Turning Your Direct Mail Campaign Into An Online Lead Generating Machine
Topics: on-line lead generation, online lead generation, direct mail lead generation
Here’s a GREAT way for you to save time, save money, and increase your sales leads. Let me tell you a quick little story…
I have a client for whom I run a lead generation direct mail campaign. I’ve been trying to persuade him to move some of the campaign online in order to cut down costs and increase conversions. He’s been a pretty hard sell, but I’ve finally managed to convince him.
So, what was it that got him to step out of the Stone Age and into the 21st Century? It was simply a matter of running the numbers. Let’s take a look at some of the hidden costs of his direct mail campaign that he hasn’t been considering:
Additional Hidden Postage Fees
With the recent postage hikes, the additional cost of mailing is an obvious factor. But my client didn’t consider how his campaign was fully impacted by the rate increases. Now that shaped-based postage is in effect, his overall campaign cost is more expensive because he’s using the less expensive padded envelope. His campaign is already in need of an overhaul to maximize the savings that are available to him. So now is a great time to make the changes I suggested.
Man Hours
My client never realized how much time his employees are spending on packing and printing and shipping. He considers payroll as a human resources expense and never allocated a payroll line item in figuring out his direct mail ROI. When we actually sat down and looked at it, he was amazed at how many payroll dollars this direct mail project is eating up.
Storage Space
My client has tons of space dedicated to housing his cases of padded envelopes (which, by the way, take up a lot of room), video tapes (I told you he was in the Stone Age), audio CDs and the rest of the items for his campaign. Yet, when he hired a new administrative assistant, he couldn’t find anywhere to put her desk. (And, just between you and me, he did get in trouble once with the fire marshall for having boxes stacked too high near the ceiling.)
Opportunity Costs
A lot of time and money goes into his direct mail campaign - time and money that could be spent elsewhere.
So he agreed to move the campaign on line. I suggested we start small and test it out for a few months. Here are the steps I followed that you can easily recreate with your own campaigns:
1. Redesigned the ad that had been running in a specialized magazine. Instead of telling prospects to call a phone number to request a direct mail package, I sent them to a special landing page.
2. Created a landing page to be used only for this ad. The page mimicked the look and feel of the magazine ad and focused strictly on the lead generation device. Check out my free report on maximizing lead generation for more details on how this works.
3. Broke the direct mail package into several smaller steps. The original physical product contains a welcome letter, a brochure, an audio CD, a videotape, a checklist and several miscellaneous printed pieces. All that material can be overwhelming to a brand new prospect. I decided to deliver each piece individually, over time.
4. Digitized each piece. The printed materials were turned into PDF files, the audio was turned into an MP3 file and the video was turned into a flash movie.
5. Opened an autoresponder account. My client decided to use the same autoresponder service that I use in my own business because it’s easy to use and extremely cost effective.
6. Created the autoresponder messages. Individual email messages were created to automatically deliver the pieces over time. This was much less overwhelming than having a huge package loaded with tons of materials land with a thud on the doorstep. And, because the email messages are very warm and personal, the prospect feels like he is really getting to know the company.
So, how did it all work out? Well, we’re still midway through our six-month testing period, but my client is already foaming at the mouth to move the rest of the campaign online. He’s noticed a huge increase in the conversion rate of the online prospects versus the direct mail prospects. His current direct mail process involves mailing out the lead generation package, then following up with the prospect by phone a few days later. Usually, that phone conversation goes something like this:
Company Rep: Hi, this is Jane Doe from XYZ Corporation. I’m calling to see if you received our super duper lead generation package.
Prospect: Yeah, I got it the other day, but I haven’t had time to look through it all yet.
Company Rep: Well, I’m sure that after you’ve reviewed it all, you’ll agree that we offer the best widgets on the market. So please give us a call as soon as you’re ready to make a purchase.
Prospect: OK, sure. Goodbye.
Not very productive, is it? With the new online system, I was able to totally revamp that process. Now, a company representative contacts the prospect personally only after all the individual messages and pieces have been delivered. By this time, the prospect has been receiving several personalized email messages and he’s already warmed up to the company. Plus, because the pieces were gradually delivered over time, the prospect has had time to review them all. The follow up phone calls are warm and friendly and the conversion rate has increased dramatically.
Karen Scharf offers several whitepapers, free reports and checklists, including her FREE report on maximizing lead generation at your website. Download your copies at www.ModernImage.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Cash And Pay-Per-Click Affiliate Programs (1)
In choosing an affiliate program, read the fine print carefully because some pay-per-click programs get the ratio of the number of people who went to your site and the actual people who clicked on the ad.
