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TARGETING & SEGMENTATION Introductory marketing teaches us to make several assumptions and generalisations on the market. Top on that list, it is vital for a brand to narrow its target audience down to a set of demographic qualities based on age, sex, income etc. Even a brand like Coca-Cola, which has near universal appeal, targets their product toward youth. Beyond the target market there will be a number of market segments, again defined by geo-demographic characteristics. In traditional marketing, defining a market and its segments will build a picture of an audience which impacts on both the creative employed and the media buying strategy.

Do these methods of targeting and segmentation translate into Direct Marketing? In fact, theyre surprisingly unimportant. Whats important is that communications are relevant and are therefore based on real customer knowledge rather than generalisations. A unique creative approach for each customer tends to be cost-prohibitive and unrealistic (yes, in some niche business-to-business exercises it may be feasible). Some broad segmentation should be applied to drive the bulk of the creative outcome. These segments must work alongside copy change-outs to complete the communication. But this is a secondary concern.

Even the act of segmentation is different in Direct Marketing because it is developed from hard customer information rather than market research. To segment a database, data-mining techniques that account for combinations of every possible information variable are used (including transactional data), rather than a broad geo-demographic profile. But the segmentation is just the beginning, the driver for the message platform and tone & manner.

PERSONALISATION & RELEVANCE Direct Marketing talks to individuals, not markets. This is where traditional targeting methods fail when theyre bolted on to Direct Marketing. Instead of broad segmentation it is critical we appreciate that each customer is unique. So we must utilise every piece of information to make the message more relevant and effective.

For a start, it is proven that simple personalisation (such as prominent placement of name and address), will significantly increase response rates. Using transactional data and linking your message with a customers known behaviour is more powerful again it shows you understand the customer and that youre adapting your product or service offering for their needs.

Building a tailored approach makes for multiple copy versions within a single segment execution. But the additional effort and expense is worthwhile for its immediate impact and response, as well as the long-term benefit to the brand.

Using the available data to better personalise and add relevance to the communication should be a key distinction in personalised marketing efforts versus mass market communications. It will also make for better targeting as there will be situations where a relevant link cannot be made and some customer groups may be eliminated from the distribution. It makes the customer feel like youre delivering them a service. While all direct communications make a noise, those that communicate service are the messages people absorb. They make the recipient feel like more than just another customer. The communication has considered the individual and they feel privileged to receive your message. Just as important, the restricted and more responsive audience will result in decreased costs, improved ROI and protection of the brand.

ADVERTISING VERSUS CUSTOMER SERVICE Customer service is what finally differentiates direct communications from Traditional Advertising. In direct, the media is the property of the recipient so its important theres something in it for them. An ad in an envelope (or worse still, an ad in an email or text message) becomes an annoyance. If you address something specifically to an individual, they expect that communication is about them rather than some irrelevant chest-thumping about your product or brand. Far too often the traditional marketers view of integration is to put a stamp on their ad. Or thoughtlessly email or SMS the body copy to all their customers.

This hurts the entire Direct Marketing medium because consumers become tired of irrelevant messages intruding into their private space.

The best customer service messages hit customers at the right time in their relationship. By contrast, traditional advertisers bring a campaign mentality to Direct Marketing. Following this thinking, all customers receive communications at the same time. The truth is relevance is more easily created with triggered messages driven by customer behaviour. Reputable direct marketers are acutely aware of this and explore database activities that promote a new product or service while also delivering a service message to customers.

Electronic communications that are activity driven are particularly useful for time-sensitive service messages. It can actually add to customer convenience to receive email or text messages. And for the marketer the business opportunities are endless. Imagine if your insurance company could text message you in advance of a localised flood warning, or if your bank could email you to advise your credit card was approaching its credit limit. Customers are thankful for these communications; they provide a tangible benefit for engaging and opting to receive electronic communications.

Nothing compares to direct for delivering this information. Particularly in an electronic format because they are both directed to an individual and are time-critical. These newly formed channels supplement the existing communications mix and exist for the customers benefit. They are not simply substitutes for traditional messages in an effort to save marketing costs with no thought for what the customer would prefer.

