Want to Increase Your Direct Marketing Response Rate?

Tweet

Response rates driven from relevant marketing campaigns are, on average, over 4 times that of responses to static, same-to-all messages. This is not my opinion; this statistic actually comes from the PODi’s digital print case study collection and the DMA’s 2012 Response Rate Report.

Depending on the segment, the increase in response rates due to personalized, relevant marketing ranged from a factor of 1.3 to 6.2.

These response rates do not magically occur when personalization is used. The critical factor is the offer, and how relevant it is to the recipient. If the recipient gets a marketing piece that offers them something they really want, just at the time when they want it, they will respond. Otherwise, they will not. It makes absolutely no difference how the piece was produced or what the price point is.

In our industry, the terms “personalization” and “relevance” are often used interchangeably.

While they have similar meanings, there are subtle but important differences that are necessary to understand. It might be easiest to think of personalization as a science and relevance as an art. Personalization often refers to variable data that includes the recipient’s name, appropriate images and a personalized response mechanism such as a pURL. While personalization results in what information goes where in a marketing campaign piece, relevance is the art of developing content that speaks to the recipient’s needs, at the right time, and delivers a compelling solution to their problem.

Here are three tips to make your direct marketing copy more relevant:

1. Put Critical Ideas at the Beginning. Most consumers skim their mail and only read the first few messages. Take advantage of established reading patterns when organizing content and put your most important information at the top. 
2. Have a Conversation with Your Prospect. The goal with any relevant direct marketing piece is to “speak” to your audience. Show that you understand their specific problem and provide the solution with a timely call to action.
3. Make the Call to Action Clear and Easy. Not only should the call to action be relevant, it should also be convenient to respond to. Don’t make your prospects jump through hoops or click too many times to follow through with an offer.

The most successful marketing campaigns are a product of personalization and relevance. Despite their subtle differences, both strategies used in tandem can turn a direct marketing campaign’s offer from interesting to irresistible.

Please let me know if I can help you develop a great marketing campaign using both personalization and relevancy.

 

Ed Glaser
Chief Marketing Officer
252.321.5805
ed.glaser@acculink.com 

Learn: www.intelimailer.com
Watch: http://youtu.be/He429Ylw3l8
Build: https://storefront.acculink.com/Promo/Login.aspx