Digital is king for today’s direct marketers. Or is it? Based on the findings of its annual direct marketing survey, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) reported that while marketing professionals certainly make use of modern technology in their direct marketing efforts, traditional methods, such as sending messages in letter-sized envelopes via the U.S. Post Office can be remarkably effective. According to ANA’s survey, those who direct mailed a letter-sized envelope reported 112% ROI, ahead of SMS (102% ROI) and email marketing (93% ROI). Other direct mail formats that performed well included postcards, dimensional mail, and oversized envelopes, all of which exceeded 90% ROI.

 

“This important study demonstrates that traditional forms of direct marketing continue to be powerful engines for accelerating brand growth,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice.

Tags: manufacturing marketing, marketing campaign, direct mail marketing, MRM, Continuity Campaigns, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, financial services marketing, franchise marketing

We know from our work with distributed organizations in industries like banking and financial services, franchising and insurance, that corporate marketers often look for ways to make marketing easier for their frontline operations. Automated marketing campaigns and services – like managed social media, set-it-and-forget-it direct mail campaigns, and lead transfer programs – are great examples. These services make it easier for frontlines to execute locally customized, recurring marketing campaigns. But managing and administering these services can be a drain on corporate marketing resources.

Tags: digital marketing, marketing campaign, direct mail marketing, MRM, Continuity Campaigns, social media, marketing technology, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, marketing operations, local marketing automation, financial services marketing, franchise marketing

Changes in the consumer buying cycle have completely transformed Marketing’s approach, and the biggest harbinger of this change is that consumers might move on before you ever knew they were customers. Competing successfully in this new environment requires three foundational building blocks:

Tags: MRM, Continuity Campaigns, personalization, marketing resource management, sales and marketing alignment

In Olympic training, preparation is everything. Olympic athletes prepare rigorously to become champions in their respective events, and the process demands unwavering commitment, discipline and focus. Just as athletes develop their skills and expertise over time, so do leads need to be consistently nurtured. You can’t qualify for the Olympics after taking one swimming lesson – nor does it make sense to ask for a prospect’s business the first time you encounter a lead. With myriad messages competing for your prospect’s attention, a formal lead nurturing strategy can help to convert new leads into customers by providing the right content at the right time. Here are five steps for designing your lead nurturing strategy and creating content that converts.

Tags: MRM, Continuity Campaigns, marketing strategy, marketing resource management, sales and marketing alignment

Whether your focus is B2B or B2C marketing, manufacturers in the building products industry can benefit from integrating QR codes into their multi-channel marketing promotions strategies.

Tags: marketing ideas, QR Codes, marketing campaign, Building Products, Continuity Campaigns

Companies are often challenged with applying market insights gained from tactical segmentation. But once target segments have been identified, how do you maximize segmentation within your marketing promotions strategy?

Tags: MRM, Continuity Campaigns, data, marketing resource management, sales and marketing alignment

While social media continues to gain headway, continuity, or drip campaigns (email, direct mail or a combination) still remain a highly effective approach for nurturing prospects towards increased engagement and interaction with your brand. When coupled with an online element, such as URLs, PURLs or QR codes, measurement tools offered through marketing resource management (MRM) systems can deliver powerful analytics to optimize the sales cycle – providing a wealth of data to improve customer segmentation and content personalization.

Tags: QR Codes, PURL, email marketing, MRM, Continuity Campaigns, campaign, measurement, marketing resource management

Many marketing departments focus on messaging to prospects to generate sales and then halt communications once the prospect becomes a customer. However, communicating with new customers once the sale has closed is critical. This is when continued relationship-building is more important than ever in order to build loyalty and increase the potential for future sales.

Tags: QR Codes, PURL, MRM, Continuity Campaigns, marketing resource management

Insurance customers tend to be very loyal but typically only purchase one or two products from their insurance agent. In order to grow customer accounts, insurance companies should engage customers in continuity or drip campaigns to stay top-of-mind between purchases. But, when it comes time for a “sales push”, how do you work with your agents and independent agencies to execute a campaign?

Tags: insurance, Continuity Campaigns, marketing resource management

You’ve hired the best web designer you could find, a team of writers is blogging relevant, and informative content, you’ve built customer portals, but what do you have if no one sees it? Although all of these elements will make your online resources shine, there is no point in shining the spotlight when the theater is empty.

Once you have a dazzling site with amazing content, how can you lead your clients and prospects to it? There are several strategies that you can apply to build your audience. One that you may not have considered is a continuity campaign.

Tags: QR Codes, PURL, Continuity Campaigns, marketing resource management