The Direct Marketing Mosaic

Looking through the past month of tweets in the GT Marketing Ltd’s Twitter feed, a recognizable theme can easily be recognized through various postings.

Certain articles, blog posts, news items, and statistics have emerged that create a mosaic of how to spread a marketing message in this electronic age. Individually, these articles, blog posts, news items, and statistics are useful pieces of information. Like individual pieces of a mosaic, each has its own color and shape. Together, the pieces create a picture of how to integrate the different media available in today’s advertizing landscape into a successful marketing campaign.

Of course these days buzz is all about using electronic forms of communication and social media. No doubt that’s where are a lot of marketing dollars will be spent n 2011. This is natural and logical. But the long term outcome and results of such advertizing and communication in the customer-centric universe are still unknown. What is certain, regardless of the media being used for advertising and communication is that good writing, a sharply targeted audience, and a means to get an offer in front of a prospect with assurance that it will actually get there, all form the basis of a strong marketing effort. In fact, print media is part of this mosaic. We've got an article in the latest edition of Healthcare Marketer's Exchange, a place where we also advertize.

The marketing mosaic is the same as any picture made up of many different elements. As far as GT Marketing Ltd. is concerned, mail is definitely a part of this marketing mosaic, and mail will continue to be around for a long, long time.

The use of direct mail, a medium which puts a targeted piece of advertising in someone’s hands, has a longer shelf-life than any e-mail could hope to last. Then there’s the issue of an e-mail being directed into a spam folder. In fact, a recent study found that 20% of all e-mail is not delivered.

Also of concern with electronic advertizing is the how some electronic media will track your on-line movements. This has prompted a move by the federal government to move towards enacting ‘do not track’ legislation. Legislation pertaining to the Postal Service has to do with pension funding methods, not questions about privacy. In fact, despite budget concerns, the US Postal Service is continuing to work on ways to move mail more efficiently through their system. GT Marketing was an early adopter these cost and time saving requirements and already has certain barcode requirements in place to support the new USPS systems.

From GT Marketing Ltd’s perspective, mail is not going away. The savvy marketers at a recent Direct Marketing News roundtable discussion think so either. At GT Marketing Ltd, we have an on-line presence with this blog, our Twitter feed, and Facebook. But if you think about it, our social media is also the trust of a handshake backed by fifteen years of success as experienced direct marketingers.

We look forward to putting that experience to work for you on your direct marketing projects. Everyone here at GT Marketing Ltd. would like to wish you a happy and healthy start to the New Year.

Direct Marketing's Secret Equation

Are there secrets to success in business? How about magic bullets or quick fixes? Free lunches?

If you’re in business, you already know that if something is too good to be true it probably isn’t true, and that there is no substitute for hard, thoughtful work.

One of the unique aspects of direct marketing is that the results of an offering can be more easily and accurately measured than in any other marketing form.

Get a list, send out an offer, calculate the response, and you’ve pretty much described the process of direct marketing. Targeting your offer is supposed to be efficient. The advantage of having a quickly identifiable result to a marketing effort is attractive because the results help guide the next marketing campaign.

That’s where the 40/40/20 rule comes into play. You have no doubt heard of the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. This guideline conveys the idea, in business for instance, that 20% of your customers make up 80% of your sales revenue.

Developed by marketer Ed Mayer, the 40/40/20 rule helps to sensibly guide your direct marketing efforts. The first 40% of your effort is acquiring the appropriate list of prospects. This is your target audience. The list will be the recipients of your offer. It is essential that you define your list with care so that the names you mail to are worthwhile and current.

Tied to the list is the next 40% of the rule, and that is the offer itself. The product or service you are offering is equally essential to the target market. Ideally the offer matches the needs of the list so that your response rate is maximized. The offer is what attracts your customer to call you or to buy.

Now let’s address the 20% portion of this rule, the smallest portion. The 20% refers to the creative content displayed in your mail piece or conveyed in an e-mail. The creative elements of your offering are important, but obviously pale in comparison to the list and to the offer.

However, each element in this formula relies on the other elements for its success. A great offer sent to an unqualified lead won’t produce results. Similarly, great advertising copy won’t make up for a lackluster offer.

Keep Ed Mayer’s 40/40/20 rule in mind when you are forming your next direct marketing campaign and you’ll quickly see why laying a strong foundation with your list and with your offer will reward your efforts with successful, measurable results. We’ll talk about some of those metrics in the future, so stay tuned.

GT Marketing LTD is a full-service direct marketing and direct mail production facility. GT Marketing handles fulfillment, warehousing, and expert direct mail production, consultative marketing, and project management. Call us to discuss your project at 800/435-7492 or e-mail us at mail@gtmarketingltd.com.

