People Don’t Stay At the Ritz to Be Anonymous

The Ritz knows your name. From the front desk to the bell hop, they know who you are, what room you are in, what you like and dislike. All Ritz staff members are trained to observe and get as personal as possible. Why? Because it makes you feel unique, special, comfortable, confident, and want to keep coming back for more. It becomes a subtle addiction and all of a sudden the Ritz becomes your benchmark for any other hotel stay.

Getting personal is what it’s all about. Very few businesses are immune from the power of getting personal. It triggers a natural human response that cannot be equaled. When it comes to direct marketing the power of the PURL helps you put a little bit Ritz in everything you do.

A PURL is a unique URL (vip.golfgalaxy.com/JohnSmith/) that is built specific for a unique recipient. A Microsite is a 1 to 3 page website to which the user typing or clicking on the PURL is taken. These Microsites are also personalized giving the visitor confidence and comfort that the sender gave considerable thought and energy to learn what makes them tick.

The usual measuring sticks speak for themselves. Response rates double when PURLs are used in any interactive marketing campaign. When response rates double, so do more opportunities to increase the bottom line. PURLs and Microsites are not a new concept. They have been part of the direct marketing landscape for several years. Most marketers chalk it up as a solution only for big business. On the contrary, they have never been out of financial reach to add to your marketing war chest. They can be used with a variety of marketing channels one at a time, such as with a targeted email marketing campaign or a variable print campaign. Or, even better, mind boggling value is obtained when using the same PURL in an integrated fashion between email marketing, print marketing, and in some cases mobile marketing.

Regardless of the approach chosen, the ultimate goal is getting as personal as possible. Learning more about your customers and prospects along the way leaves no room for anonymity. No can you afford to take the easy way given the competitive landscape today. Your customers will show you with their wallets how much they love the personal touch.

For more information, please contact MediaDyme at 866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit their website at http://mediadyme.com.

The Power of Personalized Marketing

Direct mail and email marketing response rates are notoriously difficult to track and measure. However, a new option is now available - PURLs allow you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign – and also help increase the response rate at the same time.

What are PURLs’ you may ask???

Personalized URLs (PURLs) represent a novel way to track, test and even tweak your marketing for better results.

Benefits of PURLs

Engage prospects - Simple personalized web address gets more attention

Higher response rate – people are more likely to visit a web address which contains their name

Track web responses to direct mail campaign – you can see which prospects responded and when, what they clicked on and how much time they spent on the site

Personalize communications and follow up – you can set up automatic emails to let you know when a prospect clicks on their link so you can follow up in a timely manner

Build rapport and trust with clients - PURLs link to microsites which act as a dynamic online sales representative, allowing your prospects and clients more personal interaction helping to build more rapport and trust with your company

Targeted offer - PURLs allow testing of different offers to see which gets the best results and add or remove pages based on how long users stay on the site. Using PURLs to link to microsites is a highly flexible marketing approach. The microsite can be multi-purpose, allowing you to use it for branding, special pricing and offers, new launches and even client education.

Branding tool – PURLs and microsites create a great impression of your company for new prospects or existing clients by providing targeted content, improving value to the prospect and engaging them more actively

What is a PURL?

A Personalized URL is a unique, personalized web address created specifically for each individual on your list who will receive postal or email marketing communications.

Personalized URLs actually contain the recipient's name in the web address, creating a truly personal and engaging experience that inspires people to visit their Personalized website.

Personalized URLs are highly compelling, both for the marketer and the recipient, encouraging the beginning of a dialogue between the marketing company and the target market audience. When they see their name in the web address, they feel compelled to visit the site to see what it’s all about!

How do PURLs and microsites work?

PURLs are used in your print and email marketing campaigns. They link to a customized landing page or microsite that is separate from your main website and is designed with a specific purpose for your particular marketing campaign. Once the recipient visits their page, information from the database is used to tailor the web page to that person. They will be greeted by name and you can show different content to different members of your list, depending on the goals of your marketing campaign.

Reserved for each recipient, Personalized URLs serve as an excellent means to respond to, and interact with, your prospects and clients as a result of your marketing communications. Think of it as a concierge service for your prospects or customers.

In a world of mass marketing where your client receives thousands of marketing impressions every day, you can stand out using the power of PURLs and personalized marketing!

For more information, please contact MediaDyme at 866-575-3771 ext 101 or visit their website at http://MediaDyme.com.

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Served with Spaghetti or fed to the birds?

You've made it.

You´ve survived the economic crisis unscathed. Business is good, customers are up and revenue is getting back to pre-recession levels. Overall you are feeling good about how you are doing. That´s great. What got you here? If you are like any business, it was constantly reaching out to your customer in new and innovative ways. It was being cost-conscious about how you spent your marketing dollar to keep your foot in the door on prospects and existing customers coming back for more. It was getting creative on products and services that differentiated you, and keeping your audience informed, up-to-date, and engaged. AAHHH Yes. There is hope. Now complacency sets in…

The time and energy dedicated to getting the customer back in the door during tough times seems like such an overwhelming burden when the cash register is full. All the work and effort put into keeping your doors swinging and your website turning has a short shelf life and if you don´t maintain the momentum you risk becoming a stale loaf of bread fed to the birds at the end of the day rather than being served with a fresh bowl of spaghetti. Now is not the time to back off. Keeping your brand and overall existence at the forefront of your target market is never seasonal.

