Bath and Bristol marketing company.

Direct Marketing can really work

Paul TagentLeave a comment

If you are running a Direct Marketing marketing campaign which is aiming to generate a response, remember that there is no “ideal” per cent response rate – just the profit per reply calculation.Direct Marketing can really work

I have heard some people throw around figures like “you might get a 2% response from Direct Marketing if you’re lucky.” This is actually, in my opinion, complete nonsense. Too many people discount using printed material as a marketing platform basing their decisions on response rates……..it doesn’t matter about the percentage, it only matters about the profit per reply.
After all, do you think companies like Boden who use direct marketing as a huge part of their marketing worry about the number of catalogues recycled?

No. They use Direct Mail and Direct Marketing as it works. In fact, each year, more than 20 million copies of their remarkable publication thump through Britain’s letterboxes (source Telegraph March 2012). “Johnnie” now has a fortune estimated at over £300 million and the company’s most recent financial results showed turnover rising 15 per cent to £232 million and pre-tax profits up by 13 per cent to £32.5 million, with few signs of a slowdown.

Not everyone is going to be as successful as a company like Boden, but they have found a marketing platform that works and this is something every organisation must do in order to grow. If you decide to give the Boden model a go, then there are a couple of areas you must consider to get the best out of direct marketing.

1. When people respond, do get back to them quickly, preferably within hours rather than days.
2. If the follow up from you is posted, make sure that your company name is clearly visible as you don’t want your mail binned.
3. Whatever you send or however you follow up, make sure it’s relevant and interesting and make sure that the next step is clearly outlined.

Sometimes it also really pays to know what your competitors are up to with regards to any mailings they are making and what offers they contain. Maybe try and get their material and analyse it in your own terms – what does it tell you about their strategy, their services, their focus, their targeting etc? I will admit to running an email marketing campaign for a client in the automotive sector following a bit of mystery shopping!

Anyway, to recap, when it comes to direct marketing, approach it by:

1. Stating the target audience’s problem – maybe use a headline that your reader can identify with?
2. Promise a solution – with an explanation in the body copy maybe using a case study
3. Ask for a response – don’t tiptoe around here. Be hard, be direct and demand a click or a call!

At Bath Marketing Consultancy, we are believers of printed material as well as online marketing so why not get in touch and see what we can do for you.

What is a brand? How do I get one?

Paul TagentLeave a comment

On more than one occasion I have been asked this question and the person asking has then quickly followed up the question with the statement, “it’s the logo isn’t it?” 


Well, in all honesty, the logo is just a small part of what makes up a brand. The logo is more of a device that helps represent the actual values of a company.




To take this further, a brand is a companies’ personality; how it differentiates itself from the competition, its perception in the market place and there are a number of elements that contribute to this. Any marketing activity a company undertakes must be consistent to provide clarity. By this I mean, your organisation should stand for something – it should have a clear USP with which you are permanently associated.



Also, and it may sound obvious, but your company must exude a positive perception that is both unique and appealing. In my experience, a company will too often plumb for a common claim and simply becomes a ‘oh no, not another one’ rather than a ‘brilliant, I will get in touch.’

A great deal of successful brands are able to differentiate themselves from the competition quickly and effectively gaining the maximum number of prospects (and existing clients) for the minimum amount of effort.



My check list in creating your brand is 
–
Who are your target audience? – define you TA in terms of sector, seniority, location etc
What are their real needs? – markets are becoming more and more fragmented so divide your services or specialise if need be.
Who does your competitor use? – really get to know your competition. It is essential you have the answer to ‘what should I switch to you?’
How do they choose? – who makes the decisions? who is involved? where are they getting their information on which they are basing their decision?
How does your competition operate, how do they present themselves, how are they positioned?

Then…..
Where do you want to be in relation to this? – this is your USP.
What are your strengths and weaknesses? – do a SWOT and either capitalise on your strengths or eliminate your weaknesses.
Do you need to change direction?
If so, what are the implications? – i.e. you might want to pause a marketing push.



Some of the above might not be answerable, but research your market, invest time, money and energy to give your business an advantage. And of course……………use an outside Consultant to gain objectivity!

30 Questions to test you and your business

Paul TagentLeave a comment

1 Can you and your team name three things that set you apart from the competition?
2 Do you communicate the benefits of your product or service in all of your promotional literature, websites, letters etc?
3 Have you tested Telemarketing to attract new customers? Did you accurately measure the results?
4 Have you tested Direct Mail to attract new customers? Did you accurately measure the results?
5 Have you tested PR to attract new customers? Did you accurately measure the results?
6 Are your ads powerful direct response ads that compel the reader to contact you – or are they mundane like all the competition?
7 Do you advertise in certain publications just because your competitors do? Social Media - Do I or don't I?!?
8 When you speak to a potential new customer, do you use words that set you apart from the rest and immediately capture the customer’s attention?
9 Have you tested pay per click search engine advertising?
10 Have you tested Internet Advertising?
11 Do you send regular email communications to your customers and prospective customers?
12 How much time each year do your key team members spend learning leading edge sales skills?
13 Do you have an excellent lead generation process in place?
14 Do you set up an ongoing communication with qualified leads consisting of phone calls, letters and emails?
15 Do you obtain and use testimonials from your best customers?
16 Do you have an excellent referrals systems in place?
17 Did you know there are more than 90 ways of obtaining referrals?
18 Do you offer something of value to your website visitors in exchange for their contact details?
19 Do you know how to write a press release to instantly grab the attention of the person reading it?
20 Do you personalise your email newsletters?
21 Do you know the most important piece of marketing information there is – your clients’ birthdays!
22 Do your team understand that the best way to sell is to ask questions?
23 Do you rent or purchase mailing lists of your target customers?
24 Do you take amazing care of your current customers?
25 Do you know why it’s important to include a ‘PS’ in all of your sales letters?
26 Do you communicate by mail, email and telephone on a frequent basis to your current customers to ensure they know what you have to offer?
27 Do you use just one or two ways of marketing to promote your business? Do you know why you should be using between six and ten?
28 If you used ten ways to market your business have you any idea how wealthy you would be?
29 Did you know that if you follow up a mailshot with a phone call you can increase response rates by 100 – 1000%
30 Do you realise that your competitors probably answered ‘no’ to even more questions than you did!

Now here’s a Free Tip. Pick just three of the above that are important to you and take some action today to improve those areas. Print out this article and come back to the checklist in the weeks and months ahead. You can use it as a very good way of measuring your progress as you implement the marketing strategies that are going to make a difference.