The concept of multichannel marketing to sell their products and services is old hat to direct marketers. It’s a little puzzling then, that many DMers still rely on a single approach to list marketing.
A majority of businesses continue to exclusively use only postal or telemarketing lists while disregarding e-mail and short message service (SMS) text files. Why should you consider diversifying your list mix?
Quick Turnaround – Whether you’re trying to drive traffic to an upcoming event next week or encourage an immediate call to action for a purchase, both e-mail and SMS easily meet that need. Turnaround times are anywhere from two to four days using e-mail, and a little more than a week for SMS (due to approval that must be granted from all of the wireless carriers; although this window is continually improving).
Cost–Effectiveness – Compared to direct mail, the costs are minimal, which provides a higher return on investment. Charges for printing, list processing, and postage are not incurred and creative design is not as involved (in the case of SMS there is no need to factor in creative costs since you will be deploying a 140/160 character text message).
Quickly-Measured Results – Open and clickthrough rates are virtually instantaneous. The majority of responses arrive within the first three days for e-mail, whereas the bulk of those receiving text messages reply within the first several hours.
Precise Targeting – Like direct mail and telemarketing lists, e-mail and text files offer the ability to select demographics, lifestyles, and a variety of purchasing attributes, helping ensure you reach the right audience.
Multichannel Offers – There is an ability to reinforce your message by using a combination of direct mail, e-mail, SMS text, and telemarketing for follow up. This multi-step approach can be quite effective in converting highly-qualified responders to customers.
Key Markets
Opt-in e-mail and SMS text can be used successfully in just about any market. There are certain products and services that fit nicely in these channels. E-mails that offer career, education and professional development opportunities, as well travel, investment and financial services are just a few of the categories that are finding success.
Text messaging is also drawing praise for its ability to generate highly-qualified responders. Marketers are using these lists to send coupons, raise funds and awareness, promote specials, launch new products and service lines, build voter and political support, conduct surveys, promote special events and sporting venues, and much more.
Considering the rapid pace at which technology continues to evolve, it’s imperative to continually evaluate its impact on your current and prospective customers. The popularity of social networking sites and wireless communication is now seen across almost every demographic. Consumers have shaped their lifestyles around technology and businesses are making decisions that are organized by it. This new definition is bringing with it acceptance and responsiveness to our marketing efforts. Rather than limiting yourself to only traditional postal and telemarketing lists, spice up the mix with some e-mail and SMS ingredients. The potential growth for your business is ripe for the taking!
Sandy Ostrander is a senior account manager at ListSolutions Inc.
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