Get a "LOC" on Direct Marketing

Successful direct marketing begins with setting a few priorities. They are "List", "Offer", "Creative" and they are in that order.

List

The most important part of any direct marketing campaign is the list. This is the "direct" in direct marketing. If you're sending your message directly to the wrong audience, what's the point? Don't just buy a list of zip codes if your business is not regionally-focused. Don't purchase a list all at once—rent one. JDM is generally weary of list brokers anyway. Consider purchasing/renting a portion of a publication or event list. These lists are usually opt-in and under-saturated.

The list is the single most important part of any direct marketing activity. Don't even begin to think about possible promotions or creative design until you've locked down your list. Even the world's best offer and creative will fail if it's sent to all the wrong people.

Offer

Once you've nailed down the list, the next step is developing a relevant and aggressive incentive (aka, offer) for taking some action. "Call today" is neither incentive-based nor much of a call-to-action. Ask yourself, "why should they call today?" It's human to act on something with an incentive.

Creative

Traditionally, people think about list, offer and creative in exactly the opposite order. However, this is almost certain failure. Creative should speak to a specific audience, promoting a relevant and action-provoking offer. That's it. Non-traditional print sizes, attention-getting design or headlines are also great, but don't let yourself get carried away with creative. Remember, the list and the offer. Let the creative flow from them.

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More information regarding human behavior and marketing can be found on our "Psychology of Marketing" white paper. Register on JDM's website to download the full version.