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5. Always include tracking.
Key coding is a big strength in insert media and should be applied in every campaign. For each offer or variable, use a unique code and keep the codes simple. Vidal suggests incorporating the name of the offer into the code and using unique URLs and toll-free numbers for each item tested. If you are driving prospects online, use pURLs or mandate that prospects enter a key code to effectively monitor this channel.
6. Maintain control with a broker.
Brokers are key to achieving printing and placement discounts, as well as to maintaining a high level of communication and timeliness “In insert media, you’re dependent on somebody else’s business, projections and operations to get your ads out there,” Quigley says. As an intermediary between program managers and carriers, a broker alleviates some of the industry’s stresses. When sourcing a broker, look for an individual “who anticipates your needs, understands your business and is looking out for you from a competitive perspective,” Vidal notes. “It’s really a two-way street,” Guyer adds. “The company needs to educate the broker on who their target consumer is and the broker needs to come to the table with their advertising media history to match up the right lists and vehicles.”
7. Be timely.
Low entry costs may mean lower risk to a lot of marketers, but to maximize the benefits of insert media, allow enough lead time to develop a successful campaign. Quigley advises marketers build a sizable learning curve into their programs, so that initial results can lead to better targeting and a surer path to their coveted niche audience. In a competitive industry, marketers also need time to get clearance into popular programs. “I’ve already got mailers placing orders in my program out in the second quarter [of 2008],” Vidal reveals.
Succeed in insert media, and you stand to gain what Guyer cleverly calls “an annuity of new customers every month.” With a diverse offering of programs and vehicles and a potential circulation in the millions, “there’s enough opportunity out there that insert media can become a really important part of the marketing mix for any company that recognizes what it can do,” Quigley concludes.
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