Monday, October 11, 2010

The Importance Of Working Your Leads

In an age of social media buzz and electronic communications, it’s great to read about new, high profile mail campaigns. Scan the pages of the trades such as Direct Marketing News or Operations and Fulfillment magazines and you’ll see plenty of examples of mail being used to engage new business opportunities.

This month, US Cellular “launched an integrated campaign, “The Belief Project,” on October 1 including direct mail, e-mail, newsletters, text messaging, bill inserts and outbound calls to consumers.”

During September, 50’s-themed restaurateur Johnny Rockets sent out a mailer to businesses within a certain radius of their 52 stores. They used the mail to create brand awareness and to generate new business by sending out a variety of discount coupons.

While this isn’t primarily the type of mailer sent out by many of GT Marketing Ltd’s pharma-related clients, it is exactly the process that GT Marketing Ltd’s clients use to fulfill their CME (Continuing Medical Education) classes and seminars, and promote their various offerings.

Targeted mailing lists are the fuel that drives a client’s marketing engine. A typical job for GT Marketing Ltd. includes defining a list of physicians or health professionals through radius searches by profession. Rent the appropriate list. Print and address the mail piece. Mail the piece in the timeliest manner, making sure to achieve the best postal discount.

Regardless of the message or the medium of a marketing effort, consistent promotion seems to be the key to its success.

Consider what a recent DMA study found: “A majority of the studied marketers sent follow-up e-mails at a steady, high frequency for a 19-month period despite a total lack of response - no opens, clicks, or other purchases…Eventually 27% of the companies stopped sending email, but a quarter stopped without any attempt to reengage or request continuing opt-ins.” The study suggested that other types of engagement were necessary before abandoning the prospective clients.

Define the target, get the list, prepare the mail, send it out, and follow up. Repeat, and you can call yourself a marketer.

GT Marketing LTD is a full-service direct marketing and direct mail production facility. GT Marketing handles fulfillment, warehousing, and expert direct mail production, consultative marketing, and project management. Call us to discuss your project at 800/435-7492 or e-mail us at mail@gtmarketingltd.com.

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