Here ’ s the rule of thumb :
As long as a media provides leads and new customers at a cost you can live with , you should be using it .
If you look at the most successful companies , they aren ’ t using just ONE media to sell . They are using ALL of the above media , or at least most of them . Look at Google as an example . Despite the fact that they own search , they frequently use direct mail , trade show advertising , HUMAN marketing ( call centers that are essentially sales departments as well as sales executives who sell AdWords to major accounts ), distribution channels ( via social media marketing companies and ad agencies ), and print advertising to sell digital marketing ( pay-per-click ). They ARE the social media platform , and they still use these methods of marketing .
What I do for my own company — and for my members — is create integrated campaigns that use multimedia to lift response . Offline driving to online , to then follow up with email , retargeting , and sales calls . Or online leads generated then followed up with direct mail and telephone calls and emails . Essentially taking multiple lines of twine , weaving them into a strong rope . And in today ’ s grossly DISTRACTED environment , it is becoming more and more critical to utilize multistep , multimedia marketing to even get someone ’ s attention and generate reasonable results .
It used to be we could send out a letter with a fax-back form and get responses . NOT TODAY . Even in my own business , I ’ ve had to create a far more complicated , sophisticated approach to selling than sending out a single letter or postcard as I ’ ve done in the past . This is happening to ALL of us , all marketers , all businesses . We live in a highly distracted , highly saturated marketplace that is not in NEED of your services , with MORE distractions and interesting things to read , look at , listen to , and watch than the ad you ’ re sending . if you want more clients , the bar has been raised , the level of difficulty multiplied .
That ’ s why most marketing fails : It ’ s ONE channel , ONE step . Direct mail without phone follow-up . Email sent without a phone call . Also , TOO FEW sent . A client recently complained because he “ wasn ’ t getting results ” with the marketing . When pressed , he sheepishly admitted that all he had done was send out 10 prospecting letters to an ice-cold list over a threemonth period with no follow-up in any other media ( LinkedIn messages or phone ). Yes , that ’ s an extreme example , but even if he had sent out 300 without some additional follow-up , results would be poor to nonexistent .
How To Instantly Lift Results
In summary , one instant action you can take is adding on at least one additional MEDIA touch to every campaign you send out and definitely to the follow-up of leads generated . For example , if you ’ re emailing your list regarding a webinar , add a couple of phone calls to the people who clicked the link but didn ’ t register ( first ), then calls to everyone who never clicked . Doing so will instantly lift results and registrations .
If you ’ re sending out a postcard , follow up with a phone call within 24 hours of it landing on their desk and an email that mentions the card ( and , more importantly , the offer ) to
The 7 Types Of Media You Can Use
So , let ’ s talk about MEDIA . There are basically seven types of media :
1 . “ Authoritative ” Print : Magazines , newspapers , books , and industry research
2 . Broadcast : “ Real ” TV and radio , NOT YouTube or podcasts
3 . Social Media : Facebook , YouTube , Twitter , LinkedIn , etc .
4 . Direct Mail
5 . Digital Media : Email , texting , retargeting ads , organic search , pay-per-click , bloggers , etc .
6 . Phone Calls
7 . Human : Networking events , trade shows , referrals , canvassing , salespeople , etc .
lift overall response . I can tell you that adding 3 – 5 follow-up phone calls to a postcard or letter will often double the response of a campaign .
So , the question is , how many steps or media touches are enough ? The answer is as many as it takes to get the result . It ’ s impossible to get a simple answer due to variables that come into play : 1uality and relationship with the list . The offer and copy . TIMING . Who else is talking to them … who the incumbent provider is .
Next question in line : How MANY is enough ? Again , same variables apply . It should be determined by working backward from a goal . Two new clients a month will require eight appointments if the close rate is 25 %. Eight appointments will ( most likely ) require at least 16 leads generated . Generating 16 leads from a list of warm , prequalified UNCONVERTED LEADS may take a list of only 500 to 550 ( 3 % response ) IF the copy is powerful , the offer irresistible , and the message actually delivered and read . To an ice-cold list , 16 appointments may require a reach of 3,000 ( 0.5 % response ) due to the lack of relationship .
Of course , the right answer to all of this is to test . If you have a process that is already producing results — be it a lead generation campaign or a follow-up sales process — then add on a few additional touches with media you ’ re currently not using and see how it impacts the overall effectiveness of the campaign . If positively , then you build that into the system overall , and it becomes the new control , or system — but I will say you don ’ t want to just add more touches of the same media ( sending five emails instead of three , for example ), but more touches with an entirely different media altogether , to get the best lift in response . n
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