Actual Importance Of Direct Response Marketing

What causes direct response marketing programs to fail in generating responses/sales? Experts suggest it’s often the result of marketers not understanding the importance of four key elements of successful direct response marketing programs:2

List

Offer

Format

Copy

(We’ve included the definition of each key element on the back.)

The secret to effective direct response marketing lies in knowing the four keys and appropriately leveraging their importance. But the importance of each element differs from what marketers intuitively think. In fact, experts suggest marketers’ perception of the importance offered by the four keys is nearly the opposite of reality. List and offer contribute the most value to direct response marketing results, although

Marketing activities targeted to a selected audience for the purpose of soliciting a response.1 Direct response marketing or direct marketing campaigns can employ e-mail, direct mail, telemarketing, advertising (online, print, radio or TV), catalog selling, billboards, trade shows, or a combination of any of these vehicles.

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LIST (50%) The group of customers or prospects targeted with a direct response marketing effort.2 Studies indicate 50% of a direct response program’s success is directly associated with the list. The list is often a group of names. But with radio spots, ads or trade show promotions, list refers to the audiences exposed to your message. Not all lists are created equal. The better targeted the list, the higher the potential response rate.3 Why? Communicating with people who simply don’t care about your products makes the other keys more or less useless. Conversely,

Format is the presentation of the information to the audience. In other words, how you will communicate with audiences: by phone, direct mail, radio spots, trade shows, sales calls, outbound telemarketing, etc.. Regardless of the format, it’s important to match the vehicle to the marketing task. So if you’re selling printer toner, you probably don’t need to show the product in order to succeed. You could use a radio spot or outbound telemarketing in this case. But if success requires audiences to see the product, select a format which accommodates a visual such as direct mail or a print ad.

COPY AND CONTENT (10%) Words used to communicate the message, content and offer to audiences.2 Copy and content provide only 10% importance to success in direct response marketing. We’ve focused on copy with this key, although this form of marketing involves other creative elements and content such as graphics, visuals and diagrams. Typically much of the copy in direct response marketing is devoted to selling the offer. Convincing audiences the offer is desirable. And motivating them to take action. Words like “free,” “new,” “now”