| "A Powerful Direct Response Marketing Guide that | | | | books since the beginning of the century. The only |
| Can Literally Double or Triple the Number of New | | | | difference today is that the Internet has made it much |
| Clients Your Bring Into Your Business Online or Offline" | | | | faster and cheaper to compile permission based opt-in |
| Contact Information | | | | lists online. |
| Timothy Little--For details on how to launch a direct | | | | Even a great product at a reduced price would be |
| response Web site or mail marketing campaign | | | | useless if it is presented to the wrong prospects. You |
| contact me by E-mail For free consultation e-mail the | | | | must target your prospect to generate traffic for your |
| quote form at or call me by phone at (989) | | | | product by Web site or mail. |
| 463-5951Part 1: Defining Direct Response | | | | Most lists fall into two categories compiled lists or |
| Advertising | | | | direct response lists. Compiled lists are phone |
| Direct Response marketing is accountable. It is | | | | directories annual membership rosters, and |
| advertising you can justify and track. Not only is direct | | | | manufacturing directories. Response lists are just as |
| response marketing measurable but it can easily be | | | | they imply they have responded and purchased a |
| adapted to fit your advertising budget. | | | | targeted product or service recently, because of this |
| The heart of direct response advertising is in the | | | | fact they are most likely to purchase a similar item |
| planning, organizing and pricing of the marketing | | | | again. Response lists are common for magazine |
| campaign. Small business entrepreneurs must match | | | | subscriptions or lists of prospects that have purchased |
| mailing list selection to prospect profiles and design a | | | | life insurance or indexed annuities recently. |
| campaign that targets the customer. Most importantly, | | | | Standard Rates and Data Services (SRDS) are |
| providing follow up service with back-end analysis, | | | | directories of response lists. They will include quantities |
| fulfillment of orders and inquiries this allows a small | | | | and descriptions of each list for sale. |
| business to test and measure campaigns quickly and | | | | Part 3: Direct Marketing Strategy |
| inexpensively. | | | | The offer is often referred to as the deal. This is what |
| A small business financial planner can than focus on | | | | people get for there money. Whether you're planning a |
| the most profitable segments of a campaign. Direct | | | | direct marketing strategy, evaluating a campaign or |
| response marketing is efficient its small target groups | | | | writing an ad much of the work revolves around three |
| made up of the most interested prospects for a | | | | important elements. The offer the list and the creative |
| product or service. | | | | and these elements work together or separately to |
| Direct mail and direct marketing are sometimes used | | | | make your direct marketing promotion work. |
| interchangeably. Direct marketing can be used | | | | The offer is the product or service being sold and |
| effectively in many different media's and is not limited | | | | includes any warranties, guarantees, features, and |
| to direct mail advertising. Direct marketing goes far | | | | price and credit terms. The offer could also be the |
| beyond sending self contained mailers. This reality is | | | | actions someone needs to take to place an order like |
| truer online since, accumulating opt-in permission based | | | | a shopping cart or form on a Web site or reply card in |
| names for e-mail promotions can be done at a fraction | | | | a bulk mailing. |
| of the cost of bulk mail marketing campaigns. I can | | | | Offers separate general advertising from direct |
| help you during the critical planning stages e-mail me at | | | | response. General advertising often excludes the |
| for more information. | | | | critical information that should always be included in |
| Direct response advertising can be used in variations | | | | direct response advertising. Direct response puts all the |
| to support marketing and promotional activities for | | | | necessary information together in an offer and tells the |
| driving traffic to your Web site or inquiries for a | | | | reader exactly how to respond. People expect offers |
| product or service | | | | in direct response advertising. You must give the |
| A study recently published in the Marketing section of | | | | prospective customer a reason to respond like limited |
| the Wall Street Journal (December 2002.) Indicates | | | | offer or special bonus, since the purchase is impulsive |
| that media spending will shift away from traditional | | | | in nature. |
| media advertising and switch towards Internet | | | | Failing to make the offer clear or forgetting to make |
