subject: Campaigns to a Dream: Direct Marketing for Dummies [print this page] Campaigns to a Dream: Direct Marketing for Dummies
Putting together direct marketing campaigns typically conjures up the bigger is always better' mentality. The line of thought is by piling up the inbox with email blasts notifying your targets that there's a holiday sale at a department store or a buy-one-get-half-off at the local deli, your target will place your good or service top of mind in making their purchase decision.
The truth is, you're likely annoying the you-know-what out of your audience with all these types of spam.
So when mapping out your next direct marketing plans, the old axiom of "Keep It Simple, Stupid" should be uttered over and over again. Why? Because the average email reader spends roughly seven seconds per email message.
Here are some tips to grab their attention and improve your return on investment:
Hocus, focus. To borrow from our friends in the news field, mapping out a strategy requires the five Ws: who, what, where, when and why. By teaming up a social media-monitoring program with an updated marketing database, your campaign will have a firm focus on what the five Ws should entail.
Bold, fresh attention getters. If you bought or purchased anything from a retailer, chances are you've provided them with either a home address or an email address so they can contact you. As a result, your mailboxor email inboxis filled to the brim with all sorts of sales collateral that likely gets tossed aside in attempt to keep things tidy. To stand out amongst the crowd, create an attention-getting headline (direct mail) or an appealing subject line (direct e-mail) to grab their focus. Furthermore, these headlines are the first step in a process that creates initial contact with your prospects and can lead to a call to action.
Give em the 4-1-1. When putting together the copy for mailers, give the consumer all the details to assist them in making a decision. The more you can give themfeatures, benefits, etc. the more improved your chances of getting customers to act. Whatever it is you want from them, tell them in the copy!
Stop spinning those wheels and gain some traction with these short tips to improve your direct marketing campaigns!
