Outbound marketing is constantly evolving. But regardless of the ever-changing times, there is one secret ingredient critical to the success of outbound marketing that has stayed the same: CREATIVITY. Successful outbound marketing used creative thinking to overcome every hurdle it faces – we’ve seen it time and time again. Of course, creativity is easier said, than done. Deliver Magazine recently showcased several great examples of outbound marketing that utilized a wide variety of creative solutions to successfully connect with targeted audiences. Check them out to for some inspirational ideas.
First Hand Experience
One of the most difficult steps, in both sales and marketing, is getting your foot in the door and grabbing the attention of your target audience. In some shape or form, most people tend to have a gatekeeper and a very good gatekeeper at that. Their job is to be sure that no one gets through and bothers their very busy boss. Also, think of the number of direct mail pieces you receive in a given day…times that by a lot when you become a CXO. The gatekeeper is looking for things to throw away – everyday.
At North Star Marketing, we discovered the key to getting past the gatekeeper is sending in a 3-dimensional mailer in a package that they can’t refuse. Add some empathy and humor to the messaging and you have the gatekeeper on your offense as opposed to playing defense. We have worked with several clients who are targeting CXOs and helped them get meetings with over 30% of their prospects. We have seen creativity be rewarded over and over again.
Wait a Minute Mr. Postman
Contrary to popular beliefs, direct mail readership is growing. And again, thinking creatively is key even with this growth. As marketers we must always be thinking about creative techniques to ensure that our unopened packages do not go directly in the waste bin. Want some insight into what else you can do to get your direct mail opened…wait no more. The Veritis customer-focus® Direct Mail Survey revealed exactly what it takes to entice someone to open and read a direct mail piece:
- Timing (piece arrives when service is needed): 69%
- Package looks interesting: 63%
- Special offer or discount: 51%
- Package looks important (for instance, it looks like it contains pertinent financial or insurance information): 49%
- Feel something in the package: 48%
- Free gift or token inside: 37%
Focus on one or two of these and see what gets the best results with your target audience.
Do you know or do you THINK you know?
Outbound marketing can deliver viable results when it is executed with creativity. And also keep in mind, in addition to outstanding creative, your outbound marketing campaigns should have tracking tactics that allow you to calculate your overall program response and ROI, so you know what works. Outbound success can’t be proven without measurement. So what will work for your company? A/B test your direct mail and utilize tactic-specific landing pages, phone numbers or emails so you can track what is working best. Direct mail is still one of the most powerful prospecting tactic out there – plan and implement well and it won’t disappoint you.
Have a direct mail A/B test with great results? Please share with us.
