Big Bang …The evolution of a direct creative strategy

Pam Linwood, PDM

Linwood Direct Communications

It’s An evolutionary process

Today… A proven creative strategy

Guide to determining where to start

Makes sense to management and clients Some important creative stuff Samples What makes B-to-B creative unique

What is direct marketing?

Accountable and measurable Asks for a response Re-defines failure Forces a customer focus (vs. a product focus) It’s all direct

Formats, mediums, bs. expectations

Why? Businesses demand it…and so do customers

Big Bang Strategy

The Audience The Offer The Creative/Format

How do you weight each one’s importance 40 – 40 – 20 (Ed Mayer) 60 – 30 – 10 (Ray Jutkins) 40 – 20 – 15/15 – 10 (Ron Jacobs)

What Matters

A chain of events – evolutionary What has the most impact first

40% Aud/List

20% Offer

15% Copy

15% Design

10% Timing

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

What’s the campaign Objective

Build awareness Company Category Brand

Create interest Generate leads

How many?

Measurement criteria

The Audience What has the most impact?

Existing customers – retention vs. acquisition Lapsed customers New customers

House file or cold list Profile to find more, like your best Requires knowing who your best customers are

Decision-makers / influencers / info-gatherers Roles not as clear as they used to be Companies are tougher to target – multiple hits

The Hierarchy of a customer

Where is your audience? Build relationship

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Over Time

Identify Problem

Learn Solution

Develop Opinion

Stimulate Trial

ProductUse/ConvictionUsage

Repeat Usage

Loyal

Touch points

A single mailing? Most campaigns require 2 to 3 touches before

they will respond to your message 10 • 4 • 1 (mailings, telemarketing calls, sales call)

Touch in multiple ways E-mail … phone calls … trade shows … postcards

Single step or multi-step Lead generator and fulfillment

Audience motivations - The big five

1. Fear Avoid with insurance, financial, self-improvement

and fund-raising

2. Greed Discounts = greed

3. Guilt

4. Exclusivity

5. Popularity

Mayer’s motivators1. To make money2. To save money3. To save time4. To avoid effort5. To get more comfort6. To achieve greater

cleanliness7. To attain fuller health8. To escape physical pain9. To gain praise10. To be popular11. To attract the opposite sex12. To conserve possessions13. To increase enjoyment14. To gratify curiosity

15. To protect family16. To be in style17. To have or hold beautiful

possessions18. To satisfy appetite19. To emulate others20. To avoid trouble21. To avoid criticism22. To be individual23. To protect reputation24. To take advantage of

opportunities25. To have safety in buying

something else26. To make work easier

FINDING THE BIG BENEFIT FAB Analysis

Feature Advantage Benefit

List features Leverage with advantages Position with benefits

FAB Example

Feature• Facts

Advantage• “I’m…” (personify)

Benefit• “So you can…”

Laptop computer weighs 3.2 lbs.

Easy to travel with.

Your back won’t ache at the end of a day of travel.

Turn negatives into positives You’ll feel great when you get to your meeting.

Organize by relevance to audience types

Exercise: fab analysis

Feature

Storage case

Advantage

Keeps out damaging dust

Benefit

Preserves your investment

1. _____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

2. _____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

3. _____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

FAB Analysis isn’t just a creative exercise….

Emotion & Logic

Uncover problems Lead with the logic, close with the emotion.

Bus. benefits are logical (workplace benefits) Personal benefits are emotional (recognition)

7 key offer components What you are willing to give in return for a response

1 – Product/Service

2 – Price

3 – Unit of sale/credit/payment options

4 – Incentives

5 – Time limits

6 – Response options

7 – Guarantees

How to build an offer

Two ways

1. Relevant to product/service

2. Relevant to audience and their interests

ultimate offer fILTERs

Will this make sense to my customers/prospects?

Does the offer enhance the selling proposition?

3 key offer attributes: Make it believable Get the reader involved Think creatively

Consider formats

Classic packages are the top performer

Formats Newsletters build

credibility

• position as

the resource

• no more than

40% sales

Formats

Self-mailers & postcards

Formats

Email only minor

differences,

specific to format

Timing

Specific to product or company Seasonality When and how you contact customers,

prospects is key

What’s unique in B-to-b

This buyer wants to buy Always on lookout for info to advance themselves More targeted needs, not wants Will read lots of copy – wants information Stronger base of knowledge and are careful about

what they buy; must be able to justify purchases

B-to-b audience

Sophisticated audience High interest and understanding of your product More research required Superficial copy & over-simplification won’t work Buyers are more serious; act less on impulse Hard facts, comparisons, demonstrations, trials,

test results

Multiples of B-to-B

Multi-steps Mailing Permission emails Demonstration / trade show Sales meeting

Multi-touches Whatever it takes / what the budget can buy Spend more on highest-propensity prospects

other multiples

Multi-audience versions Multiple targets to touch, with unique positioning Versioning builds relationships; resonates Historically, look for synergies/cost-savings But the fewer the versions the more product-

focused

Multiple buying influences Team effort vs. individual decision Not an impulse buy

Suits are still people

Copy does not need to be dry, hack, boring Cloak emotion in logic – most business

people take pride in logic, but respond on emotion

Testing…with a big bang

Look for ways to test In what order?

What has the most impact first 40 • 20 • 15 • 15 • 10

An evolutionary process In direct marketing, there are no failures.

Just learning experiences.

Text Matrix

Age

18-25

Age

26-35Control

Mail(only)

Mail and

Email

Mail (only)

Mail and

Email

Email (only)

Offer ADiscount

2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 40,000

Offer BInfo / Tips

2,500 2,500 2,500 2,500 40,000

Simple Test MatrixClient: An online tax company

8 cells of 2500 ea. (10,000 total qty)3 variables: age, offer, format/sequence

Tests:1 – Age Group (which offer worked best within an age group)2 – Offer (which offer pulled best overall) 3 – Format/Seq. (which format seq. performed best over or by any sub-category)

Selling your campaign

Use the Big Bang Strategy ROI Logical flow

Big Bang Strategy

What has the most impact first

40% Aud/List

20% Offer

15% Copy

15% Design

10% Timing

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Thank you…

Questions?

Contact:

Pam Linwood

Linwood Direct Communications

816-753-2363

pam@linwooddirect.com