How the Marketing Funnel brings order to your marketing plan
Are you familiar with the marketing funnel? You may know it as the sales funnel or the lead funnel. Whatever the name, I think it’s very useful graphic. For me, it provides a good visual framework for individual marketing activities as they apply to your sales...
The 5 Levers of Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is a results-oriented business. Whenever you conduct a campaign, you track and measure results - and then you look for ways to improve on those results. This ongoing adjustment and testing is what makes direct marketing so powerful. You don't have to...
9 Questions to ask about your Direct Mail Creative
So you’ve been given the job of writing a new sales letter or direct mail postcard. You gather all the information, outline your message and then you write ... and rewrite ... and rewrite ... and then you polish. Your mailer is ready. You’re happy with the way it...
Is a direct mail postcard enough?
The direct mail postcard is hot right now. Check your mailbox and notice how many business mailings are postcards. Ask anyone who is considering direct mail, and their first thought is almost always to use a postcard. Do a Google search and see how many postcard...
The real difference between outbound and inbound marketing
Lead generation can be so frustrating. First, you want a campaign that will produce a high volume of leads at the lowest possible cost. But that's not enough. You also want those leads to be qualified - meaning they have real potential for becoming a customer. So you...
Knowing your direct mail break even point – FREE download
It goes without saying that before you begin to use direct mail, you need to know your numbers - specifically, the direct mail break even point. For all the attention you want to give to list selection, format choice and creative approaches, you need to know: your...
Direct Mail Testing. Remove all the guesswork.
Many marketers like to go with their gut – and sometimes it works out. When it doesn’t (and that’s pretty often), they simply dismiss the marketing tactic as something that “doesn’t work for us.” What they don’t understand or acknowledge is the enormous gray area that...
Never feel bad about “cold calling”
Never feel bad about "cold calling" Cold calling used to be part of every sales person's repertoire. At some companies and for some sales people, it still is. But for the larger population, cold calling has taken a back seat to other lead generation tactics -...
Where should you put your Call to Action?
Advertising and marketing programs are supposed to generate results – measurable results. Too often, we forget that. Too often, we are led down the path of brand building and product awareness. We are seduced by creative ads, clever headlines and eye-grabbing...
How to create a direct mail test matrix
Testing is the path to success in direct mail. Generally, testing involves just two elements – testing one item against another ... such as two different mailing lists, or two offers, or two formats or two messages or two of anything else. This is known as an A/B...