CREATIVE EXECUTIONS The creative boundaries within Direct Marketing are yet to be reached and the majority of executions fail to explore the possibilities of the medium. This is a hangover from the frequency principle employed in traditional advertising and the false notion that direct executions are about the brand first and the message second.

With Direct Marketing the customer owns the message and will actively choose whether they take it in. The execution needs to immediately show the recipient that its a completely new message and to this end, the communication should be clearly distinct from previous contact. The message should retain consistency to the degree that it is obvious who its from, but the message must scream above the corporate branding. A template approach is often employed, meaning that visually the messages blur together with a degree of sameness rather than being received with impact. But designers are not Direct Marketers.

No other medium offers the creative freedom of direct mail. Yet most direct mail fails to engage the senses and is lost in a sea of white window DL envelopes. Customers receive mail from a number of places and to engage an audience the execution needs to stand apart. Mail offers unparalleled flexibility in terms of format - there are practically no size or shape constraints. Perhaps its because Traditional Advertisers and designers are used to fitting into standards dictated by a medium (press, billboard, TV) that they treat direct mail the same way. They see an A4 letter and a DLE insert as a starting canvas whereas the reality is an open book.

Creative freedom also suffers where marketers are guilty of trying to get their message to as many people as possible rather than improve the targeting. We all know Paretos Law or the 80/20 rule, yet too often the entire database is treated as equal. By focusing on just the top customers or prospects and delivering a stronger, non-standard creative execution the message can be made more compelling and results magnified. A smaller, targeted audience will result in more to spend on those that count. An improved per-unit budget allows things to be done differently, ensuring the communication is not just read but also remembered and acted on.

CONCLUSION Direct Marketing is not simply about creating awareness, its about delivering results, creating new customers and selling more to them. As shareholders and CEOs demand a return on investment, its understandable that marketers are turning to Direct Marketing for answers. Its here that they need to pause and note that Direct Marketing is a unique craft and counter-intuitive to Traditional Advertising thought processes. Until they rethink, the credibility of Direct Marketing will suffer through poor executions.

The potential of Direct Marketing is clear. Despite traditional thinking leading to sub-optimal planning and executions, many businesses have still generated positive returns from their Direct Marketing. But they have merely scratched the surface of what can be achieved. With the right assistance there remains potential to unlock increased returns and improve long-term customer satisfaction.

To make Direct Marketing work, marketers need to grasp the unique complexities of the media. The explosive growth and competition for the customers time will challenge marketers, demanding stronger executions to break through the clutter. All businesses looking to maximise a return from marketing should elicit the help of a true Direct Marketing specialist. Do this and these businesses will not only improve their success, they may profit where they had previously failed. Direct marketing does work in the right hands.

Clint Bratton is Director of LOUD Response, a division of the LOUD Communications Group based in Sydney, Australia. Your thoughts and comments are welcome and should be directed to clint@loudresponse.com.au

For more information on LOUD Response visit our website http://www.loudresponse.com.au

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So often when small-business people design their advertising or their glossy three full-color brochures they do way too much bragging. It is if they are trying to impress themselves with all of their achievements. Your potential customers are probably not concerned about how great you are, but rather what you can do for them.

There are ways to tell your customer of all the great things that you have done in a way that also tells them why this is good for them. For instance, if your company is a family-owned business and it has been in business since 1965 that is a good thing. But what your customer really wants to know is that you do business the old-fashioned way, you do which you say you were going to do and you have built a reputation for quality and service. And therefore the customer can see the benefit to them.

After setting up franchises in 23 states and several hundred cities I had noticed that our competition often tried brag on their flyers and brochures about how many trucks they had or how large the company was. In fact, they often made her company looked 10 times the size actually was. Many times their customers would tell us they wanted to do business with us because we were a local company and small-business.

Actually we were a franchise in 23 states. Apparently their potential customers felt as if they were too big and great to do business with and they felt that it might cost a lot of money. Indeed, the truth was that our prices were higher and we were a much bigger company. So, you can see the problems that arise when you embellish yourself in your brochures simply for the sake of ego. Please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

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Wouldn’t it be great to have a huge crowd of people lined up outside your business waiting for you to open the doors–like when they release the newest Harry Potter book, or when the summer’s hottest new blockbuster movie premieres? Imagine what a boost it would be for your business to have your email inbox filled with queries from potential customers and your phone ringing off the hook with new orders!

