Here's a behind-the-scenes peek at the strategies which Hippo Direct is using to grow our business, and increase sales for our clients. The graphic below shows the Hippo Direct Content Wheel.
The underlying idea is to write original articles and other useful content, then share and publish variations of this content for different market segments. All of the spokes to the right of center represent places in which we distribute our content:
- Blog
- Websites
- Email Newsletters
- Promotional Emails
The spokes to left of center are channels from which the vast world of internet users and prospective clients can access and share our content:
- Links From Others
- Twitter
- Facebook
- LinkedIn
This Content Wheel plan can be used by any business with a website and blog to dramatically increase the reach and results of their marketing program. It combines inbound marketing and social media with direct marketing and email marketing.
Direct Magazine online recently featured an article by
Stefan Pollard called "
Three Vital Elements of E-mail to Test".
In this article Stefan explains in simple terms how and why to test these elements of an email message:
1. Audience segmentation -- do A/B splits on variables such as customer vs. prospect; or what type of product purchased.
2. Subject line -- test brand-specific vs. action-oriented vs. benefit-driven subject lines.
3. Call to action -- test the action which you want reader to take; the words you use to describe the action; the way the call to action looks (fonts, image, location)
I'll add two more key elements where testing has improved the results from email marketing campaigns for clients of Hippo Direct:
1. Transmission time -- can test both the time of day and day of week. Most marketers get the best response with either a 10 am or 11 am Eastern transmit time on Tuesday thru Thursday. But I know of technology-related marketers who get their best response with a 3 am Eastern transmit time; and marketers to Europe who email at 6 am Eastern time, which is 10 am London time.
2. Graphic images used in message -- can test messages with and without image. When photos of people are used, test pictures which feature various combinations of age, gender and ethnicity. In many cases, the choice of photo is made by a designer at an advertising agency. The smart marketer will always test various photos to determine which one is best for their target audience.
Hippo Direct clients market to a wide variety of business professionals and consumers using email and postal lists. During the past week, we helped marketing managers reach these targets for their upcoming campaigns:
Business and Finance administrators at colleges and universities
Business Management seminar attendees
CEOs and top executives at nonprofit organizations
College Alumni Affairs executives
College Development and Fundraising executives
College Distance Learning faculty and administrators
College Education Faculty who teach future teachers
College Human Resource and Personnel Directors
College Nursing Department Chairs
Deans of Nursing
Dentists by specialty
Dentists who work for government agency
Development Officers at nonprofit organizations
Ergonomics professionals and consultants
Financial Aid Directors at colleges and universities
High School Coaches
International College Administrators and Faculty
IT and Technology executives at colleges and universities
Lobbying and Government Relations executives at colleges
Managers at business address
Mechanical Engineers
Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Motivational Products buyers
Occupational Health & Safety professionals
Occupational Health Nurses
Pediatricians
Periodontists and Prosthodontics in private practice
Project Managers in Hospitals and Healthcare companies
Public Relations executives at colleges and universities
Rehabilitation Counselors
Safety Engineers
Student Affairs administrators at colleges and universities
We can help you reach your target market, too. Contact Greg Branstetter at gbhippo@hippodirect.com for a rapid response!
The RainToday blog recently featured an article from Andrew Sobel, a leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn lifelong client loyalty. Andrew's article "Where Independent Professionals Succeed and Large Firms Fail" explains the reasons why marketing consultants and service professionals from small companies typically outperform their counterparts from large companies.
Sobel's traits of successful independent professsionals include:
1. Create personal brands by building individual market renown.
2. Regularly develop and disseminate intellectual capital.
3. Focus on conversations, not PowerPoint.
4. Try to achieve success, not perfection.
5. Have learned to eliminate non-value added activities.
6. Take responsibility for their personal development.
7. Organize around clients.
8. Truly act like it's their money.
I'll add the following traits of successful service providers such as mailing list brokers, advertising agencies, and financial advisors:
1. Speedy response to client inquiries and questions -- the faster the better.
2. Lifetime commitment to customers -- the same staff works with same clients for several years.
3. Responsibile for actions -- no hiding behind "company policy" or anonymous "others at the company."
4. Tech savvy -- expert at using the latest technology for research, and to present and share ideas.
Whenever you use Excel to create a mailing list make sure that you define the zip code field correctly, rather than having Excel automatically define field as a "number" field. If not, the leading
zeros drop off records.
