DIRECT MARKETING

Ask most people to define direct marketing and they will describe direct mail. 

Direct mail is certainly the most popular medium under the direct marketing umbrella, but we urge clients not to overlook other direct response options as well.   Both online and off. 

The goal – regardless of media – is to generate a measurable response and contribute to the sales process. 

Since 1984, we have helped companies plan and execute direct marketing programs – mostly direct mail.

The vast majority of our assignments are copy and creative focused, but we also advise clients on list research, offer development, format selection, printing, mailing and response analysis.

We’re near Boston but you can be anywhere
If you prefer to work with a local creative team, we are located in Milford, Massachusetts – just 45 minutes from Boston, Worcester and Providence.   

While most of our business comes from southern New England, we are happy to work with you no matter where you’re located.    Most of our communications are handled by email and phone so long-distance clients is no problem. 

  

Direct Mail – First Steps
When we begin a direct mail campaign, we start with a few basic questions:

• What are you selling and who are you selling to?
• Who do you compete with and what makes you better? 
• How do you sell it – by phone, mail, over the web, face to face or through third parties?
• How will this direct mail campaign fit into your sales process?
• What kind of response are you looking for – inquiries, qualified leads, orders, visitors?
• What are your response expectations?

If you haven’t thought about this before, ask yourself what you want your direct mail to accomplish.  You can use direct mail to:

Identifying the purpose

• generate leads 
• produce immediate orders 
• bring customer traffic to a retail outlet or trade show booth 
• produce more visitors to your website 
• cross-sell to existing customers

How does this program fit in with the overall sales process?   By outlining each step in the sales process, we can begin to see what role the direct mail will play in the process.

In developing your plan, we will look at seven critical areas:

Developing the plan

Lists
Most agree this is the most important component of your program.   If you have a House List, this will be your productive list – by far.  If you’re considering rented lists, we’ll help you explore both compiled and response files.   

Offers
Of equal or near equal importance to lists, your offer will have a major impact on both quantity and quality of your response.  We’ll help you find or develop an offer that matches your marketing objective

Format
Should you be mailing a letter package, self-mailer or postcard?  Or maybe a 3-dimensional piece?  There are many marketing factors that go into this decision beyond your personal preferences. 

 Creative
What is your message and what’s the best way to promote it?  We’ll provide the creative concepts, copywriting and graphic design to deliver you message in clear, professional and persuasive manner. 

Production
Production is a multi-step process that includes acquiring your mailing lists, conducting merge-purge, printing, addressing and personalizing, inserting, mail processing and postal delivery.

 Budget
We can approach your budget in one of two ways.  We can prepare a budget around your needs and show you budgets for a range of quantities.  Or we can work with your budget and help you get the most out of that amount. 

Measuring & Analysis
Every campaign is tracked for overall response, but we want to take it a little further.  How many of those leads converted to sales or at least were determined to be “qualified” leads?  What were the results as measured against costs – cost per lead, cost per qualified lead, cost per sale?

 

FREE Strategy & Creative Review
If you have a direct mail program in place and would like to get some fresh ideas, send us a copy of your mailing and let’s talk about it – over the phone or in person (depending on your location).  There’s no cost or obligation involved.  Just a chance to get another perspective.   

 

Let’s talk

As a first step, we’d like to hear about your business and what challenges you’re facing when it comes to marketing.  Call us and let’s get acquainted.  There’s no cost or obligation involved. 

Call Bob McCarthy at 508-473-8643.