A good promotional campaign can do that.

But what if you don’t have big bucks to spend on advertising the way Hollywood and the publishing giants do? What if you need to attract a large number of people, but you don’t have the money to reach a large number of people?

Then you need to get creative. You need to get free advertising.

That’s right–free advertising in the form of publicity.

You don’t have to spend piles of money on TV or radio ads, or pay for expensive newspaper display ads. You do however, have to do something to grab the media’s attention. Something that will make them sit up and take notice.

You want them to write about you, or interview you for a news segment, or invite you to be a guest on their radio show. That way a wide audience learns about you from a source that they believe establishes your credentials. You see, when you pay for advertising, it doesn’t automatically give you the same credibility that an endorsement from the media does.

Even if the news source is just reporting facts about your business, or offering an inside look at your industry from your perspective, it still sends a subliminal message to the audience that you’re a reliable businessperson worthy of the media’s attention. If the media considers you an expert, then the public feels safe in assuming the same. In a lot of ways, free publicity is better than paid advertising.

So how do you get free publicity? How do you grab the media’s attention? By coming up with a news story, or a human-interest angle on an event or topic the media will want to cover. Then you write a press release, or hire a freelancer to write one for you, so the news reporters and journalists will contact you for an interview, or write about you in their publication. (For tips on writing a press release that gets noticed, check out the Press Releases section on our website.)

Some newsworthy events you can announce are:

• Publication of your new book or e-book
• Sponsoring a fund raiser
• Grand opening of your store/business or website launch
• Participation in a charitable event
• Awards or nominations you’ve received
• New product launch
• A new group you’ve formed (such as Work-at-Home Moms Club, a writers’ group, a new business networking group, etc.)
• A demonstration you’ll be giving (such as cooking, karate, kite-making, dog training, website design, etc.)
• An Open House celebration (in connection with a holiday or store anniversary, etc.)
• An attempt you’ll be making to break a world’s record (baking the world’s largest pizza, jumping on a pogo stick for the longest time, walking backwards for the greatest amount of miles, etc.)

Anything out-of-the-ordinary is worth reporting to the media. Something as mundane as moving your business two blocks to the south won’t cut it, but if you’re relocating to a building that’s been designated as a national or historic landmark and you can tie that in to your business somehow, then you’ve got a news release.

Other ways you can generate publicity are:

• Offering to appear as a guest on a radio show
• Writing a tips column for your local newspaper
• Teaching an adult-learning course at the community college or senior center (Introduction to the Internet, debt management strategies, how to find the lowest mortgage rates, etc.)
• Podcasting or blogging

Whatever methods you use, your goal is to keep your business on the media’s radar screen so your name becomes synonymous with expert in your field. When used wisely, the power of the press can give you what money can’t buy: positive word-of-mouth advertising. Now that’s priceless!

Angel Brown is the Founder and President of the Women’s Business Gallery (http://www.womens-business-gallery.com), the ART of business specialists, providing women entrepreneurs and small business owners with the information you need to succeed.

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If you are a salesperson doing a PowerPoint presentation or you simply have to talk in front of a large group of people, then you know how hard it is to get your ideas across. Here is one trick I’ve learned the hard way that will help you and will make your job a whole lot easier!

Use humor! Use humor!! Use humor!!! (…as you see, I like repeating)

Humor will put your clients/listeners/readers at ease and will help break the ice as well as set a tone with the audience that helps to loosen everyone up a little. Everybody (from Donald Trump and Bill Gates to John Doe) loves to laugh and disconnect for a little from this, otherwise, overly serious world.

If you have a natural talent for humor, then go for it — make your own routine, but keep it relatively simple and try not to overdo it. If you feel uncertain what to do, use the services of professional humorists who can help you! Humor will make a presentation much easier to listen to and much more fun for you to create and present it.

All different types of humor work best in different situations. Some speakers always start with a joke, or tell a funny story in the beginning of their speech to break the ice.

But not everyone has a talent for telling a joke or a funny story right. There are too many examples of bad stand up comics…Relax! There is an easier way!

