PeopleSoft Inc., the Pleasanton, CA-based software developer, has begun a high-tech DM campaign targeting Fortune 2000 companies in several major industries.
The effort includes direct mail, e-mail, online marketing, and the development of satellite Web sites.
In the mail part of the campaign, the firm will send CD-ROMs to about 50,000 high-level executives at companies with annual revenue of $200 million. The CD-ROMs will be written in hypertext markup language (HTML) rather than the more common macroreader language, says Chris Peterson, president of Times Direct Marketing, PeopleSoft’s agency.
Recipients will not be able to gain access to the information on the CD-ROMs without first calling an 800 number, “so they self-fulfill,” Peterson says.
After they express interest, prospects will be visited by salespeople. PeopleSoft software generally costs thousands of dollars.
The CD-ROMs are to be mailed in the third quarter. PeopleSoft also will send e-mail to top executives.
The company is aiming primarily at firms in the manufacturing, healthcare, retailing, financial and distribution industries. Plans are under way to place banner ads on pertinent vertical Web sites in the targeted industries.
According to Peterson, PeopleSoft will “understand, in real time, which parts of the program are working well and which parts may need to be modified. Media buys and tactical implementation of the program can be altered in real time, which will increase PeopleSoft’s return on investment, help drive down the cost per lead and increase the prospect-to-customer conversion rate.”
The $250 million company last month acquired an equity interest in two companies-TriMark Technologies Inc., which specializes in life insurance industry software; and Intrepid Systems Inc., a manufacturer and developer of retail management software.