If you do it – do it right

Why should you use direct marketing - in the new age of social media and digital marketing some businesses may think there’s no need for direct marketing techniques.

Isn’t it enough to promote a website using Google AdWords or advertise to generalised audiences on social media? The answer for many marketers is a resounding no. Not to use direct marketing is missing out on a golden opportunity to target particular people (either existing or potential customers) with a personalised message about your product or service.

Direct marketing utilises a variety of combinable channels (direct mail download ‘why it’s here to stay’, telephone and email marketing), and at the heart of any well structured campaign is a good database.

Social media marketing, digital display advertising and search engine marketing uses different methods (such as demographics, location and interests) to select which audience your advert will appear to.

Don’t get lazy

Not only does direct marketing allow your business to contact a database of people directly and track their response rate, it can also make your business stand out in our new digital age. The widespread use of the internet and smartphones has made many businesses lazy about using direct mail, leafleting and telephone marketing, but these ‘old school’ methods of marketing are just as important as ever and can be even more effective as more and more businesses switch to digital.

The widespread popularity of social media has also made some businesses think that email marketing is unnecessary. Again, there is no replacement for sending a targeted email directly to a customer’s inbox and tracking their open rate, responsiveness and actions. A one-to-one connection with a customer or potential customer cannot be replaced by pop-up digital ads, search engine ads and social media newsfeed ads.

Direct marketing lists can also improve the targeting capabilities of social media campaigns. For example, Facebook allows you to upload customer databases and then target those customers with adverts. This new way of using direct marketing data makes it just as important as ever to keep on top of your direct marketing lists.

A quality database is critical to any good direct marketing strategy. So make sure your business data is up to date, accurate and clean. Contact Corpdata for advice on acquiring or cleaning marketing data.

FOCUS on results

Your best marketing list helps you get your message in front of the right decision maker in the correct organisation. The more focused your list is on the ‘right’ people the better your return and less time and money you waste. Corpdata FOCUS files help you really do just that.

Fleet Focus - connects you to UK fleet and other decision makers and lets you identify your best prospects using vehicles and fleet size, the number of cars, vans, lorries, motorbikes, plant, taxis and even buses.

IT Focus provides an in-depth analysis of IT hardware and software used on site, which can include the number of PC’s used to the type of accounts software used. Recognised as the definitive guide to UK organisational IT deployment, and so able to identify IT users with a qualified interest in your products and services. Telecom Focus is an invaluable guide for anyone marketing in the telecoms industry, boasting coverage of the telecoms infrastructure of many of the UK’s largest telecoms users including size of installation, technologies used and telecoms spend.

Call Centre Focus offers almost universal coverage of call centres in the UK, containing a wealth of information about the call-centre operations ranging from
size to types of work carried out, and also offers call centre and customer service decision maker contact information.

Online Focus uses simple classifications of the online footprint of companies, combining their industry sector, geography, and size, and other telephone researched detail to offer a unique list for those who seek to target on line activity.

Buy fresh, clean old

Our clients know it’s a wise investment to source reliable lists of contacts. They or their clients will get a better return because more marketing
communications touch the right people.

BUT should you also use what you already have? It can be a real dilemma. Many organisations have large pools of legacy data which they feel is too valuable to discard but too poor to use.

Not mentioning the potential costs, both financial and reputational, of using a marketing list that has passed its use by date. It really is a sensible idea to invest in good, valid and safe information for your marketing campaign, and this may include refreshing the data you already hold.

Your mailing list is a significant element in the cost of your campaign, but get this wrong and you will get a lower than you expected response rate.

It really does pay to source a clean list, or to clean what you already have. Did you know that thousands of businesses change their address and postcode every month? Not only do a great many contacts go away from where you think they are but many thousands of companies register on either the MPS, CTPS, TPS or FPS.

These changes do impact on the reliability of the list you already hold. You will benefit from a one off ‘spring’ clean or a more regular polish of the list you use. You’ll reduce the amount of wastage that inevitably occurs and your campaign will generate better results, be it engagement, customers or awareness of your business.

Data Cleansing; what is it? When we clean someone’s list we correct or remove information that is either inaccurate or of poor quality. Information may be inaccurate for all sorts of reasons; often formatted or typed incorrectly or it may be that an address or phone number have changed, resulting in the erosion of the value of the out of date record.

Regular cleansing of your mailing lists ensures that they will not only be safe to use, but that the quality and accuracy leads to improved response rates from potential customers. Contact us to see what’s possible, 01626 777400.