday after Thanksgiving that mentioned “Black Friday” increased 68% year-over-year.
If you haven't started yet, it isn't too late!
Check out our services to catch up with your competitors.
With Thanksgiving closing in, don't wait too long to start planning or refine your email or direct mail campaign for this holiday season. You don't want to miss out on a big holiday season for direct marketing.
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Nov 02, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
Infographics are great ways to visual data. Here are three infographics related to direct marketing that will help you with your next email marketing campaign.
Key Statistics:
Email outnumbers snail mail 81 to 1 in the United States.
81% of email is considered spam.
Key Statistics:
9-10 am is the second most popular opening time for promotional email.
5-7 pm is the time when people are most likely to open holiday or b2b promotions.
7-10 pm is the time when people are most likely to open promotions related to leisure activities such as shopping.
And don't forget the checklist!
To minimize human error, take a look at the email campaign delivery checklist before sending out any email marketing campaigns.
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 @ 06:05 PM
Whether you’re B2B or B2C, you’ve probably explored using social media to accomplish some of the same goals of your email marketing campaigns. In this post, you’ll hear how you can use some social media concepts to make your email marketing better.
Here are two easy ways that you can take a social media approach to direct marketing.
1. Build an engaged community, not just a large community.
Translated: Start with a good list.
Whenever you’re building a community of followers, fans or contacts, you should have an idea of who you want those people to be. Ideally, they are prospects for your business or previous clients. The better that members match up to a likely prospect, the better your community is. With your email campaigns, you want to have a similar strategy and buy a good email list from a list broker or create your own opt-in list through other marketing initiatives. In either case, you should have a clear strategy of what kind of people you want on that list. You don’t want a really large list of people who aren’t likely to purchase a product or service from you.
2. Keep track of what’s working and what isn’t
Translated: Keep track of what’s working and what isn’t!
A big part of managing a community is finding out what resonates and engages people, and what doesn’t. The same should be true for your email list. In email you can track open-rates, clicks and similar data. Use this information to make your direct marketing smarter! Does putting “Click here for more info” work better than putting “Buy now!” before an offer? If you don’t know the answer, you could! Make sure you’re doing regular testing to figure out what messaging, what types of offers, or what subject lines work best for your company’s product or service.
What are more ways that you’re making your email marketing smarter? Are you already implementing these methods? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
OgilvyOne Worldwide, a leading direct marketing agency for B2B companies such as IBM and Dupont, is taking direct marketing to the next level by incorporating social media marketing trends, engaging influencers and encouraging brand advocacy.
OgilvyOne Worldwide is in charge of direct and digital marketing for some of the top B2B marketing brands. Their new approach to direct marketing mirrors the evolution of social marketing. OgilvyOne is creating integrated campaigns that target businesses as brand advocates.
For IBM, OgilvyOne created an integrated campaign to showcase Watson's - the super computer that beat two human competitors on "Jeopardy" - success and communicate what the technology could mean to businesses.
One part was a video documentary series of Watson's “journey” through the eyes of IBM researchers. It explained the technology and its benefits for businesses. The videos were on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and its own website. Another part was white papers targeted at business execs, an email lead-nurture campaign, social media and events. IBM saw a significant increase in the number of qualified leads and additional revenue.
“Direct marketing has been evolving over the past couple of years, and very specifically over the last 18 months,” said Gunther Schumacher, COO at OgilvyOne Worldwide, New York.
“Traditional direct marketing was all about transactions. Then came an era of cross-sell and up-sell, then lifetime value and creating loyalty around lifetime value [of the customer],” he said. “Then advocacy came about, which has become more and more important in the context of social media. The next step is making your customers part of your enterprise, down to the co-creation of content and the development of products.”
How can your business apply these techniques to your direct marketing?
Start by hiring a professional to manage your direct marketing lists. Direct marketing needs constant managing to make sure you get the most out of your list.
Next, employ social media techniques and platforms in your next campaign. Make your next email campaign an integrated campaign by cross-promoting on Twitter, Facebook YouTube and anywhere else your target audience may be searching for information. Provide value to your email subscribers by giving them resources they can use to improve their business. Give your subscribers the opportunity to praise your company and become involved in your business.
You can read more at btobonline.com
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
From Microsoft's new B2B email campaign to Obama's endorsement of eliminating Saturday mail here's everything you need to know about the latest B2B direct marketing news.
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Build trusting relationships with b2b customers for better email results Trust has a lot to do with whether someone opens your email. For many B2B customers, that trust is built up directly with the salesperson, someone they have talked to or perhaps met; so that, when they receive a generic marketing email message, it gets dumped right into the trash. There are strategies you can use, however, to help increase the likelihood your messages get opened and help foster a deeper relationship between a salesperson and their customer...
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Salesforce.com acquires Assistly, but stock falls after insider trading report Salesforce.com on Sept. 21 acquired the cloud services company Assistly to expand the reach of its cloud computing platform. Its stock price dipped after reports of alleged insider trading by its CFO...
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Study: Email deliverability rates stagnate at 81% Only 81% of emails sent during the first half of 2011 reached consumers' inboxes, according to a study released by email deliverability services firm Return Path on Sept. 20. The "Global Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, 1H 2011” found that 7% of emails worldwide were classified as spam and 12% were missing...
