Marketing experts know that Direct Marketing is the single most effective way to sell products and services. It is the only form of marketing that is testable, trackable, and, when done the right way, always profitable. Lois K. Geller, a leading Direct Marketing expert, updates her classic book to include the latest tips and techniques, plus expanded coverage of Direct Marketing in the age of the Internet. The new Revised Edition of Response offers all marketers, in any size company, a strategy for creating and sustaining a profitable Direct Marketing programboth on- and off-line. Leading the reader through this program of planning, budgeting, forecasting, testing, building lists, choosing suppliers, selling overseas, and developing loyal customers, Geller explains how to create profitable direct mail packages, print ads, television and radio commercials, inbound and outbound telemarketing programs, and more. Plus, she shows how all of these strategies can be applied to Internet direct marketing, including loyalty programs, online catalogs, fulfillment and customer service, and more. With scores of up-to-date examples drawn from companies large and small, including Ford Motor Company, American Express, and 1-800-Flowers, plus an updated glossary and resource guide, this Revised Edition of Response will be the authoritative source for Direct Marketing strategies and techniques.
Lois K. Geller is president of Mason & Geller Direct Marketing in New York City and counts leading corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs from around the world among her clients. She teaches Direct Marketing at New York University and is the winner of a gold ECHO Award, eight Andy Awards, and several gold CDMA RSVP Awards. Seth Godin is author of Permission Marketing and Unleashing the Idea Virus.
Table of Contents
Foreword
xiii
Acknowledgements
xv
Special Acknowledgement
xvii
Introduction
xix
1.
How I Got Started
1
Thank My Lucky Stars
Catch the Luck Yourself
2.
Why Go Direct?
4
The Advantages of Direct Marketing
Dispelling Direct Marketing Myths
A Direct Marketing Success Story
And the Survey Says...
The $200 Hot Buyer Incentive
Adapt the Concepts to Fit Your Business
Choosing a Product to Sell
The Small-Firm Advantage
Play Up Your Personality
The DM Questionnaire
3.
Elements of an Effective Offer
27
What Makes a Good Offer
Offer Options
Testing: The Ultimate Opinion Poll
Checklist
4.
Identifying Your Customers
44
Compiled Lists
Direct Response Lists
How to Choose a List
Creative List Planning
Using a List Broker
List Maintenance and Computer Service Bureaus
Target Your Ideal Prospects with Database Marketing
Prioritize Your List with RFM
When Your Business Grows...Consider a Database, Think CRM
Checklist
5.
Creative Techniques for Successful Direct Mail Packages
63
The Direct Mail Advantage
The Outer Envelope
Envelope Success Stories
The Letter
Six Strategies for Winning Copy
More Winning Words
Typography and Design
Letter Success Stories
The Brochure
The Order Form
Order Form Success Story
The Business Reply Envelope
Keep Your Printing Costs in Mind
Seasonality
Checklist
6.
Distinctive Direct Response Advertising
104
Setting Clear Objectives
Location, Location, Location
Working Within Your Budget
How to Make Your Ad Stand Out From the Crowd
The Copy
Get the Most for Your Advertising Dollars
Broadcast Media
Checklist
7.
Catalog Connections
128
A Tool for Serious Marketers
The Catalog Boom
Make a Statement with Your Catalog
Develop a Catalog Plan
What Goes Where
Pricing the Catalog
What's the Good Word?
Writing Effective Copy
Capture your Readers' Attention with Snappy Headlines!
Catalog Art
Make it Easy to Order
Your Online Catalog
Checklist
8.
Fulfilling Orders and Expectations
157
Who's Fulfilling What?
Prefulfillment Essentials
The First Step: Order Entry
Sending Out the Goods
Using Outside Services
Shipping Delays and the Mail Order Rule
Regulations on Selling Through the Mail
Checklist
9.
Costs and Mail Order Math
176
Determine your Promotion Costs
Finding the Break-Even Point
How to Calculate the Break-Even Point for a Direct Response Ad