KwikMarketing.com - Marketing Information

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:

PR Web

Easier Dental Marketing: New IDA Websites Provide Quick Targeted Articles To ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
New dental marketing website options from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) give dentists easy and fast options for customized web content to generate leads. (PRWEB) May 19, 2012 Successful dental marketing websites need web pages filled with ...
Automated Lead Generation: IDA's New Dental Marketing Websites Do Much More ...Virtual-Strategy Magazine
IDA's New Dental Marketing Websites: Easily Add Video, Images And Articles For ...Danbury News Times

all 16 news articles »


Automakers market distractions
Omaha World-Herald
“If the auto manufacturers focused as much on safety as they do on marketing their products, we would save a lot of lives,” said National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah Hersman, who advocates a ban on in-car mobile phone use even with ...

and more »


PR Web (press release)

New Training Website from Well Known Internet Marketing Expert Reveals ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Successtobusiness.com, a recently introduced internet marketing coaching guide, has come up with detailed information on tons of rewarding options to start a home based career. The website has been developed by noted online marketing specialist Mr.
Reputed Internet Marketing Training Website Includes New Section for Affiliate ...PR Web (press release)
Starting a Profitable Home Business Made Easy by Internet Marketing Consultant ...Virtual-Strategy Magazine

all 12 news articles »


Is Your Marketing Being Murdered by Your Sales Letter?
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
(Dr. Yvonne Foster, Director Lotus HR) Top marketing consultants Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer recommend that small to medium sized companies should focus on sales as this is what is needed immediately and any brand building will be a happy by-product.

and more »


Change Gauge: 20 Big Marketing Moves From the First Half
AdAge.com
More and more, companies are looking beyond their industries in the hunt for marketers with diverse experiences. A proliferation of consumer information, product choices and distribution options are dramatically increasing marketing complexity.



Writer For Content Writing King Published Social Marketing Article
Houston Chronicle
This post is about article writing, content marketing, and social marketing. Recently, the article writing writer for Content Writing King has released a new blog post about content marketing through social marketing. This particular blog post contains ...
New Article Marketing Strategy Announced By Content Writing KingPR Web (press release)
Content Writing King Releases Link Building Educational MaterialVirtual-Strategy Magazine

all 16 news articles »


Why You Should Read Engagement Marketing
Small Business Trends
Engagement marketing, according to the book, is the art of “getting new customers through your existing customers, while driving more repeat sales at the same time.” It's about serving your existing customers well, and deepening your relationship with ...

and more »


China Daily

Marketing crucial as sales cool
China Daily
By Jenny Gu (China Daily) Stronger growth in light vehicles sales in April was no great surprise, but concerns remain about the overall market weakness in the first four months of 2012. Passenger vehicle sales totaled 1.2 million units, returning to ...



Marketing push needed to boost agriculture students
The Australian
It said that the vast majority of year 10-12 students live in cities, presenting a major marketing challenge. "The agricultural sector has failed to promote itself,” department head Terry Spithill said. “It needs to get the message out about the many ...



Internet Marketing Company Announces an Increase in the Search for Keyword ...
Albany Times Union
Internet Marketing Company, an experienced leader in internet marketing consulting, announced today an increase in the search for the keyword "Internet Marketing Company." The search engine marketing firm keeps track of searchable keywords related to ...
5 Step Internet Marketing & SEO 'How To' for ProfessionalsBusiness 2 Community

all 8 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© KwikMarketing.com 2007