Case and point, I called one of my customers the other day. She hadn´t sent out any direct marketing campaigns in a couple of months so I wanted to make sure everything was ok. Assuming the worst that she was shut down, I was actually pleasantly surprised. She said she had been busier than ever. Business was really good. In fact, business was so good she let me know that she didn´t plan on doing any more direct marketing campaigns. After all, her store was packed full of customers. I knew that no less than six month prior she was struggling to keep the doors open. MediaDyme worked with her on a direct marketing strategy and assisted in executing a series of email marketing campaigns and text message offers. Return rates were good and business started to pick up for her. What a great success story, right? Wrong!

The good times have allowed the proverbial immune system to weaken because of the absence of no longer feeling attacked. Complacency sets in. All of the survival practices that drove the customers back to your door no longer leveraged. It´s like adopting a rigorous diet and exercise routine to get healthy only to halt the very regime that got you there once achieved. What happens? You get unhealthy again.

Key message here is to keep it coming. Don´t back off just because you think business is good enough that you don´t need constant marketing anymore. You could not be more wrong. In fact, good times are times to turn up the heat. Try different approaches. Use different medias or direct marketing channels to talk with your customers and prospects. Apply even more focus on personalization and relevance than ever before by getting very selective in marketing plans and messages. By doing so raises the bar for you and potentially springboards your business into another playing field.

www.MediaDyme.com

American Marketing Association Announces Partnership with MediaDyme

New Chapter Sponsor to Facilitate E-Communications For Tampa's Largest Marketing Organization

TAMPA, Fla., March 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA Tampa Bay) is pleased to announce its partnership with MediaDyme, a full-service email, SMS and variable print marketing company, to provide comprehensive email communications for the Chapter. The sponsorship will allow MediaDyme to successfully implement a new marketing strategy that will fundamentally change the way the organization currently engages its current and potential members.

"We are excited about this unique opportunity to not only support but also enhance, AMA Tampa Bay's existing email communications," said Robert Williams, founder and CEO of MediaDyme. "Since we're a fluid company and offer a multitude of direct marketing channels, we understand the challenges and the overall landscape of the contemporary marketing environment, so we can help the chapter achieve its goals."

AMA Tampa Bay has nearly 400 members from various sectors in the marketing and advertising industry. Its goal is to provide professional enrichment, networking opportunities, and industry news to its members. This year, several local marketing and communication companies have been added to the AMA Tampa Bay sponsor roster.

"We work hard to identify key partnerships with organizations that can transform and improve our overall effectiveness and enhance its relationship with our members," said Colleen Chappell, President of AMA Tampa Bay. "With its progressive email communication tools, MediaDyme was a natural fit for achieving this goal."

Williams also noted that he and his team gained valuable benefits from AMA membership which inspired them to help other members get the most out of membership. For more information about any of the chapter's events, log on to www.amatampabay.org.

About AMA Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Chapter of the AMA, (AMA Tampa Bay), is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the professional marketing community. With nearly 400 members, it is one of the fastest growing American Marketing Association chapters in the United States. The organization provides networking opportunities and programming on a variety of marketing and communications topics through monthly luncheons, digital special interest groups, and special events. Monthly events are open to members and guests and feature speakers from well-known companies and brands from both the Tampa Bay area and nationwide. For more information log on to www.amatampabay.org

About MediaDyme:
Based in Tampa, Fla., MediaDyme serves the national market with a unique marketing campaign management platform that optimizes customer and prospect communication management. MediaDyme delivers customers significant cost-effectiveness and added efficiency by combining email, SMS, and variable print marketing activities into one streamlined system. Their integrated approach to delivering and managing dynamic, multi-faceted marketing campaigns empowers marketing departments to attain seamless 1:1 marketing—without the effort or complications of managing multiple vendors and accounts. MediaDyme's web-based management system requires no software download, so clients can manage their campaigns from virtually anywhere. MediaDyme's philosophy is to reach customers through their preferred channel. At MediaDyme, we help you speak your customer's language, for convenient, convincing multi-directional conversation.

Don’t Blame the Gardener If Your Roof Leaks

An entrepreneurial cliché is to start with what you have. This of course drives home the fundamental principle that you have to start somewhere to get somewhere. Although this might instill inspiration and the motivation needed to get up off the proverbial couch and get something done, when translating that to direct marketing, starting with what you have is not always the best choice.

Take, for example, the following case:

A business owner has products and services very beneficial to real estate agents. MediaDyme worked with the client to create a comprehensive direct marketing campaign that was targeted specifically at prospects identified through real estate shows, events and other conferences. The campaign yielded a great response and great business and was successfully reproduced with variations using combinations of email, print, and SMS with predictable and repeatable results.

When the marketing message is personal and relevant to the target market, and provided in the right channel (email, SMS, or print, etc.), the return on investment for direct marketing is overwhelmingly positive.

