Do you find yourself frequently thinking about sex? You're not alone. So consider the wide variety of subtle to blatant ways you might use sex as an involvement device in your DR ads.
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1) Make stronger offers:
The old maxim is, “The more you give the more you will get.” Most understand that to mean more sales flow from 25% off than from 10% off.
But "giving more" does not have to mean "spending more." It does mean creating offers and promotions that are useful or interesting to prospects.
Example: a pizza shop owner in Berkeley , California approached a local video store, and together they launched a “Pizza and a movie” offer. Little Ceasers Pizza teamed up with Blockbuster Video on a similar promotion, nationwide.
Whether you are big or small, look for partners to share costs. Also, keep in mind that different demographic / psychographic slices of your list or audience will respond to different offers.
> How to get people to Act Now!
2) Mind the basics:
It is not unusual to find clients and agencies lacking basic direct marketing experience or knowledge.
“We started picking up projects from a national marketer, with an ex-agency guy as VP of marketing, and were surprised to find that their 'direct response' print ads don’t even have an offer.”
Interestingly, this can also be problem for multinationals such as Citigroup. The campaign that starts in Hong Kong with, “Open a business account and pay no fees for one year” can become, “Citibank smiles every month” in Seoul.
So here’s the scoop. Feature your offer up front. Tell readers clearly what they will get. Tell them how they will benefit. Tell them what to do, what action to take. Set a deadline. And provide multiple ways for them to respond.
That's a formula that works in any language. For any sized business.
3) Budget based on lifetime value:
Take the example of HRV, a company that sells safety, training and management videos to HR departments. For years they relied upon a “standard” sales package: a letter and four page brochure sent in a 9x12” envelope.
Problem was, this package wouldn’t make it through to top decision makers at Fortune 500 firms. And follow-up phone calls did not fare any better.
So they tried a different approach. First, they identified their top 20 high-value prospects. Then they created a customized mailer around a multimedia presentation on CD, using content from their Web page, with the addition of a 30 second personalized video message to each prospect.
From that mailer they landed three customers. Each of those customers has a projected lifetime value of several hundred thousand dollars. The customized mailers cost less than $25,000 for all 20.
The math tells the story. Spend more on higher value prospects. And be sure to calculate, and factor into your results, the lifetime value of the customer.
4) Close the circle:
A complete direct response program includes plans to 1) identify prospects and turn them into customers, 2) turn customers into better, more profitable customers, and 3) turn your best customers into evangelists.
You’re doing that, right?
5) Test:
Perhaps you test multiple offers. At different times of the year. With different segments of your list or audience.
But do you have plans to test different media or technology, such as digital video on your Web site? Or a brochure on CD? Or downloadable White Papers? Or different Web pages to compare conversion rates?
Don’t get stuck testing variations of the same offer. Think outside the grid.
6) Reflect the brand:
It is rare to find good communications between the DM staff down the hall and the brand team on the third floor. Or between your direct agency and "creative" shop.
Share with your DM team and vendors the brand's personality, nature of the brand’s relationship with customers, as well as the visual standards and symbols that represent your brand. Then express those brand characteristics in your DM communications.
> How to create and characterize a brand.
7) Innovate:
Encourage creativity. Learn better ways to brainstorm. Reward unconventional thinking.
You may think this should fall under the “Test” section above. But it is so important, and so frequently overlooked or poorly managed, that it deserves its own section.
Here's one reason why. In less than a decade Capital One grew from two guys with a good idea to a Fortune 500 company, and the largest direct marketer in the USA.
That growth has been driven by innovation. Capital One invented the credit card balance transfer. And they have tested such offers as "Win a free island."
It was Peter Drucker who said business has two imperatives, innovation and marketing. Honestly now, how well do you innovate?
> How to conduct a brainstorming session.
8) Optimize your Web site:
Not only with search engine friendly keywords and copy. But optimize your Web page to work hand-in-hand with your direct marketing program.
Examples: Use your Web site to deliver offers, such as .pdf downloads of your brochure. Or printable discount coupons. Or stream product demo videos - now easier than ever with Flash video.
9) Learn why people say, "No,"
Find out why people do not respond to your offer. Why they abandon your online order form. Why they do not ask you for a proposal on their next project. Then counter those reservations.
10) Broadcast why people say "Yes."
Get testimonials. Build case studies. Use real people, real users, real customers in your advertising.
You’ll find this popular advertising technique at work for such diverse companies as Rolex, Apple Computers, and MarketingProfs.com.
Depending on the psychodynamics of your target audience it can be the most powerful, the most persuasive way to characterize your brand and convince prospects to take action.