| marketing and direct mail since they appear to be | | | | an offer at all is a common mistake among direct |
| more promising. "E-mail marketing is more measurable | | | | response marketing beginners. The way to get a |
| and is seen as a good value for the money as people | | | | response to an offer is to make a deal that prospects |
| get better customer targeting". | | | | can't refuse. |
| The growth of direct response marketing online and | | | | In direct marketing, offers are categorized by the |
| off has grown tremendously over the last few years. | | | | method of payment. Offers with delayed billing and trial |
| The benefits and profit potential online has been | | | | periods are soft offers. Asking for a payment up front |
| recognized worldwide and will be the number one | | | | with a special bonus for paying now by credit card is a |
| advertising vehicle both online and off for the following | | | | hard offer. The payment terms like accepting credit |
| reasons. | | | | cards online makes a big difference in the response to |
| *Patrick Barwise - London Business School | | | | the offer. Splitting up payments can sometimes make |
| management and marketing. | | | | a difference on higher priced items. |
| Benefits drive direct marketing. If you don't already | | | | Sometimes in direct marketing the elements included in |
| think of your marketing in terms of benefits, now is a | | | | a product can make a big difference in response. The |
| good time to start. Direct marketing is like no other | | | | price of an offer should be tested at certain price |
| form of advertising since you have control over your | | | | points. Testing hard offer verses soft offer sometimes |
| message and you control everything color, design, the | | | | can make a big difference in response rates. Always |
| list, and your budget and payment options. | | | | strive to improve your offer by testing different |
| The flexibility of direct response marketing helps you to | | | | elements of an offer. |
| broaden your thinking. Precise targeting allows you to | | | | Part 4: Direct Marketing Creative |
| search for specific products. The more precise your | | | | Your actual copy and graphic design is important in |
| message is the less money and time you spend on | | | | direct response but less than a well defined strategy |
| people who are not interested or qualified to use your | | | | using your offer and a targeted list. |
| product. Direct response marketing is an equalizer for | | | | Poor graphic design can hurt your response and |
| a small business. Finally you are able to compete with | | | | professional image. Lavish or unusual artistic techniques |
| larger competitors with targeted messages and react | | | | may work well for magazines and other types of |
| quickly to changes in the market because of your | | | | advertising but would actually distract or lower |
| small size. | | | | response rates in direct mail. It would be wise to keep |
| Direct Marketing is immediate and personal. What is | | | | your graphic design to a minimum unless you employ a |
| more immediate and personal than a letter? New | | | | graphic designer for design or professional |
| opt-in email technologies allow you to reach thousands | | | | photographer to shoot your photography. Direct |
| of prospects in minutes with a personalized message | | | | response advertising is a combination of words, |
| including name and personal interests. | | | | pictures and graphics. The words used almost always |
| Direct marketing is a more testable form of advertising. | | | | must move and persuade. |
| Every mailing campaign you run is an opportunity for | | | | Write a sales letter for entry-level products or |
| you to test something and gain information that can | | | | service's and feature it on your home page. Write a |
| help you improve your marketing. You always have | | | | sales letter convincing prospects to send an e-mail |
| the opportunity to test different lists, offers and | | | | requesting a sales representative to contact them. |
| packages. You need to have a good tracking program | | | | Offer free reports, e-zine to build the list. Personalizing |
| in place to do this effectively. | | | | with first name last name, gender zip-code using mail |
| Part 2: The money is in the list | | | | merge software will increase response and will |
| You can use direct response marketing to build a | | | | separate you from the clutter of emails prospects get. |
| database. Whenever a prospect buys from you simply | | | | Using a compelling headline that draws your prospect |
| add their name and purchase information to your | | | | into your letter and promotion can triple marketing |
| database. The quickest way to build a database is to | | | | response. The headline should be driven by product |
| offer a free electronic brochure embedded on your | | | | benefits or solving a problem. Headline offers would be |
