Direct Response from a Client’s Perspective
By: Angela Brahm
As a Direct Response Marketing company with over 23 years of experience, we often move down our familiar path of Direct Response Marketing lingo with our clients, as we beat the drum about the advantages and effectiveness of the process. Yet sometimes, it’s good to step back and look at our universe from a different perspective.
So, what does Direct Response Marketing look like from the client’s perspective? Based on feedback from our longest client, we’ve compiled the following list:
· Set your Benchmarks – What internal goals are you trying to reach? What criteria does your company value that will be used to evaluate your Direct Response plan? Be willing to adjust your benchmark goals periodically, depending on seasonal or economic conditions.
· OFFER – What discounts are you offering? Are you giving free products or free shipping to your customers? This is the most critical aspect of Direct Response. Regardless of everything else you may have in place, if your customers aren’t wowed by your offer, your Direct Response Campaign won’t be successful.
· Tracking your Sales – You will need a way to track sales. Offer codes are used throughout different advertising mediums and for different offers. For example, you’ll have a different offer code for different TV or radio stations; different offers will each have their own codes. The more you diversify your offer codes, the more data you’ll have at your disposal.
· Data Crunching – Your staff will need a skillset that can evaluate the sales data, offers and best advertising platforms. The more details you have and are able to analyze, the quicker you’ll be able to pivot to other advertising mediums or adjust your offers.
· TEST, TEST, TEST – Direct Response is a balancing act that constantly needs to be rebalanced. Test new offers, new advertising mediums, new ads and do NOT be afraid to be unconventional in any of the approaches. Since you can evaluate your advertising plans quickly after reviewing your data, you’ll be able to move away from things that aren’t working.