If the field isn't correctly defined, zip code 00988 will become 988 and zip code 02222 becomes 2222. And none of your mail pieces whose zip codes begin with a 0 will be properly delivered.
To fix the problem:
In your Excel spreadsheet...
a. highlight the entire zip code column, including column description
b. click Format from commands at top of screen
c. click Cells
d. click Special
e. click Zip Code
f. click OK
Hippo Direct clients market to a wide variety of business professionals and consumers using email and postal lists. Last week we helped marketing managers reach these targets for their upcoming promotional campaigns:
* All active US dentists
* Attorneys who specialize in Intellectual Property or Patents or Trademarks
* College professors who teach courses in Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering faculty
* College Presidents by enrollment size of their university
* Consumers at home address by age, marital status and household income
* Corporate counsel who specialize in these areas of practice: Corporate Law, Employee Benefits, Labor/Employment, Workers Compensation
* Dentists by year which their military service ended
* Dentists who are practice owners
* Diversity professsionals and senior human resources executives
* Donors to international poverty causes
* Employee benefits executives and senior senior human resources executives who make decisions re corporate wellness programs
* European hospital executives
* Executives at pet food manufacturing and pet food marketing companies
* Healthcare Design decisionmakers such as Architects, Facilities Manager/Planner, Construction Manager/Project Manager, Chief Engineer
* Individuals with hearing ailments
* Licensed Medical Professionals
* Medical School Deans
* Paralegals by state
* Periodontists by state
* Pharmaceutical and biotech executives at companies in Central America, Caribbean, and South America
* Runners magazine subscribers
* Running event participants
We can help you reach your target market, too. Contact Greg Branstetter at gbhippo@hippodirect.com for a rapid response!
An email marketing strategy which re-sent promotions to non-openers of the original offer increased overall click thru rates by 49% for one of Hippo Direct's publishing clients.
This email marketing tactic is featured in a new report from MarketingSherpa called "Marketing Wisdom for 2010: 70 Marketers and Agencies Share Real-Life Stories and Lessons Learned".
For more information and to download the report, visit MarketingSherpa's website. See the Hippo Direct citation on pages 11 and 12 of the report.
The increase in overall click through rate was achieved as part of an ongoing email marketing program to sell paid publication subscriptions to registrants of a free online service.
1. Less clutter in the mailbox = more response for your mailings.
Here are 6 more reasons, per Rod Devar, Manager of Direct Mail at the US Postal Service. Rod's article "Don't Call It a Comeback" appeared in the December 2009 issue of Deliver Magazine.
2. Mail will be even easier to track with new postal services like Intelligent Mail.
3.. Clean lists are eco-friendly and cost-effective.
4. Content marketing is on the rise, which brings more opportunites to cross-promote.
5. Newspapers are suffering, which means that advertisers need to find new ways to reach prospective local customers.
6. Printing and database technology continues to improve, which provides more opportunities to use color and personalization in your mailings.
7. Direct mail is a strong acquisition tool with better targeting than other methods.
The Gilbert Direct Marketing Blog featured a recent guest post from Marjorie Bicknell reminding us why the classic #10 letter package can produce better results than self-mailers such as postcards and flyers.
Marjorie's 6 reasons for choosing a letter package:
1. A letter in an envelope is "real" mail.
2. A letter is still the most effect tool a direct marketer has.
3. A letter package offers privacy.
4. A letter package gives you room to tell your story.
5. A letter package is more personal.
6. A letter package can be more economical than a self-mailer - and provide a higher ROI.
I'll add 4 more reasons why "letter inside envelope" direct mail packages can generate more sustained response than self-mailers:
1. Can include premiums such as bookmarks or imprinted magnets.
2. Can use a "buckslip" to highlight the main element of your offer.
3. Can include your business card as part of the mailing.
4. Can include coupons to stimulate immediate purchases.
The new website www.Marketing2NonProfits.com gives mailers and advertisers one-stop access to the leading publishers and professional associations who market to charities such as hospitals, universities, foundations and social service agencies.
Marketers can learn details regarding marketing programs to reach leading non-profit organization executives, including: development directors, executive directors, fundraisers, marketing managers, public relations and events coordinators.
The site features links to 48 leading sources of marketing to non profits:
* Mailing Lists
* Email Lists
* Advertise in Print Publications
* Advertise in Email Newsletters
* Advertise on Websites