The Importance Of Working Your Leads

In an age of social media buzz and electronic communications, it’s great to read about new, high profile mail campaigns. Scan the pages of the trades such as Direct Marketing News or Operations and Fulfillment magazines and you’ll see plenty of examples of mail being used to engage new business opportunities.

This month, US Cellular “launched an integrated campaign, “The Belief Project,” on October 1 including direct mail, e-mail, newsletters, text messaging, bill inserts and outbound calls to consumers.”

During September, 50’s-themed restaurateur Johnny Rockets sent out a mailer to businesses within a certain radius of their 52 stores. They used the mail to create brand awareness and to generate new business by sending out a variety of discount coupons.

While this isn’t primarily the type of mailer sent out by many of GT Marketing Ltd’s pharma-related clients, it is exactly the process that GT Marketing Ltd’s clients use to fulfill their CME (Continuing Medical Education) classes and seminars, and promote their various offerings.

Targeted mailing lists are the fuel that drives a client’s marketing engine. A typical job for GT Marketing Ltd. includes defining a list of physicians or health professionals through radius searches by profession. Rent the appropriate list. Print and address the mail piece. Mail the piece in the timeliest manner, making sure to achieve the best postal discount.

Regardless of the message or the medium of a marketing effort, consistent promotion seems to be the key to its success.

Consider what a recent DMA study found: “A majority of the studied marketers sent follow-up e-mails at a steady, high frequency for a 19-month period despite a total lack of response - no opens, clicks, or other purchases…Eventually 27% of the companies stopped sending email, but a quarter stopped without any attempt to reengage or request continuing opt-ins.” The study suggested that other types of engagement were necessary before abandoning the prospective clients.

Define the target, get the list, prepare the mail, send it out, and follow up. Repeat, and you can call yourself a marketer.

GT Marketing LTD is a full-service direct marketing and direct mail production facility. GT Marketing handles fulfillment, warehousing, and expert direct mail production, consultative marketing, and project management. Call us to discuss your project at 800/435-7492 or e-mail us at mail@gtmarketingltd.com.

Direct mail marketing is at the heart of an integrated marketing strategy, even in this digital age...

According to a recent article in B to B Online focusing on the use of integrated marketing strategies, direct mail was a component in 75.4% of all campaigns. This information was developed through survey conducted by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).

The survey also revealed that among media channels, “direct mail often sets the tone for integrated campaigns. In the 57.4% of campaigns that stagger the introduction of media, almost half of the media launches in the first phase were direct mail."

What better way to endorse the use of mail as a part of an integrated marketing strategy? Although there are other marketing options in this changing media landscape, direct mail marketing is one the way that marketers can reliably reach out to their prospects, and earn some of the highest return on investment.

In fact, based on overall revenue, direct mail beat out e-mail marketing by almost 32%! The survey found that respondents tracking the “impact on revenue of individual media…attributed 29% of the revenue generated from the campaign to direct mail, followed by email, with (only) 21.6% of revenue.”

GT Marketing LTD is a full-service direct marketing and direct mail production facility. GT Marketing handles fulfillment, warehousing, and expert direct mail production, consultative marketing, and project management. Call us to discuss your project at 800/435-7492 or e-mail us at mail@gtmarketingltd.com.

Surprising Benefits From Decrease In Direct Mail Volume!

Did you know that total U.S. postal mail volume has declined 20% over the last three years? That means about thirty billion fewer pieces of mail went into the mail stream during this period.

What does this mean to you as a direct marketer?

It means that YOUR direct mail piece has a 20% better chance of being seen today than it was just three years ago!

Conversely, 249 billion e-mail messages are being sent every day. This is a mind-boggling number that is overwhelming the inboxes and spam folders of just about everyone. As the majority of this e-mail is considered unsolicited "spam" and is likely blocked and never opened by the intended recipient, it is often useless as a prospecting or marketing tool.

At GT Marketing, we utilize e-mail marketing in conjunction with direct mail marketing, but not in lieu of it. Direct mail is still the #1 proven target marketing method of choice.

To achieve the best results, where do you want your marketing piece to land? Do you want it on your prospect’s desk, or in their junk mail folder?

GT Marketing, Ltd is a full-service direct marketing company, handling complete direct mail fulfillment, project management, and expert consultation services to maximize the return on your investment in marketing dollars. Call us today to discuss your next project at (800)435-7492, or e-mail us at mail@gtmarketingltd.com.

Welcome to GT Marketing, Ltd's Direct Marketing Tips

Welcome to the official GT Marketing, Ltd. Blog:

Understanding postal regulations is the single most important facet of producing successful and cost-effective results for your direct mail campaign. To facilitate access to the most important information, we have posted links on our website.

Our best advice is to contact us for a quick consultation and expert feedback on your next project. We can help you get started in the right direction.

Call us toll-free at (800) 435-7492 or via e-mail at sales@gtmarketingltd.com.