Backing A Business With A Quality Online Storefront (2)
Going with a service strictly based on price can result in inferior, boring storefronts that use less than reliable checkout software. By opting to invest in a reliable setup, one can expect to make up that difference since an attractive, dependable storefront is destined to attract more customers.
Your Online Shopping Cart: Portal To Profits (3)
You might be all jazzed to get the project running that you throw something together simply for the sake of getting it up quickly. Nothing will kill your sales faster than your customers' constantly running into an under Construction message.
The Best Source For Email Marketing (4)
Just don't flood your mailing list with mails so that you don't annoy your subscribers. Don Alexander is owner of leading-online-business.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Don recommends you visit www.leading-online-business.com
Article Writing: How It Can Impact Your Wallet! (5)
It makes the search engines sit down and take note of your article and the links, if related. There is much corporate profitability in electronic commerce and all the best marketers are now using the Internet to bring traffic to their websites using articles.
Some Super Simple Software For The Busy Web Designer (6)
If you are an old-school designer, this is a must. 4. CGI-Telnet. A cgi script that allows you to run commands on your server, even if your web host won't give you telnet access.
Make Money Online With 80% Of The Work (7)
If I had worked on only the core 80% I could have spent the rest of the time on traffic building. Take a look at it a different way.
Studio Method Vs. Field Production (8)
Everything in a studio is controllable: the lights, the sound, the action. The action is rehearsed and then done once, using multiple cameras. In the control room, the director switches the cameras and sound sources as the action is happening.
Blogs And Content: The Oil That Lubes The Machine (9)
You failed to offer the incentive to return. If there is one truth in the business world, it is this: "It is often very hard to gain customers, but it's almost impossible to get them back once you've lost them." Content.
Useful Internet Affiliate Marketing Tips And Thoughts (10)
Usually, potential customers will just be making some visit and will not make any purchase immediately. It is important that the merchant's website use cookies to track these customers so that you will be able to get the credit once he returns and buys anything in that site.
Internet Marketing: What Webmaster's Must Master (11)
Not only must webmasters offer a site that sings to the visitor, ease of navigation, good content, quality goods and services, they must ensure their site is found. All is for naught without a good plan for website promotion.
How Can You Avoid Affiliate Scams? (12)
As a result you have to track the conversions to see if it is worth spending. The key is to test and tweak. You will need to test and tweak the keywords so that you can get most out of the advertising programs.
Do You Want To Create Multiple Streams Of Income? (13)
You should try to explore other niches. You can join a program which sells something you do not have any knowledge on. You can take some researches from the internet and start creating the contents of the website.
Affiliate Marketing, A Business With Zero Hassles? (14)
When you meld a cool site design with quality content and a good mix of interesting links, you are sure to get a good number of hits that will quickly translate into dollars for you.
Screening Process Prevents A Worldwide Brands Scam (15)
It is often difficult to find good, solid wholesale suppliers one one's own. However, drop ship directories exist to attempt to simplify the process and eliminate the worry that some feel when looking for suppliers.
Building A Web Site For Your Business (16)
To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question If you've made it this far, you've made it through some of the toughest parts of the process. But there is one little matter left, and it's perhaps the most intimidating: actually building the web site.
Why You Should Be Making Residual Income Online? (17)
1. Like all businesses, you need to put in the work to get it started and rolling. The difference is once it has taken off, you only need to do a comparatively less work or no work to sustain a steady income stream.
The Value Of Automation (18)
It's also about learning smarter ways of working and implementing as many time saving strategies as you can to do more in less time. To this end, the power of automating as much as possible is highly beneficial in driving your internet ventures forward.
Business Blogging - Why Bother? (19)
A business blog can also open a valuable line of communication between you and your customer, fostering trust and relationship. Craig Cannings is the owner and managing director of ESalesGuru.com, a innovative marketplace connecting ebusinesses with niche Internet Marketing Specialists and Firms worldwide.
Create Informative Articles Based On Your Customers Questions (20)
Create Informative Articles from Customer's Questions How you create informative articles from your customer's questions will have a lot to do with your personal writing style. If you are well versed in your topic area, you may be able to create a whole new article based on the question off the top in your head.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Integrated Talents - Creating Compelling Digital Marketing (1)
Writers need to care about search engines because websites need to be found and easily digested. Also, clients now have a better understanding of what their online activity should be achieving and want to make their budgets work harder.
