With over 40 years of helping clients to market their products and dramatically expand their businesses, I have developed several key strategies to creating an effective marketing campaign.
The first thing to know is that the foundation of an effective, accountable marketing campaign is direct response marketing.
This marketing approach relies on specific strategies and tactics that produce a response. It doesn’t rely on image-based advertising, and doesn’t leave you guessing about what worked. It’s accountable, it’s scientific and it works.
When using this powerful approach to market your product or service, I recommend combining direct response marketing with an integrated marketing campaign.
Integrated marketing sends all of your marketing materials to the same prospects. It doesn’t waste your money or your time, and gives you the power to specifically target prospects who are most likely to respond to your offer.
 
Here are 13 key strategies to creating an integrated, multichannel campaign that gets incredible response.
 

1. Deploy all materials to the same names. 

An integrated, multichannel campaign sends all marketing materials to the same names.
This way, prospects will see the same message in their mailboxes, email inboxes, on their Facebook newsfeeds, before the videos they watch on YouTube, on Google and anywhere else they may visit on the internet. The message and wording remain consistent across every channel, and they link to a single landing page.
An integrated campaign gets a much higher response rate because it retargets prospects over and over…and gives them multiple opportunities to respond to your offer.
The graphic below shows the elements of a typical integrated, multichannel marketing campaign we would create for a client:

 
As you can see, this strategy uses multiple pieces to drive a targeted, strategic campaign to the very same prospect…direct mail, banner ads, email, pre-roll ads, Facebook ads—all to the same names.
This is now possible because of….
 

2. Advanced Data Modeling.

Data modeling uses transactional data to build the “perfect prospect”—the person who is the most likely to purchase from you.
We use advanced data modeling strategies to profile prospects based on their purchase history, their income, spending habits, their subscriptions, charitable giving and how much they spend on different items.
 

This graphic shows the kinds of data that are considered when producing the “perfect prospect.”
By using data modeling, we’re able to target only the most powerful prospects for our clients—not the ones that will never respond, wasting time and money.
 

3. Direct Response Landing Pages.

Corporate websites depress response and distract visitors with multiple options and navigation distractions. Instead of relying on a traditional homepage, we create a specific landing page with one message and theme.
Landing pages should have a powerful and clear CTA (call-to-action), few or no navigation distractions and use direct response copy to drive prospects to make a purchase.
Here’s an example of a landing page we created for an investment newsletter client:

 
Here is a landing page we created for a client who sells weight loss supplements:

 
 

4. A Powerful Direct Response Video.

Using direct response copy techniques, we create a powerful direct response video for clients to use across all their digital channels.
We typically use a PowerPoint format, which raises response rates. Direct response video is used on the landing page and is also utilized as a tease in the email, Facebook ads and banner ads, increasing response rates.
Video helps increase reach and engagement on Facebook. And, video raises credibility and boosts response—even when it’s not viewed.
Here’s an example of a video we created for an investment client, created in a PowerPoint format.

 
 

5. Pre-roll Videos.

Pre-roll videos are the short “commercials” that you see before watching a video on YouTube, for example. They are typically 30-60 seconds. We create pre-roll videos for our clients using a powerful direct response script. They get incredible response.
We use pre-roll videos to retarget leads, and to prospect new leads using look-a-like audiences and custom lists. Pre-rolls are an effective and growing marketing channel.
 

6. Direct Response Mail.

Direct response mail is still a highly effective way to get a great response from prospects. Direct mail can be finely targeted to the best prospects, because of strategic direct mail lists.
There are many formats for profitable, winning direct mail. One of our favorite direct mail pieces is the magalog.
The magalog is a direct mail piece that looks and feels like a magazine, but is really a sales piece. Magalogs are ideal for clients who have products or services that are more complex to describe, and require more information.
They get incredible response from recipients, boosting profits and powerfully reinforcing the integrated campaign.
The magalog we created for one investment newsletter client was 16 pages long. See the cover, below.

 
Here’s another magalog cover we created for our client Starshop, which uses equity crowdfunding to raise capital by marketing directly to investors:

 
Other direct mail includes envelope mailings.
Here’s an envelope we created for our client, Wine of the Month Club:

Newsalogs are another format. They look like a newspaper. Feel like a newspaper. But they are a sales piece. Here is one we created for Health Alert:
 

7. Direct Response Email.

Email will help increase response, but it should never be relied on alone. That’s why it’s so powerful when used with an integrated, multichannel campaign.
Plaintext emails actually get a higher response than HTML-designed emails. They drive prospects to a powerful call-to-action and get a higher click-through.
For our clients, we create an email series that is targeted to the same names that receive the direct mail and other marketing materials. For example, a prospect receives an email before receiving the direct mail piece with a photo of what they can expect in the mail, and then another email after receiving the piece as a follow-up.
Take a look at this email, that we created for a client raising capital through crowdfunding/the JOBS Act:
 

8. Direct Response Facebook Ads.

The same prospects who receive our direct mail pieces and emails also see targeted Facebook ads in their newsfeeds.
Facebook ads can be targeted to a custom list or look-a-like audience to reach an audience of prospects who are the most likely to respond to your offer.
Video gets a high response rate on Facebook, as well as ads that use “real” photos—not stock photos.
Here’s a Facebook ad we created for a client who sells weight loss supplements:

 
 

9. Direct Response Banner Ads.

So your prospect sees the direct mail, email, Facebook ads…but that’s not all.
By deploying banner ads to the same prospect, you’ll increase response. Banner ads create more buzz and response using editorial-style copy. They should drive prospects back to the landing page and create anticipation for the direct mail piece.
Here’s a banner ad we created for a client who was raising capital for his alkaline water company:

 
And one of the latest channels using the same names is….
 

10. Amazon Ads.

We now create ad campaigns on Amazon using their powerful transactional data to serve targeted ads to prospects and existing customers.
This is powerful, because it relies on transactional data to target the customers who are most likely to purchase from you. With this tool, you can create a look-a-like audience, target customers who have already been to your website and find customers based on their lifestyle demographics.
We use Amazon for all clients—not just those who sell products or services on the site.
 

11. Direct Response Retargeting.

Part of this integrated campaign is using retargeting or remarketing.
We retarget potential leads on Facebook, Amazon and Google with ads that “follow” prospects who have visited a client’s landing page but have not responded to their offer. We do this by placing cookies on their landing page, that allow us to track leads around the internet.
Retargeting dramatically boosts response.
 

12. Direct Response Copy.

Direct response copy is not traditional advertising copy. It is not journalistic copy. It is based on years of proven copy strategy that motivates a person to respond and overcome their objections. It identifies a powerful Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and strategic positioning and turns features into benefits to entice prospects to respond.
We use direct response copy in all elements of a direct response marketing campaign, including the landing page, direct mail, email and all digital ads.
 

13. Direct Response Art.

We also use direct response art to increase readership by using the science of eye-flow and time- tested tactics.
 
These 13 key strategies are critical to creating an effective integrated, multichannel campaign. They have been proven again and again, and produce amazing results for my clients.
I’d be glad to talk to you about your marketing campaigns and how we can use some of these same tactics and strategies to be able to increase your response…and create a breakthrough campaign that will expand your customer and prospect base, and help you grow your business and multiply your profits. Give me a call at (310) 212-5727 or email Caleb at [email protected].
 
Here are the rest of this week’s articles:

• 5 Little-Known Secrets for Using “Floaters” to Dramatically Grow Your Prospect Base and Lift Response
• Copy tip: Don’t go overboard!
• Testing corner: Can simple changes have a big impact?