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3 ideas Direct Marketing Agencies can use to attract new clients
Repost: Original article by:pbbrilliantawards
Industry reports have shown that Direct Marketing—including Direct Mail—is alive and well. A quick look at the DMA’s Direct Marketing Vendor Search database reveals that the industry supports a large number of agencies, fulfillment houses, service providers and consultants who are equipped to meet virtually any marketing need. Putting myself in the shoes of someone seeking these services (I am a marketer, after all), I studied a large number of descriptions and Websites to discern what type of criteria I would use and how I might select an agency.
I quickly became overwhelmed. Other than the agencies that specialize in a specific vertical industry, it seems that everyone is writing from the same script. Each agency is “flexible”, they all have a lot of “experience,” they are supported by “strong creative,” they can drive a “higher response rate” and they all “analyze results” to improve on future performance.
With over 150 choices just for Direct Marketing agencies, how would a potential client create a short list of agencies to talk to as a starting point?
Instead of relying on a dart board, here is a short list of new capabilities and ideas that an agency could promote to help distinguish itself from the pack.
- Talk about in-home delivery dates. The USPS is frequently in the news, and one concern is potential changes to service level agreements for Standard Mail®. Set yourself up now with a Standard Mail Drop Ship strategy which gives you more control over in-home delivery dates. It is pretty simple. You deliver mail to the local area and rely on the USPS for the last mile delivery only. This will help ensure your client’s important promotion doesn’t end up sitting on a dock while their event or offer has already started.
- Don’t tell me you are better at targeting, tell me why you are better at targeting. Are you using location intelligence, down to the block level, to create a smaller, more cost-effective list of targets? Have you incorporated buyer’s behavior into your selection criteria by applying customer interaction analytics to an existing customer database?
- Offer the envelope as a new canvas for full color personalization. Your potential clients know that a lot of direct mail is never even opened. Assure them that their promotions will get noticed with fully personalized, high impact color on the outside of their envelopes.
As a potential Direct Marketing client I want to feel really good about the agency I choose to work with. Give me and other marketers a good reason to select your name from the list, and then follow that up with a great proposal, great service, great ideas and outstanding results! And if you are a fellow marketer, use the comments section below to share additional ideas that you would like to see offered by a Direct Marketing Agency.
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