| Web site for example (9 ways to retire 10 years early | | | | a good item to test in a letter and can pay for it self |
| or free quotes and 30 days of free life insurance.) | | | | many times over since this would become your control |
| The reason for your database is to re-sell to your | | | | letter. Newspapers and tabloids use well crafted |
| prospects again and again and test cross selling | | | | headlines to sell there publications at point of purchase |
| techniques for free. This brochure can be plugged in to | | | | display's. |
| your web site for download or you can personally | | | | Only a few Web sites use direct response marketing |
| make an appointment with your prospect and hand | | | | in there copy and the Web sites that have tested |
| them a brochure in person. | | | | sales copy have been successful. Marlon Sanders and |
| There is no doubt that these techniques will help you to | | | | Cory Rudl are good examples of internet direct |
| achieve success in your marketing efforts. It is | | | | response marketing pioneers. Both have made |
| important that you plot the destination of your | | | | fortunes selling and testing there books and e-books |
| marketing campaigns with a marketing or business | | | | on the internet using old fashioned marketing |
| plan. Direct marketing results are almost immediate and | | | | techniques. Web sites that sell products and services |
| these results will not help you unless you plan your | | | | do better if graphics and flashy programming designs |
| business objectives. Many companies falter and lose | | | | are excluded since they take longer to load which will |
| sight of overall goals without a marketing plan to guide | | | | greatly lower the response unless closely tested. |
| them. | | | | The focus is writing compelling copy that describes the |
| Improved Computer capabilities and more recently the | | | | many benefits and features of products or services. |
| internet has made both direct marketing and direct mail | | | | Products that are digital in nature like e-books and MP3 |
| more efficient and more effective with database | | | | music and software do especially well since the visitor |
| marketing. The way to make direct mail more efficient | | | | will get immediate satisfaction by checking out with |
| especially with the rising costs of postal rates and print | | | | credit card and downloading within a couple of minutes. |
| media is to target prospects with database collections. | | | | If you are selling e-commerce web mall items clean |
| The database is a collection of information on | | | | digital photography with limited graphics and strong |
| customers and perspective customers including their | | | | copy featuring benefits like free delivery, guaranteed |
| names, addresses, titles and companies. Lists | | | | satisfaction or free downloads will help response |
| selections can be further segmented by geography or | | | | levels. |
| zip-codes, gender, income and commission levels. | | | | Direct response soft offer trial periods are being used |
| Prospects are grouped together with common | | | | frequently by Microsoft Network and AOL to market |
| characteristics to increase marketing effectiveness. | | | | there internet services. Like 60 days free with credit |
| The database is used to fit customers with products | | | | card verification. When the competition is fierce and |
| or services and to aim a precisely written message to | | | | pockets are deep soft offers can be very effective |
| a special group of people. | | | | as long as your billing package has been tested and |
| Successful sales professionals know that the more | | | | has proved to be effective. Payment variations (credit |
| they know about their customers and prospects the | | | | card, check, installment by phone or emailed by CGI |
| better they will be able to sell to them. The same is | | | | form) may work well for products and services on the |
| true in direct marketing and the list is the key resource. | | | | internet. This technique used in direct mail would have |
| Close list selection and analysis is the first step to | | | | the opposite effect and may lower response. Testing |
| ensuring a successful direct response program both | | | | this feature would give you the best answer. |
| online and off. The money is in the list and in this sense | | | | Sometimes billing prospects for services can triple the |
| the internet has not changed this fact. Today, it is | | | | response rate. The payment offer can be a crucial |
| much less expensive to collect and test different | | | | element in a direct response campaign and should be |
| offers with the speed of the Internet. This is the same | | | | evaluated closely, since the pay up rate could possibly |
| way publishers have sold magazine subscriptions and | | | | break a small business. |