Getting consumers to talk about and share their positive experiences with your brand, product or service with other people is the Holy Grail of marketing. It’s called word-of-mouth (WOM), and it’s one of the oldest and most effective forms of marketing. It’s estimated that word of mouth drives $6 trillion in annual global spending and is responsible for as much as 19% of purchases.

Tags: brand advocacy, marketing campaign, direct mail marketing, MRM, Insurance Marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing

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

A primary goal of industry conferences is to make important connections – with customers, prospects, partners, peers and others, who can help you advance your business goals. So, it was great to be doing just that – after more than a year away from the in-person event circuit – at the recent Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, in Atlanta.

Tags: employee engagement, brand consistency, QR Codes, direct mail marketing, local marketing, franchise marketing, data-driven marketing, Actionable Marketing Data, Restaurant marketing

Marketers invest significant time and resources in creating campaigns they hope will engage their target audiences, increase sales and grow their businesses. But, of course, in today’s marketing environment, hope is not enough. Marketers need to be able to make confident marketing decisions about how they invest their marketing dollars – which channels to use and when to use them – in order to achieve the greatest return on their investment.

Tags: QR Codes, marketing campaign, email marketing, direct mail marketing, brand awareness, marketing data analytics, data-driven marketing, customer data management, Actionable Marketing Data

If you’re not already aware, the U.S. Postal Service is ringing in the new year with a postal rate increase. Beginning January 27th, the price of a first-class stamp will go from $.50 to $.55, the largest jump since 1991, when the rate went from $.25 to $.29.

Tags: USPS, direct mail marketing

A client recently asked me, “Why should I consider including direct mail in my marketing mix? And if I were to use direct mail, how would I track it in a meaningful way?”

You may have asked yourself these very same questions. With the shift to less expensive, metric-rich digital channels, many marketers abandoned mail as a way to reach customers and track engagement.

But marketers are always looking for the most effective ways to break through to media overloaded consumers, which is leading a growing number to revisit direct mail, particularly as part of a multichannel marketing strategy.

Tags: multichannel marketing, email marketing, direct mail marketing, marketing resource management, local marketing, multi-channel marketing

“Dear Sir or Madam…”

In the days before technology made it easier to personalize correspondence, it would be common to get several pieces of mail addressed to “sir or madam” or “resident” on any given day.

However, technology like marketing resource management systems has changed this. Savvy marketers can do more than customize the name of the person receiving the note. They can also tailor messages and images, both digitally and in print.

Tags: insurance, direct mail marketing, marketing resource management, personalized marketing

Last week, I shared tips on maximizing print budgets. In a similar vein, this week, I want to share tips on how direct mail campaigns can stand out in your target consumers’ mailboxes. I’ve been fortunate to work with companies for more than 20 years, helping shape and fulfill direct mail campaigns.

Tags: direct mail marketing

Okay, so don’t forget about branding, but everyone always talks about social media in the context of branding. So today, we’re going to focus on social media’s role in building your bottom line by closing deals…

It’s very easy in life to embrace an “out with the old, in with the new!” attitude. After all, newer is most always perceived to be better. The problem with this attitude is that it supposes the correct course of action is one or the other; a classic “if not A, then B” scenario. While that’s a theorem that’s important for software developers, mathematicians and philosophers to know, it’s not necessarily a good rule for businesses to follow.

Tags: digital marketing, ROI, Twitter, sales, LinkedIn, direct mail marketing, social media