DMA09: How To Promote Direct Marketing Industry

In this year's largest marketing conference, DMA09, attendees were asked for ideas how to reinvent direct marketing industry. DMA09 event was organized by Direct Marketing Association. The participants wrote their ideas on napkins. Ogilvy's re:direct movement which is very actively promoting direct marketing published the ideas here.

I picked the few most interesting ideas for you

• Make direct marketing as an exclusive industry to attract new talent.
• Write white papers and articles why direct marketing (DM) is the future of marketing.
• Different language Direct TV (DRTV), what about Hispanic audience?
• Think beyond direct mail. Digital is the future.
• Pro direct marketing speaking series and contents in schools.
• Change a compensation of direct marketing. Shared risks and rewards.
• Direct marketing should be environmental friendly.
• Direct is the personal way to do business.

Now, it's your turn to answer these questions

1. What would you do to improve direct marketing as an industry?
   
2. What could be the way to spread awareness that direct marketing is the golden opportunity of advertising?
   
3. What could be a downside for those who miss this marketing opportunity?

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7 Articles Every CMO Should Read

Here are seven the most useful articles of this blog for marketing directors.

1. Why Ad Agencies Will Not Take Their Own Medicine?

2. In Search of Advertising That Sells

3. 3 Signals: Why The Future of Advertising is Digital Direct Marketing

4. The Golden Opportunity of Advertising

5. Why Digital Agencies Aren't Ready to Lead

6. 21 Reasons to Start Building Your Company's Brand Today

7. Does Your Company Make These Mistakes in Marketing?


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Direct Marketing: The Quick and Easy To Build Your Email Database

Find out how to build your email database quickly. The idea to this easy email marketing campaign came from David Ogilvy and Facebook. This example is from Estonia.

Here is the creative:

Translation in English: "I will take off my top when 500 subscribes to the free CentBidder.com newsletter."

The promise of the headline is irresistible. The copy text gives you also the second reason to sign up: "Sign up to and enter a competition to win an iPod". The copy said you have to be over 18 years to qualify. At that point we weren't sure who was our the most fruitful target group, we only knew it was people over 18 since this was a gaming site. We received 500 subscribers within one week after putting the website up. This was a teaser for our future permission marketing campaign. We didn't do any advertising except that we told a few of our friends about the site. The campaign spread through social media and achieved measurable results.

Where the idea came

I once stumbled upon to a Facebook group called something like this: "When 100.000 members join I will take off my bikinis." There was also a picture of this beautiful girl as that group's avatar. She was posing in very tiny pink bikinis. We had plans to take things little bit further this idea. I remembered another campaign from David Ogilvy's book called "Ogilvy on Advertising". There is on the pages 26-27 three billboard ads from the year 1981 in Paris. Assuming you have read the book, do you know what would have been the next step in our permission marketing campaign? These articles are handpicked for you

• The One Thing in Advertising That Sells More Than SEX
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• 29 Tested Methods: How to Make Your Email Marketing Sell More

P.S. You MUST have a good email marketing software to do all this. I recommend THIS one. Just click the link to try it free. No credit card required.

5 Keys to Online Sales Success

The secret formula to an online sales success is not taught in prestige business schools. You have to learn it yourself. Through trial and error I have discovered it. There are five keys to the online sales success...

#1 Questions

The more you ask questions, the more you sell. This builds trust with your prospect, whether it's off- or online. The beauty of the internet is that you can automate this dialog and still make it personal.

#2 Listen

You are busy, I know, but try to listen. Nothings shows more that you care than listening your customer. First you ask questions, then you listen the answers. (Did you notice that you haven't even mentioned your offer yet?) Listen always carefully whether it's Twitter, Facebook, an email, a forum, a chat or a feedback form. Your customer wants fast service, but what they want even more is to be understood.

#3 Analyze

When someone takes time to send you message, be grateful for it and make sure you read it. Answer to the question handled. How many times have you had a situation when you asked something from a customer service, you got a response which didn't cover your topic completely, and you had to get to the rep again? This still happens even with the most successful web stores today.

#4 Offer

After you have asked qualifying questions, listened carefully and analyzed the answers, you are ready to move the fourth part of the online sales process. The offer should only be made after you have discovered your customer's need. Think yourself as a doctor trying to find a cure for your patient (customer). Only when a complete analysis is done you can move to the offer. This is also increases your chances of making the sale.

A hint for you: Make sure your automated online recommendations are personalized correctly. After shopping at Amazon.com for years now, I still get email offers to buy women's shoes from them. And they still address me as "Dear Customer" instead using my real name in every message they send.

