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Message & Media : Mind Your Message

Beginning the journey to find the right mix of media, message and offer

January 2009 By Pat Friesen
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As a direct marketer, what’s on your mind as the new year begins? Response rates? Rising costs? Customer reaction to changes ahead?

Most agree that 2009 is going to be a year of changing opportunities—personal and professional, political and economic. So buckle up for the adventure ahead.

For me, the start of 2009 is a time to rethink, regroup and refocus. And that includes this column. You’ve probably noticed it has a new title—Message & Media.

First, I want to thank the faithful readers of Direct Mail Strategy, the column I wrote for five years. Your e-mails, phone calls and letters have proven you are a very responsive group. And I promise I am not forsaking direct mail.

Instead, this new column will broaden our conversation of how to use direct response media to target and deliver your marketing messages. With more media options than ever, this column will provide tips, techniques and examples of how to maximize readership, relevancy and response.

How New Media Fit Into Direct Marketing
According to Direct Marketing Hall of Famers Martin Baier, Bob Stone and Pete Hoke, direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing that uses one or more types of media to generate a measurable transaction at any location, with this activity stored on a database. Their definition sums up what makes the discipline so attractive to marketers focused on ROI.

Keep in mind, some newly emerging media may not fit this definition because they currently lack a way to track individual transactions back to original media sources. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use nontrackable media. Think of it as another tool in your marketing toolbox similar to PR and special events. Just realize you won’t be able to analyze your ROI as you do in direct marketing.

Tracking Is Golden
The beauty of direct marketing is it’s trackable, measurable and accountable. Being able to analyze results allows marketers to identify successes and failures, making adjustments to test, retest and roll out.

Several months ago, I wrote a subscription renewal e-mail for the consumer magazine The Washingtonian. The goal was to test adding a lower cost, nonpaper renewal effort to precede its traditional direct mail renewal series. Sent four to five months prior to lapse, this e-mail currently has a 2 percent to 3 percent open rate with 1 percent to 2 percent of subscribers renewing. While these rates match or exceed industry standards, The Washingtonian continues to test subject lines, offers, timing and other key variables. As a direct marketer, the magazine’s goal is to beat the e-mail control by increasing both open and renewal rates.

 

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(PDF Download) Direct mail, email, mobile, social media, video, search ... the marketing landscape can either be a minefield where mistakes can kill campaigns, or a perfectly integrated mix of channels that maximizes the reach of the message and gives a nonprofit the best chance to capture more donor dollars....

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PDF FORMAT <i>"Despite news to the contrary — especially from the social media space — reports of the death of email are greatly exaggerated. In fact, as your inboxes most likely show, email is growing and becoming even more sophisticated."</i> -- from <i>The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing</i> It's true. Email marketing is still going strong, and continues to be one of the most important factors in any marketing campaign. From the first six months of 2010 to the first six months of 2011 alone, there was a nearly 21 percent increase in email volume! The average number of emails received per day in the first six months of 2010 was 472, and during the first six months of 2011, the daily average increased to 571. Marketers are having success with their email campaigns and using it more and more. That being the case, your email marketing campaign needs all the attention it can get, and knowing what works and what doesn't is the best way to start. That's where "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" comes in. The Guide is brought to you by the email marketing experts at DMIQ and their extensive research into one of the largest email campaign archives in the industry. On top of latest trends, it features 19 best practice chapters from today's email marketing thought leaders. You will learn how to create a relevant email program to nurture leads and drive sales, how to best use call-to-action visuals in your emails, and how to use social email to improve marketing effectiveness. You’ll also learn: • Email Marketing Trends in 2011 • Best Practices in Writing Subject Lines • The Strategy (and Tricks) for Improving Open Rate and Response • 6 Tests to Improve Email Program Results • 5 Best Practices for the Gangbusting Email Campaign • Best Practices for Improving Email Performance • 6 Ways to Make Your Emails Mobile-Ready • Email Branding — The 16 Most Effective Strategies • 11 Best Creative Practices for B-to-B Email Marketing • The Keys to Developing a Successful E-newsletter • How to Determine Your Customers’ Email Content Tolerance • How Email Marketers Can Optimize the Social Media Opportunity • …Just to name a few! This comprehensive report also offers three in-depth case studies, so you can see practical examples of how these methods worked for real-life businesses. "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" is an essential tool for any business that ever sends an email. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with “The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing,” notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, which is in PDF format. The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing

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