Newsletter

January 2009

MindFireInc Spotlight is a monthly newsletter prepared and edited by Ted Raymond of Allegra.

Calls to Action Drive Results

In multi-channel marketing there are a number of critical factors to consider in the development of a successful campaign. Whether you are using email, direct mail, or banner advertising, it is essential to create a solid call to action. Give respondents specific instructions of what you want them to do. In the case of Personalized URLs, you will often want the person to “Log On.” Consider taking this one step further. When they log on what do you want them to do?

Log on now to:

Request more information
Register to win
Vote now
Sign-up for communication

By clearly stating the desired action, you will significantly improve your results. It is also advisable to attach the call to action to a statement that creates urgency. For example, “Log on now. First 100 responders will receive a free gift!”

Formal Presentations Build Credibility

When presenting to executives, it is important to position yourself as a consultant with a high level of business acumen, not just as a vendor. As we have discussed in earlier articles, it is critical to move up the value chain. This is most important when presenting to executives.

To be positioned as a consultant or partner, think of your solution in terms of what it does to impact your client’s business. Are you selling a lead generation program or a postcard with a PURL?

A simple way to increase the perceived value of your solution is to provide a formal presentation of the solution. The easiest way to do this is by creating a customized Power Point presentation that clearly outlines a few key issues that you will identify in the needs analysis process.

Your presentation should outline the following items:

What is the current situation?
What is the current business issue the client is facing?
How are they addressing issues today?
What is working / not working?

What are your desired results?
What are the specific metrics they will use to measure success?
Do they have any special requirements that were uncovered in the needs analysis?

Solution Recommendation
How will you address the current situation to achieve the desired results? Simply put, how will you bridge the gap?

This approach of bridging the gap between their current issues and desired results will create a stronger response from executives. By briefly summarizing their current situation, you are showing you have done your research to understand what is important to the business. This also creates the opportunity to validate that you fully understand the situation.

By stating the desired results, you build credibility and gain agreement on what a successful campaign should result in. This is the baseline to close the sale. By tying together the current and desired results, you have created the perfect opportunity to outline your solution. Your solution should bridge the gap and outline how you will meet or exceed what has been outlined for the desired results.

Outlining this formal process in a PowerPoint deck will provide you with a great deal of credibility. By clearly focusing on those key issues that the client faces as an organization, you will demonstrate your deep understanding of their needs and move up the value chain.

Learn how MindFireInc Partners Manage Opt Out Requests

In today’s world of can spam regulations and competing consumer mindshare, it is important to manage the request of recipients who “opt out” of email communication. As a marketing services provider, this can be difficult since often you will be working with client supplied data.

At the core of the email marketing process in LookWho’sClicking® is a powerful opt out link. This simple link allows you to track those recipients who have opted out of receiving email communication (see October issue for more info on opt out links).

As a third party provider, this is not always an easy thing to do. How should you work with clients to make sure they are compliant with can spam regulations?

First, know the rules. As a value-added provider you can build credibility to talking knowledgably about what the regulations are. The included link will provide you access to some resources available on the web about the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm).

Second, talk to your client about how they manage opt outs. Identify who is responsible for managing this data. Ensure they fully understand the requirements of can spam. During the conversation, you may indentify that your client does not have anyone who manages opt outs. This is a great opportunity for you to provide additional services. It only takes a few extra steps for you to suppress Opt Out links from your client’s database. By managing data you will have the ability to build greater value in your client relationship.

Cross Media Loyalty Program Generates over 16% response for Telecom

A new MindFireInc Partner, Kirkwood Direct has had tremendous success with their first campaign launch. The campaign was developed to drive customer loyalty for a national communications company. It was specifically targeted to those customers who subscribed to telephone, television, and internet services.

The campaign consisted of an outbound email blast, and a personalized direct piece sent to almost 27,000 subscribers. The offer used was for a free pay per view movie for each household that responded. The goal of the campaign was to thank those customers that are most profitable to the organization, validate email information, and create a secondary “Opt In” opportunity. The “opt in” approach is expected to drive future communication with those clients.

By capturing this information the telecom organization will have an additional avenue to gather customer insight, and ensure a long term client relationship. The results were impressive! Of the 27,000 pieces mailed a total of 4484 households responded to the offer. Kirkwood estimated that prior to the integrated approach many campaign delivered 1% – 2% response. This cross media approach using email, personalized direct mail, and Personalized URLs generated an impressive 16.79% response.