#5 Care

The last one is caring. This means show that you care from your customers. While I think that Amazon.com has lot to do, they are one of the best examples of digital direct marketing in action. They keep sending me recommendations based on past purchases which are (mostly) accurate and interesting. It doesn't cost them anything to maintain this relationship even after the sale is made. You too can send recommendations via email, you know. It's a great way to stand out in this digital world.


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Frustrations of a Creative Man

If your chest starts to ache after you have read this, then my goal is achieved. This post is about creativity. Do you know how it feels when you get an idea that makes you unable to stay still? The feeling is so strong that you get an energy overload in your body. You get full of adrenaline. Right now, as I'm writing, that's exactly what I'm experiencing.

The second part: Frustration

After you get the rush of adrenaline, you feel either energized or frustrated. Why? - Because either you have managed to do something or you have failed to do something with your idea. In my case I failed.

An idea came, I tried to deny it at first. Acting like I didn't notice it. It's like that awkward situation when someone is attracted to you and you don't know to tell that you couldn't care less about him or her. That's the kind of awkwardness I was experiencing with my idea. Crazy? You bet. Here is what happened next...

The idea broke through my defense. "Why do I have to defend myself from ideas?", you may ask. The reason is the frustration. An unsatisfactory feeling you get when you can't make your idea to a reality. It's easier to ignore some ideas than go through that emotional roller coaster of excitement, joy, hype and failure. On the other hand it can, of course, lead to an even bigger high: success.

How to deal with frustration

You can only trust to yourself on decisions whether to ignore or accept your ideas as they came. The decision is yours, and yours alone, to make. Unfortunately, both can be painful. When you remember that you are only responsible to yourself, it gets a little easier. You set the bar, not anyone else. You decide if you the idea is good enough and if it fits your purpose. If not; pass along. You will get new and better ones (I hope).

As I was dealing the frustration of having an idea, I called my friend for advice. He told me that creative people tend to get lots of ideas, some suited for you and some not. To me, it just feels like waste to pass good ideas. Why not try to do something to them?

I have five questions for you:

1. Why people get ideas that are not anywhere near to their goals or purpose in life?
   
2. Why aren't those ideas send directly to someone in a position to act upon them?
3. Should you pass ideas or not?
4. Why some people are frustrated that they are not creative, while some are frustrated when having to many ideas?
5. How could we connect those people together?

You may also find these related free articles interesting

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• Does This Make You Think?
  

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Lester Wunderman: "Direct Marketing Means... "

A very few legends of modern advertising are still alive. Lester Wunderman is. He is the founder of Wunderman direct marketing agency. Did you know that he started it over 50 years ago? No, this is not a typo, Wunderman was founded in the year 1958. Watch this video to listen what Lester Wunderman would call Direct Marketing if it was invented today.

21 Reasons to Start Building Your Company's Brand Today

Here are 21 reasons why you should start building your company's brand today. I'm also going to explain why it is important to use a proven branding process to increase your company's revenue and value.

1. A strong brand is a real competitive advantage that is hard to copy.
2. Customer's loyalty increases towards an appealing brand.
3. A whole staff works more efficient towards one direction.
4. A strong brand is easier to choose as a customer.
   
5. Employee satisfaction increases if your company's brand is clearly defined.
6. The branding process reveals your company's core strengths.
7. A strong brand gets a better price.
8. You are going to stand out from competitors when position yourself clearly in your market. (This is an excellent book about positioning from Jack Trout.)
   
9. A brand that is understood trough out the company makes managing easier.
10. Your company's value starts to increase more rapidly when your whole organization works consistently together and starts live your brand. (Think about Volvo's over 50 years period of consistent work to their cars' safer.)
11. Any company in any industry can build a brand for itself.
12. When your competitors are tightening budgets, you have an opportunity to differentiate yourself in a way they cannot expect - or copy.
13. Branding is an investment, if you consider it as an expense, consider finding a better branding agency for your company.
    
14. Branding process always starts inside your own people. (A brand is not a logo, a name or a visual element.)
15. Building a brand usually requires an outside consultant who is experienced and leads the brand building process objectively. (Your company and staff are not excellent in everything they do - that's why you need a someone to remind you to focus on your real competitive advantage.)
16. A strong brand appeals to job seekers. The stronger your brand is, the more motivated your staff is (Think about Apple, Google, GE, or Starbucks).
17. Your products and services perceived value is higher if your brand is clear and strong.
18. A powerful brand is recommended more often.
19. A clear brand wins in a comparison to an undefined brand.
20. A strong brand makes it more difficult for new comers to enter your market. (Think about Gillette)
21. For the most successful companies, it is their brand that sets them apart from their competitors.
    

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A picture via Flickr user vincentteeuwen CC 2.0