Based on the success of existing products and responses, the same business owner launched a new product that was more generic and which appealed to a different group of people—job seekers. Although the new product was designed for a different market, he initiated a comprehensive direct marketing campaign using the same techniques and base product principles that appealed to the real estate agents. This campaign was then sent to the same list of recipients as his previously successful campaign—real estate agents. As you can imagine, the results were not as stunning as prior experiences. The business owner was left scratching his head and grew frustrated with the direct marketing effort. When asked why he had targeted the real estate leads with the new, more generic product, his answer was, “It is all I have.”

This exemplifies a clear misalignment with one of the two most important factors of effective direct marketing: relevance. If starting with what you have is not relevant to the prospect, then starting with what you have is a bad option and alternatives should be sought to generate recipients that are more relevant. This seems like common sense, but you would be surprised how many companies cast a much wider net than what is good for them in hopes of getting a nibble.

You don’t need to abandon “what you have” in order to pursue alternatives, but a different message and call to action is needed to make your message as relevant as possible. For example, generate awareness and potential viral leads by asking your more non-relevant list for unbiased feedback and offer compensation or discounts if they pass it along to others they think are interested. This is not an original idea by any stretch of the imagination, but it is effective nonetheless.

The core message here is: remember to apply the basic principles of marketing by considering the relevance of your offer to your target market and engage as many direct marketing channels as necessary to reach and converse.

Cross Channel Direct Marketing Example

We just finished the first two parts of a five part series of webinars. Thus far the topics are resonating with a large audience. It seems that reinforcing the basics is not a bad thing. Then it occurred to me that most business owners, marketers, or entrepreneurs never get a chance to master the basics for they are required to dive deep into all of the of the other issues that need to be tackled for a successful business. I am here to tell you that the basics are what will enable more effort to be directed in the most effective places.

Take for example, recently we provided the tools to for a MediaDyme customer to send out rate or mortgage changes via text messaging for real time alerts. The question was asked, what other media channels you will use to get recipients engaged beyond the alert… email, print, etc. The question seemed to be a surprise. Maybe the excitement of using mobile marketing distracted them from adhering to a multi-faceted direct marketing campaign and engaging all of the media channels needed to accomplish it.

The moral, don’t get caught up in the technology just because it’s cool. An effective direct marketing campaign requires planning, testing, and management. This will inevitably invoke the use of multiple types of media channels to get the job done. Each will have its purpose and shelf-life as part of the cumulative customer/prospect experience. MediaDyme continues to hold webinars on a variety of topics related to integrated direct marketing campaigns. Check out the material on the ones we have done already. They are posted on the website. www.mediadyme.com/webinars.html

Change the Rules on Direct Marketing Responses

When it comes to direct marketing there is clearly a distinction between approaches to how you spend your marketing dollar and the return you expect to obtain. Few have the budget to follow multiple paths. I am talking about Reach or Frequency. Both are wonderful examples of the Law of Averages and depending on the path you choose (Reach or Frequency) will determine the expected return based on the Law of Averages. I say change the rules by deploying some cross-channel marketing campaigns that create a new bell curve on expected returns on the direct marketing dollar. Let me explain…

The Law of Averages is defined as a law affirming that in the long run probabilities will determine performance; the statistical tendency toward a fixed proportion in the results when an experiment is repeated a large number of times; the law of large numbers. So let’s see how this works between the two approaches.

A “Reach” approach means to target a larger audience with less frequent marketing messages. The law of averages says that the probability of the recipient wanting to rid themselves of the problem that you can solve at the time they receive your marketing message decreases rapidly the fewer the messages you send. Many companies use the reach method. For example, a typical reach campaign may broadcast out 10,000 messages in the hopes that some have that perfect timing. In the direct mail world, that perfect timing yields a response rate from 1.5 to 3% at best. 10,000 mailings at $0.35/piece is $3,500. With a response rate of 2% (200 responses) equates to a cost per response of $17.50.

The “Frequency” approach proves for better returns based on the same Law of Averages. Send more frequent, more relevant, more personalized marketing messages to a smaller recipient list. Instead of 10,000, send 1,000 personalized messages once a month for 6 months combined with a Personal URL (vip.ABCCompany.com/JohnTarget). 6,000 combined messages at $1.00/piece costs $6,000. More relevance, more personalization, along with better call to action tools such as PURL’s, generates response rates that range from 6% to 10%. If using 6% as a response rate for the life of the campaign, this translates to a 50% increase in conversion opportunities (200 to 360) and a 5% reduction in the cost per response ($17.50 to $16.67). Personalization makes the per piece cost more expensive but the higher response rate results in a lower cost per response and substantially more opportunities to convert the response to an actual sell.

Now here comes the game changer. Combine the frequency approach with targeted personalized emails and follow on SMS (text messages) as part of the same campaign and move the response rate and the conversion rate needles to the outer edges of the bell curve. Only cross-channel marketing campaigns allow you to achieve this. It is possible without creating a labor intensive wrinkle generator. Use a cross-channel campaign provider, like MediaDyme to build better campaigns.