Use cartoons! They are perfect to communicate your thoughts and your message, and have proven to be one of the best marketing tools. A recent New Yorker survey shows that newspaper readers typically check the cartoons out first before reading the actual articles.

Cartoons are great, because they will deliver your message at a first glance. A good cartoon can attract your clients’ attention and make it easier for you to do the rest!

Where do you get cartoons? Probably one of the best online sources is eToon.com (http://www.etoon.com), a cartoon licensing company created by Vlad Kolarov, a professional cartoonist with over 27 years experience. At eToon.com you can select from tens of thousands of cartoons and get licenses for multiple purposes.

Doing it is extremely easy. You can search for a cartoon by topic, keyword or author. After choosing the best cartoon for you, you can find out how much it will cost to license it, pay for it with a credit card and then you can download it.

The licensing fees are quite reasonable for most businesses and individuals. For example, you can download and use a cartoon in a PowerPoint presentation for only $35!

There are, of course, occasions when you can not find a suitable cartoon…No problem! Just email a cartoonist for a custom made one. Vlad Kolarov can make a custom cartoon for you in usually 24 hours. The cost, of course, is a bit higher, but it is definitely worth it! (You can email Vlad here: http://www.evlad.com/contact-info )

Cartoons work great not only for presentations, but in other ways too, such as:

– Advertising: Many Fortune 1000 companies (from Coca Cola to Volkswagen) use cartoons in their ads. There is a reason why!
— Email Campaigns: Cartoons are fun and they will grab your clients’ attention
— Company Newsletters: If you want your employees to really read your newsletters, give them something fun!
— Training Manuals: a fun way to break up the often boring training sessions. Cartoons provide grait visual aid and reinforce important information by making it easy to remember.
— Fax Cover Sheets: fax cover sheets beg for a good cartoon!
— Websites & Intranets: give your clients/employees a great reason to check in on all your company information too.

All in all, cartoons are an original, extremely effective way of marketing and delivering across important messages to your clients and prospects. They make you stand out from the crowd and your business a success.

About The Author: Dessy Oundian is a Publisher and Online Marketer. http://www.2articles.com

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These days, everyone’s looking to save a buck. But if you plan to cut corners by using a fledgling copywriter or marketer, expect to put the money you just saved towards a really good lawyer. Because you may just find yourself in court.

Lawsuits abound in today’s world. Lots of people are more than willing to sue at the drop of a hat. No one wants to think that they know anyone like this, but the truth is, this planet is crawling with lawsuit-happy consumers who can make your life a living hell. You may think, Oh, I’m just a small start-up; no one would bother trying to get money out of me! But do you know this for a fact? Even if you’re miniscule now, you want to grow your business. With any luck, one day you’ll be earning more than just a comfortable living. The best way to ensure your legal protection in the future is to start practicing caution today.

How does this relate to your advertising, and who you hire to work for you? Every bit of written material put out by your company is a statement issued by you. If you hire someone who has little to no experience in the real world, you’d better be on top of them at all times. You’d better make sure that what they’re creating for your company doesn’t contain any legal loopholes or claims you can’t fulfill. Because as soon as your advertising makes a statement about anything, someone will try and hold you responsible. They might even seek legal counsel on the matter. Yes, what you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.

I worked for the RUs family of stores for seven years, writing and editing everything from catalog copy to sales promotions to coupons to informative marketing mailers. Nearly everything said in our ads was supported by a legal disclaimer that prevented the company from being held responsible for any unforseen events that might occur as an indirect result of our statements. At the time, these legalities posed a great annoyance to our department, slowing down progress and hampering creativity. But today, I’m incredibly grateful for the extensive legal training I received while working there.

What are some examples of loose-lipped writing that can land you in legal hot water? What situations might you get yourself into in today’s fast-paced, maximum-output world of marketers?

E-books are hot right now. Everyone wants one, and they want it yesterday. But beware the trouble of an untrained eye taking control of your e-book content! Last year, I worked for a small start-up company. They wanted an e-book written fast, so they hired an unpaid intern. Although the e-book served its purpose well, it was riddled with statements that could get us in trouble! Why? Our e-book was for children. In it, we had included a long list of ways kids could spread holiday cheer. One entry was something to the effect of, Offer to help your neighbor carry in the groceries. Innocuous as it may seem, the end result of this remark could be some parent taking us to court because their child went out and tried to assist some unsavory character, and was abducted in the process! Heaven forbid, but nothing’s impossible. In our e-book, we took care to state Never do anything without first asking permission from your parents - many times, and in many ways.

