Don’t Get Lost in the Details

Sept. 28, 2009 - PRLog -- It seems that we business-to-business marketers too often get caught up in
the details of direct marketing, rather than concentrating on the things
that are most important: the list, the offer and the results.

Stop worrying about the unimportant details such as whether it is better to
use gray paper or white for your B-to-B direct mailer. It really doesn’t
matter what color paper you use if you’re mailing to the wrong people with
the wrong offer, your campaign is going to bomb.

For example, if you’re sending a mailing about graphic design software to
chief financial officers, or sending a mailing about financial forecasting
software to design professionals, you’re betting against yourself with
regard to generating sales leads or orders, no matter how good the copy or
offers are.

When planning a business-to-business direct mail campaign, first determine
your objective:

Are you trying to generate sales leads?

Are you trying to move prospects along the buying cycle?

Your copy and offer should be designed specifically to support your
objective.

The next step is to consider your list.

When choosing a list for B-to-B direct marketing, focus on the important
Things, such as results, instead of worrying about less important details such
as the percentage of undeliverables on the list.

A client of mine recently told me she was concerned by the high percentage
of undeliverables from a business mailing list she rented. She was seriously
considering not using the list again because of it. However, when I reviewed
the overall results of previous mailings with her, it was clear that the
same mailing list she was questioning generated more leads and sales than
any of the other lists she had tested to date. In fact, that list resulted
in the best overall return on investment. When considered from that
important perspective, the list she was about to not use again was a real
winner.

The next step and the best way to boost B-to-B direct mail response rates is
to create a strong offer. That is, a targeted offer, or a call to action,
that will entice prospects to respond.

In business-to-business direct marketing, educational offers work well for
getting people to raise their hands and express interest. These types of
offers include how-to guides, buying guides, reports, white papers,
articles, case studies and invitations to events (e.g., webinars,
presentations, seminars).

Also consider boosting your response rates by making multiple offers, each
designed to appeal to people at different stages of their consideration/buying process.

However, don’t make the mistake of offering something cool, like an iPod.
Yes, you’ll get a high response rate, but those responses will be from
people who want the iPod, not from people who want your product or service.

The last step is to always make it easy for prospects to respond to your
call to action.

Your response form should include the various ways people can request the
offer (e.g., Web address, e-mail, toll-free number or even fax). Your form
could also include a few questions that elicit the information that you need
to determine whether the respondent fits your definition of a qualified
lead. Don’t ask too many questions, however, as you risk turning off the
prospect.

Successful B-to-B direct marketers understand that most of their campaigns’
success relies on the list and the offers. So be sure to determine the
objective of your direct marketing, and then ensure that your list and
offers support your objective. Your response rate will be much higher in
terms of qualified sales leads.

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