Archive for Advertising Category
Direct Mail – Is It Making A Comeback?
February 01, 2012
New studies show that response rates following direct mail are steadily growing. Although a few years back, direct mail marketers shifted their focus from mail to email campaigns, knowledgeable marketers have now reinventing effective use of direct mail and allocating significant budgets to go back to an age old marketing favorite. Great results and a great deal of attention have followed, while response rates are doubling and even tripling. Judging from these observations, it is generally safe enough to say that direct mail is indeed making a comeback.
Direct mail volumes are significantly increasing again after a few slow years and important marketing and selling opportunities have emerged as a result. Direct mail is different, creative and engaging, which makes it stand out in a stack of mail. Consumers are getting bombarded with thousands of marketing messages per day through email, radio, TV and online and it has become an environment of “noise” for most ignoring them and becoming immune.
With technology, direct mail has evolved to new levels. In recent years the addition of QR Codes, Personal URL’s and dynamic printing capabilities has allowed direct mail to advance. You can now track, more than ever, your prospects and get them engaged from the moment they receive their mail.
Also with new technology, such as www.icimo.com (a strategic partner of The Marketing Machine), profiling and targeting your ideal customer is easier than ever. With data analysis, tactics and strategic planning, direct mail gets “kicked up a notch” to really ensure a return on investment. Advanced criteria are used to go beyond age and income, and focus even further, on purchasing activity, charitable giving records, personal interests and general lifestyle.
While emails are deleted or disregarded with an easy click, everyone at the end of the day checks their mailbox where messages cannot be ignored. With proper strategy and execution, the ROI on direct mail can be invaluable.
Understanding Your Client or Target Market
May 13, 2011
Making the Most of Your Marketing $$$
Would you spend money marketing wetsuits to penguins? If you aren’t reaching your target market, chances are you’re wasting your money. The most savvy, creative marketing approach will fall flat if it’s presented to people who don’t match your specific services or products.
Know Your Audience
One of the keys to successful marketing is to know your audience or target market. Who will use your services? Who will need or be interested in your product? Are they married? Single? Young? Older? Career Minded? Where do they shop? What do they read? Where do they go online? These questions are key to a successful campaign. Too often businesses approach advertising randomly – hoping it will magically work or by throwing money at the issue – a newspaper ad here, an online ad there. It can be an expensive experiment with disappointing results.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
How do you get to know your target market? Initially, you need to do some research. Immerse yourself in your target audience – go where they go, discover their interests and hobbies, learn the lingo and what’s important to them. Consider creating a customer profile – an in-depth description of who your target market is based on your research. You can also subscribe to internet discussion lists and receive daily digests of “conversations” between group members. This will help you get to know who your clients are.
Successful marketing happens when people connect with who you are, what you do and how your products and services make their life better or more convenient. Research allows you to know your market intimately and lets them know you understand and connect with them. As you craft your approach, envision your clients – what do you want them to know? Why do they need or want your products or services?
Get the Results You Want
An experienced professional firm can be invaluable. The choices in advertising and marketing are overwhelming. Knowing your target market narrows the field and helps you effectively reach the right people. Using a qualified professional makes good business sense and saves money. A professional company will help guide and shape your marketing approach based on your input, saving you the hassle and expense of random advertising that just wastes your money.
While there are never guarantees when it comes to marketing, investing the time to know your target audience, using a qualified professional to develop a cohesive plan along with frequency and repetition maximizes your advertising dollars and increases your chances for a successful campaign.