Website Copywriting: A Recipe For Hard-Hitting Words In Lean Portions (2)
Good website copywriting starts with a home page that incites curiosity On a home page, many organizations wax about how long their company has been in business, how many employees they have and other assorted topics, which do nothing to whet the reader's appetite.
How To Increase Link Popularity (3)
It really is that simple! The two types of links are one way links and reciprocal links. Search engines prefer one way links because these occur more naturally than a reciprocal link.
High Quality Perceptions Start With Truthful Expressions And A Well-Conceived Messaging Strategy (4)
Maybe someone's recommendation? Or, perhaps you just "feel right" about it. Like buying this product or service is an extension or an expression of who you are? Good reasons, all.
10 Commandments To Maximizing Your Time In Forum Participation (5)
This applies to the universal law of "Give before you can receive". 3) Promote your product or other products with your affiliate links when you recommend solutions. 4) Create a sense of trust and bonding among fellow marketers in which real friendship can be establish over time (a sense of belonging).
Brochure Copywriting: Strategy For Making A Piece Of Paper Resonate With People (6)
If the value of your company's offerings aren't price-related, don't make a price-related offer. Offer something related to the key reasons someone would want to do business with you-just make the deal a little sweeter.
Placing Search Engines At The Heart Of Web Development And Strategy (7)
And what's more, when your audience increasingly finds your website, they will be inspired by its up-to-date, fresh, relevant and engaging content, and won't fail to respond in the way you want them to.
How To Create A Business Profitability Goal (8)
To summarize. Write them down, be specific, allow time. Review and adjust on a regular basis. Stay focused and disciplined to achieve all you desire. Saleem Rana would love to share his inspiring ideas with you.
Do You Believe In "Step-By-Step" Systems? (9)
The product creators then proceed to show their screen-captured checks on their sales pages. Well, nothing wrong with them. These type of packages are like the "Greatest Hits" albums which contain nothing but THE BEST.
Article Writting: A Brief Guide, Can Articles Grow My Business? (10)
When you add that to the fact that it's free then you may start to think: maybe this is something I could use to make money? There are two major ways that writing articles can grow your business.
Ecommerce Storefront - Comparing The Products (11)
Unfortunately, many people starting up their first retail website make errors in judgment regarding how they should be designed and organized. They may choose a design they like on a site where they've shopped or a design that was eye-catching.
Guide To Website Hosting Plans (12)
So where is one to start, when it comes to picking the right web host? The most important factor is making sure that the host provides everything you need.
Profiting From An Internet Home-Based Business (13)
If you know anyone who has done business with them before, be sure to ask them about the experience. You might even sacrifice higher returns with a relatively unreliable company to work with a more established one.
Affiliate Marketing - Business That You Do Not Have To Spend Money On (14)
However, if you use a service which crashes all the day, you will in fact lose a lot of opportunities to make money. This can be a disaster in your career of affiliate marketing.
How To Create An Abundant Flow Of Perfect Customers (15)
Is there something your client does, something he thinks, a certain way he behaves? Know this list backwards and forwards. When you're ready to ask for a referral, you'll know exactly what to ask for.
Don't Be Afraid To Be Original (16)
Do a search on article marketing and you will find what you have been missing. As a business owner I'm sure you have had the thought, "What can I write about my business?" or "I can't write, what can I do?" I've been there and apparently a lot of other business owners have been as well, just do a search on free articles and you will find a plethora of articles available for the taking to add to your web site.
Why Use SEO Search Engine Optimization ? (17)
Also, not only do you need to have good content on your site, you also need to have fresh content also. If you add new content to your site on a regular basis, you are giving your visitors more reasons for returning to it.
Web Tools Add Character To An Online Business (18)
Some business owners will use web tools to add special music to each section of their site. Most business owners try to be unique and offer the customer the opportunity to be inquisitive when they are trying to decide which internet business to visit when they are searching for a certain product.
The Little Extras That Come With Domain Registration (19)
The domain registrant uses specific software that connects to the final authority for domain name registration. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will do a database check for the requested domain name and if that site relays back that the domain name is available, then the business owner simply has to register it in their name.
What Kind Of Banner Advertisements Is Right For My Site? (20)
Their banner will go on your site and your banner will go on theirs. Although this option is free, there are two main problems with it. First, if you want your banner on a significant number of sites, it will mean cluttering your own up with these banners.
Permalink to Turning Your Direct Mail Campaign Into An Online Lead Generating Machine