The Young Designer’s Guide

Are you getting ready to launch your next direct marketing campaign? If so, you’ve probably come across helpful tips such as making strong, one-time offers or adding a “forward to a friend” message at the bottom of an e-mail - sound and rational pieces of advice, but without a broader, strategic overview, essentially worthless.

The best direct marketing campaigns grow out of solid strategy and planning, the kind of upfront thought process that prevents an unwanted “ready, fire, aim” mentality that significantly limits the effectiveness of any campaign. The following strategic planning ideas should help you develop a marketing program that’s sure to drive results.

1. Identify business issues and opportunities. First, clearly identify and communicate the business problem you’re trying to tackle. This avoids creating a great solution to the wrong problem. Spending time to think through the business issue/opportunity also helps to better define the project’s true purpose and scope. Questions to ask: What is the consumer problem? What trends are impacting the industry? Why do customers need our product or service?
2. Establish goals and objectives. Without concrete goals and objectives, an organization will never know if its efforts are successful. Establish both short- and long-term goals, focusing on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time-Bound) objectives. A goal stating that “we want to acquire more customers next year” is not nearly as strong as one that states “we want to increase the number of targeted customers by 10 percent by the end of 2004.”
3. Define your product or service. Can you describe your product or service in 15 seconds or less? Can you do it on paper using no more than 30 words? Developing clear, concise and simple-to-understand definitions of who you are and what you represent is critical in developing effective marketing communications. Avoid using jargon and internal lingo - while this might mean something to you, it will probably confuse those you’re targeting with your message. Another tip: Be clear and concise when using an outside agency or copywriter to craft your marketing letters and brochures. If they don’t completely understand what your company is all about, how can they help you tell the world?
4. Separate benefits and features. Benefits are the reasons why people buy a product or service. Benefits describe the product is and more importantly the value it provides. They attempt to answer the key question in any customer’s mind: “What’s in it for me?” Examples of benefits include saving time, increasing wealth, establishing prestige and providing timely and relevant information.

   Features, on the other hand, are a listing of the items that make up, or define, what the product is all about.

   People buy a product because it meets a benefit need. Therefore, it’s imperative to understand, separate and effectively communicate benefits vs. features.

5. Address the target audience (who they are, what they need). People make purchase decisions for many reasons. Some buy a particular product because they always have in the past (the “trust factor”). Other buy because of the convenience a product provides. Still others buy based on price. Whatever the reason, you have to understand the wants, needs and desires of your many target audiences. Each group will respond differently to marketing messages based on their needs, not what you want them to need. Paint a mental image of your target audience in broad terms (age, title, gender) as well as in narrow terms (interests, concerns, needs) to enhance the results behind your marketing and communication efforts.
6. Develop compelling messages and positioning statements. Compelling messages are the bits of key information that ultimately get the target audience to buy or take action. These bits are benefit-oriented, narrow in focus, and address the audience’s needs head-on. Remember, if the message doesn’t elicit enough value to influence your target audience to take action, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll do so on their own.

   Before developing a list of compelling messages, however, you should start with a positioning statement - a series of words and ideas that describe why you’re different from the competition. This statement should be narrow in scope and customer-focused. With a positioning statement in hand, it’s easier to communicate the most important reasons why the target audience should purchase your product.

7. Understand the desired response and action. Direct marketing is designed to stimulate immediate behavior by the reader. That’s why it’s critical to include a clear call-to-action that communicates what the target audience should do, and by when. Do you want the reader to sign up for a new feature, respond to a survey or renew a lapsed membership? Should they return a reply card, fax an application, call a customer service number? Whatever the answer, take time to think through how you want the reader to respond. Also, make sure that your company’s operations and customer service departments are lined up and aware of your marketing communications efforts.
8. Use the right tone and manner. Messages are brought to life through the tone, manner and personality of the words and images used in a direct marketing piece. For instance, a promotion to attract and acquire younger customers should include words, images and colors that are younger and hipper, and speak to that target audience.

It takes a little bit of art, science and luck to develop and execute a highly successful direct marketing campaign. But taking the time to design a strategy and plan in advance goes a long way to ensuring you get the best results.