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Obama endorses ending one day of mail delivery President Barack Obama said Monday the U.S. Postal Service should be allowed to reduce mail delivery to five-days-a-week to help cut its massive losses.The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion last year and is facing even more red ink this year as the Internet siphons off large amounts of first-class mail and the weak economy reduces advertising mail...
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Email Marketing: How Microsoft increased product engagement using email The senior product manager at Microsoft presented a case study yesterday describing how her team launched a lifecycle email program to build loyalty among Microsoft Office 2010′s newest customers.The emails deliver targeted how-to content and videos for five months. One of their main goals is to improve relationships with customers by offering helpful content from team leaders behind Office 2010...
Posted by Donna Peterson on Thu, Sep 08, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
According to a recent report by ExactTarget, more than 90% of people unsubscribe from an email list because of too frequent, irrelevant or boring communications. Are you making this mistake with your B2B email marketing lists?
The study surveyed over 1,500 people, to explore top motivations for unsubscribing from brand communications via e-mail as well as through other social channels. It found that over 90% of respondents were unsubscribing because "emails came too frequently," "the content became repetitive or boring over time," or "I receive too many emails and needed to get off of some companies' lists."
Why is this important?
95% of U.S. online consumers use email and 93% of U.S. online consumers subscribe to at least one opt-in email per day. For your business clients, the same thinking applies. These email list findings are essential for marketers who want to stay in good standing with their clients, consumers or businesses and maintain the size and quality of an email list. The findings also provide important insight behind the motivations of unsubscribers.
How can I use these findings to improve my email marketing to businesses?
The more emails you send out, the more likely your marketing communications are to motivate a client to hit that unsubscribe button. Keep your email blasts to a minimum. This is even more critical on the B2B side. Work email tends to be more frequent and irrelevant content is less tolerated.
Make your emails engaging and entertaining and they won't be viewed as spam!
Don't send the same email over and over again, switch it up a bit to keep your audience engaged.
Go to a list broker who will work with you to provide you with the best list possible. Messages that contain relevant information to the client are less likely to get deleted, ignored or trigger an opt-out.
Take a look at the images below from Mashable for more details:
How are your clients responding to your emails? Do you see a huge unsubscribe rate with your B2B lists? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Aug 24, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
Did you ever think about using Facebook to collect emails?
Social Media ROI is difficult to prove. In the face of this problem, marketers are combining Social Media with Email Marketing to improve and add to their direct marketing lists. By using Social Media platforms such as Facebook to drive email acquisition, direct marketers are winning in the Social Media space.
In an article by Direct Marketing News, big brands are using Facebook to drive email acquisition. For example, Kraft Foods is using social media to introduce a product. Instead of just creating a Facebook page for MiO, its new water-flavor enhancement product, Kraft Foods used its Facebook page to run a promotion with an attached email element. The promotion invited users to try a free sample in exchange for providing their email address and even mailing addresses. This provided the company with a great list of already brand-engaged, product-familar consumers to market to.
Why email?
Email is known for it's strong ROI. Using email lists and email marketing campaigns, direct marketers can track open rates, clicks, CTR, and Conversions from each campaign, split-test the most minute details and optimize for better performance. The ability to track all of these key data points makes email marketing superior to social media marketing when it comes to reporting ROI.
To read more insights see the full article: Marketers leverage Facebook for email
acquisition and consumer engagement
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Aug 10, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
With the advent and proliferation of Online and Email marketing and advertising, many traditional mail marketers may feel neglected by those in favor of new technology. But the tried and true direct mail is not dead, not even close. Take a look at the innovative, technology company that uses direct mail and why they still do.
Google: Google, the technology giant and provider of one of the largest online advertising platforms still uses direct mail. Google is leveraging a direct mail campaign to promote the use of Google Adwords with fliers that offer tips for best practices. If Google the leader of online advertising is still using traditional methods, such as direct mail pieces to market online advertising, there's a good reason.
Reasons why direct mail isn't dead.
1. Mail pieces provide information
-A lot more information can fit on a postcard or brochure than on an online banner ad or on a keyword ad. And if your mail piece is really informative and relevant to the receiver, they just might keep it!
2. Direct mail can be interactive
-Direct mail can be interactice too! Even more interactive then online advertisements. Have you seen these creative direct mailers? Something you can hold in your hand and keep can be really memorable and effective with a little imagination.
3. Direct mail can be just as targeted as online advertising.
-With a good list, direct mail can be finely targeted and effective. Lists can be broken down by geographic location, age, gender, usage and purchase behavior and values and lifestyle habits.
Posted by Donna Peterson on Wed, Jul 27, 2011 @ 06:00 PM
Ever wonder how colors influence your direct marketing or business materials? Take a look at the two infographics below for the latest data on the psychology of color.
Some takeaways:
- The purchase intent for new products is more heavily influenced by color and design than purchase intent for old products
- Light blue represents the calm and friendliness of social networks.
- Black is sleek and used to market luxury products
- Teal and Navy Blue attract shoppers on a budget
- Brown is associated with comfort and stability
(Source: Kiss Metrics)
(Source: Techking)
How will you use this data to improve your direct marketing or business materials? Have you ever done a split-test using color as a variable? What were your results? Please share your thoughts in the comments!