Aren’t you tired of struggling with poor campaign response rates? Can’t find that pot of gold?

If you’re getting poor results and ROI, not getting value for your marketing dollars (even if it is just the cost of emails) and are feeling bummed about your marketing ideas chances are you’re not alone.

Arguably, marketing has never been as challenged as it is during this economic period. With marketing budgets often the first to be cut, your prospects and customers even more determined not to respond and spending at an all time low. You need to make your marketing stand out! With this post, I want to help you do that and lift the lid on some of the secrets to doing better.

1) Implementation matters

Your marketing ideas are not bad. Likely it is the implementation of the idea that is lacking. Marketers need to warm up to the fact that a campaign is not just a single email/ direct mail message. Instead, it is putting together a message across multiple channels with multiple touches across time with different messaging across your central theme.

Your ideas are like the central theme for a movie. What you need to do is put together around it the CGI, talent, script to complete the cinematic experience.

2) Brand matters

If you work for an already established brand, then in general, you are privy to higher response rates. But if most of your campaign recipients do not really know you. Then you need to stand out with your campaigns. Yes, the message and offer does matter but just as important is how you present it. Do it in a way that adds humour, pulls the heart strings, makes economic sense or just entertains and your recipients will remember you for it.

3) Relevance matters

I said once, sending a direct mail/ email personalized to an individual but getting their name wrong is bad. But just as bad is sending a message that is not relevant to the individual. Make sure you are targeting each customer segment with appropriate messages and if a large number of people unsubscribe from your message from a particular segment, refine your message and keep it relevant!

4) Design Matters

Will V is the expert on this. If you’re like me and think well, if the message is right, the offer is right, the implementation is well-planned then that’s enough to make a successful campaign. You’re missing the key to the treasure chest. You’re missing the design!

As Wrich frequently points out to me. We’re first visual people. And if you’re getting high email open rates but poor response,  maybe this is your achilles heel.