ON ADVERTISING
May 2008 issue

OPTIMIZING ADVERTISING EXPENDITURES.
An emerging discipline called “marketing optimization” looks at total impact rather than cost per reach to help allocate resources more effectively across products, channels, offers, and creative execution. 
       There are three stages to marketing optimization:

  1. Campaign optimization.
    Measure the response from individual campaigns – virtually all direct marketers do this in some way, but few move beyond it to the next stage.
  2. Contact optimization.
    Apply predictive analytics to customer data during a specific period of time. The goal is to determine the best mix of message, contact timing, channel, and product/offer for each.

Market mix optimization.
Correlate sales data with marketing activities for the entire enterprise. The intent is to measure the impact on sales and profit and use that knowledge to drive pricing and spending.Return to top

DIRECT MAIL TIP #3 OF 4:
INCLUDE A KEEPER.
More tips for using snail mail to generate qualified business-to-business leads.

  1. Include a “keeper” in your mailings.
    We all want immediate response, but in most cases, perhaps as much as 98 percent of the time, recipients feel no need to respond at the moment. Give them something to remember you by after the “advertising” portion of your mailing has been discarded. It could be anything from a wallet-size calendar or tips for saving time or improving energy to a pad of post-it notes with your company’s name on them.
  2. When in doubt, play it straight.
    Humor and cuteness can cut through clutter in a business environment. If you have the slightest doubt about how the message will be received, however, play it safe with a strong statement of benefits.

Read previous tips at wesleyday.com. Return to top      

EXTEND YOUR PR THINKING.
To most marketers, PR means news releases, editorial events, bylined articles, and direct pitches designed to garner ink and pixels from the media. However, PR should promote your brand, just like all your marketing efforts. As such, it needs to integrate with your other marketing programs.
       Here are some ideas to get you thinking outside the restrictive PR box.
Get your products into the hands of consumers.
       If your product fits into a gift bag, do it. If not, include a gift certificate. If you need to pay a fee, consider it.
Auction it off.
       Charity events will typically promote your donated products. Plus you get the added benefit of positive PR and a possible tax write-off. But don’t stop here, give your donation extra legs by promoting it in your newsletter, on your Web site, and, yes, to the media.
Give it to celebrities.
       Select a celebrity who will love your product and use it often. To find celebrity publicists, start at www.whorepresents.com.
Sponsor an event.
       You don’t need to start with NASCAR. Sponsor a business conference or trade industry event. And don’t forget to thoroughly publicize your sponsorship.

Go beyond the grand openings and new-product releases. Although advertising, branding, marketing, and PR each have individual functions, the truth is they overlap and need to work together to drive more business through your door. Return to top

BRAINSTORMING 102:
REFRAMING THE PROBLEM.
By looking at business problems from a number of viewpoints, you expand the range of creative solutions you generate.
       One approach is to look at the problem from the perspectives of:

       As you might guess, this is commonly referred to as the “4Ps” approach. Another is the “professions approach” where you look at the problem from the viewpoints of different specialists – such as medical doctors, engineers, sales managers, lawyers. Return to top

FIVE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS  ON YOUR WEB SITE.
You no doubt recognize most of these words from your advertising class. Well, guess what – they’re even more important on your Web site.

  1. Free
    The Web has grown up on the promise of free: browsers, music, software trials, subscriptions, etc. Want more proof? Google the word “free.” I just did and got two billion results. One caveat, however: many people filter out e-mails that use  the word “free” in the subject line.
  2. Sign Up
    So it’s two words. The point is that every site should invite its visitors to sign up or subscribe to an e-mail program or newsletter. Instead of hoping that your visitors will make a purchase on their first visit, concentrate on building a relationship.
  3. Buy
    It’s amazing how many sites invest in presenting products and services but fail to close the sale.
  4.  Now
    Now is good. Later is death. Ask people to do things NOW: sign up NOW, buy NOW, tell a friend NOW.  Go even further with incentives: sign up NOW and receive a FREE [whatever] or buy NOW and get FREE shipping.
  5. Thank You
    OK, so it’s two words again. When you sign up a subscriber or make a sale, your job is just beginning. You have a relationship to build. And the first step in building that relationship is to say thank you. Return to top

Table of Contents

Optimizing advertising expenditures.

Direct mail tip #4 of 5: Include a keeper.

Extend your PR thinking.

Brainstorming 102: Reframing the problem.

Five most important words on your Web site.

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