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Questions and Answers - questions that were not answered during the live session will be posted below:

Q. You mentioned that data is king? Isn't ROI really king?

Rod Key:  Data is king only if you use the data. It all depends on how the client is measuring the campaign but ROI is definitely the most important component with a campaign.

Al Schnell:  Without good data the ROI will always be reduced.

Bob Pease:  One addresses results and one addresses what’s needed to get results. In terms of results, it’s ROI or cost of customer acquisition. But in terms of what’s most important in putting together a successful campaign, it’s data.

Q. If only 1/3 of recipients prefer to respond online, how do you address marketing to the other 2/3? Would you add an 800# as an option for them?

Rod Key:  Using an 800# or email address of the sales person are other techniques we use. 35% of people prefer to go online but more people actually do go online to perform research. We like to track all information.

Bob Pease:  In any direct mail campaign you have as many call-to-actions as you have. Phone, fax, email, website, reply card, PURL, smoke signal (just kidding).

Al Schnell:  Always give as many response options as possible, telephone, fax, mail back, PURL. If you do not have PURL’s then you lose that 1/3 who prefer to respond via the internet.

Q. What are the industries (i.e. verticals) that the panelist's represented on the webinar, supporting today (Telecom, Broadband, Utilities, Finance, Insurance, Health, Retail, etc.).  Of those verticals supported, which has highest adoption rates and greatest utilization of this type of technology?

Rod Key:  R and R works in many verticals, manufacturing, telecommunication, Utilities, Healthcare, Real estate, finance, tourism and travel.

Bob Pease:  We have mailed to many verticals with our own promotional mailers introducing PURL technology. We have received response from many. I don’t think it’s a vertically challenged tool.

Q. I'd like to hear what the response rate is for one of these campaigns compared to a traditional method.

Rod Key:  We typically see about a 3x lift over traditional campaign.

Bob Pease:  We had a response rate for one of our promotional mailers of close to 30%.

Q. What printing device was used in the Global Certs campaign?

Bob Pease:  Xerox

Q. What kind of changes, if any, did you have to make to implement and sell these applications? Using existing sales staff? OR hire business development specialists?

Rod Key:  Very good question, you need to have a good marketing director and good solutions sales ability. You are not selling print at this stage. Print sales people can be converted but it will take time. R and R has a seasoned Director of Marketing and he also helps train our sales reps.

Bob Pease:  Since I’m the only person selling here it may not be applicable.

Al Schnell:  Used current sales staff, trained them well and process evolved quickly.

Q. Have the panelists had success with their own marketing campaigns? If so, what is their ROI?

Rod Key:  R and R markets more than our customers, if we tell a client we can give them x lift in their marketing efforts then we better be sure to show them how these techniques have helped grow our company. Depending on the offer our response rates vary from 6-24%. Our ROI has been over double from our traditional efforts. Last year we gained over 40 new clients producing campaign centric work. We market not only for new clients but also to gather information on our current clients so we can build a profile of our client base.

Bob Pease:  Yes, we have had response rates in the 20- 30% range.

Al Schnell:  Ran one campaign, mailed 857 PURL postcards, received 49 unique visits, these resulted in 25 people attending our seminar for VP’s sales & marketing & Owners, out of which we converted 2 new accounts & PURL projects. Cost of our PURL campaign if sold it to a business would have been approximately $3,500. Total sales to these 2 new accounts this month was $16,180.00. One of these projects is a contract for 52 PURL mailings over the next year. Ballpark sales expected to be additional $28,000.  We are planning on running the seminar campaign again

Q. How do you go about pricing campaigns that incorporate PURLs? Would you charge them by how many prospects actually visit their PURL?

Rod Key:  Typically we charge for campaign strategy, campaign implementation, database work and fulfillment.

Bob Pease:  No, costs are based on services provided, not results.

Al Schnell:  We charge $2,000 to 3,000 to setup the PURL site and then charge going rate for designing the collateral materials and mailing.

Q. How important has the support of your solution partner been to your success with your customers?

Bob Pease:  Very important.

Rod Key:  This is critical, you have to have good partners and we rely on them to show us the future. Mindfire in particular has been one of our best partners. They are interested in growing our business not just selling us software.

Al Schnell:  Training on how to use the software was sufficient to begin the project and then the phone support to answer or solve problems during the learning curve handled all other challenges. After 3 campaigns we are fairly self-sufficient but still call with when new challenges occur.. Overall the support has been very good and therefore MindFire has been the total reason for our success.  Without the software we would have never even started the projects.

Q. Has anyone had any issues with your customers managing the information they receive and utilizing it properly? i.e. not following through.

Rod Key:  It can become an issue with certain markets (banks, financial institutions). At the end of the day we are not housing all the client data but just the data that is used on a campaign. Results are supplied back to a client so they can implement it in their CRM system. Signing a non disclosure usually takes care of any issues. We like to manage all the campaign tracking while supplying a dashboard for the client.

Bob Pease:  CRM is different as companies are different. Some have it together some don’t.

Al Schnell:  No.

Q. Do you have the prospect sign a contract to work with you using pURLs before you begin the job? These are high dollar jobs.

Rod Key:  Contracts are always signed, this is marketing not printing! A clear scope of work must be outlined in order to perform any marketing campaign. This eliminates any misunderstandings and also sets the correct expectations.

Bob Pease:  Yes.

Al Schnell:  No.

Q. What size database departments do the panelist’s people have? How many employees?

Rod Key:  R and R has a Director of IT with 2 staff.  You also need a good web and print designer.

Bob Pease:  Don’t offer data management.

Al Schnell:  None have database departments, they either buy their databases or use customer lists.

Q. What is the typical lifecycle of a campaign?

Rod Key:  Great question, campaigns are not a one hit wonder, they are a CAMPAIGN. Lifecycles vary by the type of campaign; at minimum we will have 3 touch points over a 3 month time span. Complex campaigns can go for a year or more with 20 different touch points.

Bob Pease:  3 months

Al Schnell:  Depends if it is ongoing or one time event. Onetime event lasts 2 months. One clent sends out mailing each week and we leave the site up and just add to the PURL data list.

If you have questions about this webinar, please contact Eric: eric@whattheythink.com

Since 1999, MindFireInc has been the leader in helping marketers link the impact-power of direct mail with the interactive capabilities of the Internet. MindFireInc's flagship product, LookWho'sClickingTM, is a web-based application suite that automates the creation, management, and tracking of Marketing Campaign’s utilizing Personalized URLs and VIP Landing Pages. The company delivers LookWho’sClickingTM through its expanding network of Solution Partners, which are typically print service providers, agencies and consultants. With offices in California and Asia-Pacific, MindFireInc is a privately held company led by a seasoned management team with proven industry success. For more information, please visit www.mindfireinc.com.

About Barbara Pellow

Barbara Pellow recently assumed responsibility for the development and delivery of two new services at InfoTrends specifically focused on the evolution fo the Graphic Communications Market – The Business Development Service and Custom Communications Service. Pellow has served in a number of roles including the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. In the role of Chief Marketing Officer, Pellow was responsible for all marketing activities for the division, including marketing communications, public relations, marketing intelligence and advertising strategy. She was an active participant in developing business strategy and helping define the group’s go-to-market organizational structure.

Prior to joining Kodak, Pellow was the Gannett chair in integrated publishing sciences in Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) School of Printing Management and Sciences (SPMS). She has also held senior marketing roles at IKON Office Solutions, InfoTrends, Xerox and IBM.

Pellow can be reached at barb_pellow@infotrends.com. 

About WhatTheyThink.com

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