Article content: seems like everyone wants it in mass quantities. But how smart is it to hire a wet-behind-the-ears intern to write pages and pages of information and then publish it under your company name? One little slip-up, and guess who’s getting a subpoena in the mail. Not the intern! I recently wrote an article on credit card debt elimination. As I was crafting my copy, I kept stumbling over red flag statements that could prove troublesome. Some debt consolidation companies may even be able to erase the interest fees you’ve accrued. Was that true?? If it wasn’t, somebody might be getting an earful down the road. It’s difficult to know what information found on the internet is accurate, or just somebody’s assertion. If you’re not sure - disclaim! Or, simply avoid commenting.

Coupons and limited time offers that aren’t properly disclaimed can cost you money. Say you run a sale on your website, but you forget to include start and end dates. If the sale prices are valid in January but you don’t tell your customers, someone could very well come along and demand a discount in May! Or what if you post an ad for your business offering 50% off all design jobs but you forget to exclude the really high-end projects? You could find yourself working on an extensive web-design job that’s only bringing in five hundred dollars when it could have made you a thousand!

What about your return policy? You want to be known as a company with its customers’ best interest in mind - but what if your return policy is so open-ended, it leaves you vulnerable to excessive returns, when in fact there is really nothing wrong with what you offer? I worked for an e-greeting company this summer. How is an e-greeting company supposed to guarantee customer satisfaction? It’s not possible! So, in such a case, a statement like this has to go. Would a newborn to the industry have the foresight to make such decisions? My guess is no.

Do you sell products via the web? Anything that poses a safety threat should be disclaimed to avoid future legal headaches and thousands of dollars lost. Everything from over-the-counter drugs to children’s products to baby clothes to automobile parts to finances must be shielded from potential legal action. Never thought about legal ramifications? Best to get an expert’s advice before going forward with your business plan.

Still thinking of hiring a novice to help you run your business? Think again. A little extra money spent now can mean a ton of money saved later. Hire a copywriter or marketer with corporate experience, who will exercise legal caution in your business writing and provide financial security for your future. Who knows… you may never even need that lawyer.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

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Everything in life is about relationships, thats why we network, go on dates, meet people for coffee, for lunches and social gatherings. We all do this to meet some need, whether its for life partners, establishing clients, friends, employees or strategic alliances.

What happens after is what really matters. Do you follow-up? Do you ask for the sale, or the friendship or the relationship to begin? Do you ask yourself what your intention is for this relationship?

After all the effort to engage someone to establish a relationship, what do you do then? Do you send a thank you note, or give them a call? Do you ask if you can proceed with the next step? Or do you drop the ball?

It seems to me this step is where most people drop the ball. I call it a strike #1.

If you have given a follow-up call and now engaging in conversations toward having a relationship, whether its personal or biz how are you keeping your new relationship fresh? What after care do you do? Or do you feel, well I got the sale or the interest so I dont have to do anything else?

If you do this, you are dead wrong, this is where the bleeding starts. People will start to fall out of like with you anywhere from a week to three months. When people start to fall out of like with you or your company you need to find out why. Was there something you said, you would do and havent done yet? Was it a call, send them information, connect them with someone else or arrange for training? You get the idea.

How do you show you really care? What warm and fuzzy thing do you do to refresh this wonderful relationship? When you are shopping to get what you want and it arrives, you need to look after it. (my mom and dad used to tell me all the time you better look after it, especially when I got something I really wanted, like my red tricycle, another story)

There is a cost to you if you dont. Not only may you lose that customer, employee, that personal relationship you will lose referrals, people may bad mouth you, youll lose your reputation, trust and respect. Which is a greater loss for you, your reputation or your considerations for not following up?

Its all about relationships, people will stay where they feel valued and appreciated. Period!

Written by Mari-Lyn Hudson of Heart@Work, a relationship company. They provide relationship after care services, programs, and products. To reach Mari-Lyn Toll Free 1-866-667-0166 or E-mail: kindnessinc@myway.com

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