Direct mail and email campaigns
Integrated marketing campaigns - do they work?
Coming up with a distinctive, memorable campaign is an exciting project – an opportunity to explore highly creative solutions and unusual, thought-provoking concepts. But what we all need from any integrated marketing campaign are positive results and usually more business. However creative a campaign, it is probably no use to you unless it brings increased sales turnover and profit.
The bottom line is that there is no guarantee that any campaign will be successful or deliver the results you are looking for, but some of our recent campaigns have delivered some genuine ROI. For example:
MAXX Big Balloon Race
This campaign ran over 12 weeks and involved a direct mail piece (postcard and an attached branded balloon) together with regular email updates for all entrants. It created a great deal of interest and was supported by advertising in local press and online. Crucially, entrants were encouraged to visit the website regularly to check the position of their balloon and to watch for updates via Twitter.
Over this time, visitors to the MAXX website increased 3 fold, we also achieved a good number of new enquiries, won 2 new clients as well as several new projects from existing clients.
Take a look at the results here
Malone Roofing
Just direct mail – but highly effective, MAXX created a flier promoting their work within the education sector and mailed it to their prospects. The campaign significantly raised their profile with some of the biggest names in the construction industry.
Do you speak Google?
Another MAXX campaign. We sent out sweets to our clients and prospects in the shape of lips with a postcard promoting our online promotion services. “Do you speak Google? We’re fluent!” We followed this up with an email campaign in the same design style, monitored who clicked and who opened the email, calling those who showed an interest. We achieved significant interest and crucially, converted an entirely new client whose work covered the cost of all our marketing for the entire year. That can definitely be classed as good ROI!
There are things you can do to maximise the potential to achieve your goals:
1) Set yourself targets – what is your desired outcome from the campaign? This means you can measure its effectiveness after its completion.
2) Plan the campaign to run over a period of time so that people are “touched” several times by your message – this increases the chances of them contacting you – or remembering you when you contact them.
3) Use multiple media. The obvious choices are email and direct mail but support a campaign with good PR, advertising in publications, radio and/or online, social media or sponsorship. This means people will come across your message in several different ways and in different times of the day, week, month or year.
4) Come up with a really creative concept that captures people’s interest and imagination. If necessary use a creative design agency as there is so much “noise” in the marketplace you need to get noticed!
5) Get a good mailing list with all the data you need to make it work, e.g. email addresses as well as names and addresses. A good mailing list is vital – preferably one that has been collected directly by you in your daily business activity. Ensure it is as clean as possible before you mail. If you don’t have a list, you will need to source one, but choose your data supplier very carefully; there are plenty of people selling substandard lists out there. Don’t forget however, the more you use the list, the cleaner and more reliable it becomes.
6) Be sure to follow up if you can. Phone people and ask them what they thought of the piece of direct mail you sent – or phone the people that open the email and ask them if they want to buy your services.
7) Monitor the effectiveness of the campaign and adjust the next campaign according to feedback received of what worked (or didn’t) from the last one.
To speak to MAXX about an email or direct mail campaign, call 01635 521224
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