Home | Search Engine Solution | Contacts | Links | Faqs | Internet Marketing 24-7 Site Map | Marketing Library Site Map


Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment


In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you can measure the success of your efforts by a minimum response rate of 1-2%.

In other words, if you send out 10,000 pieces, you'll have a successful mailing if at least 100 recipients respond to your offer. (One percent of 10,000 is 100.)

That's one view of direct mailing success. 

Permit me to offer a different perspective: one from the small business world. Specifically, I'm referring to those small business people who work by and for themselves. Call them "One-Man Bands," "Working Soloists," "Free Agents," or whatever you'd like.

To help you remember these two perspectives, let's give them a couple of catchy names:

1. The "Playing the Percentages" Perspective. This is the "industry standard 1-2% response rate on your mailings" perspective you've heard so much about. This is the yardstick favored by businesses that are sending large quantities of direct mail to sell mass market products.

For example, if I own a pizza parlor, and I'm doing a "use this card for 10% off on your next order" mailing to all residences within a three-mile radius of my business, I might have a mailing list of 10,000 names.

You'd better believe that I'm going to watch the overall response rate like a hawk, and I'm going to be looking at precisely where those hungry customers are coming from. If most of them are coming from a handful of apartment complexes next to a college campus, I'll know to send my future mailings to those complexes.

2. The "You Only Need A Few" Perspective. This is the one for those One-Man (or One-Woman) Bands who are selling services that take a fair amount of time to provide. Like marketing consulting, public relations services, graphic design, or customized computer software applications.

For these folks, a handful of new or repeat clients from a promotional mailing is quite enough. After all, as the owner of a one-woman graphic design studio told me once, "I don't want to be a victim of my own [direct mail] success."

Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder," hails from Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a downloadable PDF manual that will show you how to put postcards to work for your business?profitably. Learn more about it at:

http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Subaru's Secret: Clever Marketing
U.S. News & World Report, DC - 9 hours ago
As Marketing Daily points out, it's a "mid-market brand with a limited vehicle portfolio and marketing clout. Considering its budget, which is less than ...


Entropic Communications Adds Senior Vice President of Marketing ...
Reuters - 15 hours ago
In his new role at Entropic, Vinay will lead all facets of Entropic's marketing function including product management, product definition, ...
Entropic Communications names Vinay Gokhale SVP of marketing and ... RTT News
all 7 news articles


Wellstar/TMI Imaging System Begins Marketing to Long-Term Care ...
International Business Times, NY - 1 hour ago
TMI's marketing plan includes a program where LTC facilities canlease the equipment necessary to perform skin assessments and store thenecessary data. ...


Leading Online Marketer of Education Technology Products Journey ...
Reuters - 15 hours ago
Move Provides Improved Services andBetter Pricing for Schools, Educators and Students DALLAS--(Business Wire)-- Journey Education Marketing, Inc. (JEM), ...


Intera Group, Inc. to Showcase In-Store Marketing and Analytics ...
Reuters - 15 hours ago
Intera is working with retailers, global brands, and their agencies to maximize the return on their marketing dollars, and partnering with analytics ...


KDPaine & Partners Expands, Adds Research, Sales and Marketing Staff
International Business Times, NY - 11 hours ago
In September, Angela Olesen was named Vice President of Sales & Marketing.Ms. Olesen has over 15 years of experience building and executingprofitable sales ...


Local media firm launches new marketing product for retailers
Charleston Regional Business, SC - 11 hours ago
Mount Pleasant-based digital media firm American Media Services Interactive has launched a new product that helps retailers customize marketing ...
American Media Services Interactive Debuts StoreCastingTM ... Reuters
all 18 news articles


Online Card Marketing Loses Favor
Bank Technology News, NY - 12 hours ago
Some issuers, including Citi, blamed the "difficult market environment" and indicated that the pullback from online affiliate marketing was temporary. ...


Marketing News Roundup, January 5
Marketing Pilgrim, NC - 1 hour ago
It’s official: the first roundup of marketing news of the 2009—and it’s heavy on the Google. Google shuttered its Second-Life–wannabe Lively six weeks ago. ...


Reveille Pacts With General Mills For Cause Marketing Deal
Broadcasting & Cable, NY - 7 hours ago
... company behind NBC’s weight loss reality show The Biggest Loser, has signed a major cause marketing deal with packaged goods giant General Mills. ...

Marketing - Google News

Home | Search Engine Solution | Contacts | Links | Faqs | Internet Marketing 24-7 Site Map | Marketing Library Site Map
home | site map
© 2000