What Does it Take to Create Great Direct Marketing?

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About the Author

Wes Sparling

Wes Sparling

Wes is an accomplished marketing strategist and direct marketing expert with more than 25 years experience, providing strategic marketing solutions to more than 100 blue chip clients. He works with clients to effectively use traditional broadcast media, non-traditional media, online marketing, and direct mail marketing to drive results, evaluating the effectiveness of current marketing efforts and setting strategic direction for future campaigns.

Wes is responsible for providing executive leadership, strategic direction, campaign strategy, and scientific test design. He believes nearly every element of the marketing mix is (and should be) measurable and accountable. An agency founder, entrepreneur and direct marketing expert he has held executive roles at firms including: Hunt Marketing (Hunt DDB Direct), Cramer-Krasselt, and Direct Partner (RAPP LA – An Omnicom Company).

It’s a big question. True direct response marketing starts with putting relevant, personalized marketing communications in front of targeted prospects. Done well, great direct marketing campaigns target more than just small groups with similar demographics―they target individuals. Every mailpiece or advertisement should reflect the needs of the individual targeted.

Effective direct marketing drives response by delivering messages that are relevant to the recipient, are clear about what is being offered, and how the recipient can take advantage of that offer. In short, great direct marketing shows the recipient how the product or solution offered will change their life―overcoming the prospect’s biggest objections and making them excited to try what you are offering.

Real Direct Marketing Success Doesn’t Happen in a Vacuum

Here’s the hard truth: you probably won’t be able to do it alone. True direct marketing success requires those who understand the nuances of this marketing niche and have the expertise needed to manage the minefields. It takes savvy marketers willing to invest in a partnership with a marketing services firm with the skill, technology and processes to improve upon what those marketers are already doing. It also takes marketers willing to empower their partner with insights, information, data, and visibility to the history of where they have been and the direction they want to go. Without this partnership, the campaign will never be as successful as it could be and the results may never be what you had hoped for.

Great Direct Marketing is Found in the Synergy of Persuasive Copy, Compelling Graphics, and a Message a Prospect Can’t Ignore

The great creative professionals in the industry are masters at infusing persuasion and passion, creating appeals that incite emotion and motivate response. Great direct marketing is a mixture of art and science, and it works best when the science is used to inform the art. The ultimate result―profit with every piece sent.

The Unsung Hero of Direct Marketing is the Foundation of Every Campaign—Data and Targeting

In today’s world, it takes cutting-edge, sophisticated analytics to find the right “fish” in the sea of prospects that make up the marketplace. Finding the right prospects is where data analytics and predictive modeling shine.

IWCO Direct has been delivering effective and efficient direct mail campaigns for more than 50 years, and every year we have grown better at finding the right prospects to send them to. We excel at locating the prospects who will respond to your offer, buy your product, and do it at an acceptable cost per acquisition.

We have been in the direct marketing business long enough to remember when campaigns were built on multiple affinity lists, magazine subscriber files, and co-op files. We have been part of the direct mail landscape and can remember when data analytics meant pulling together direct mail campaign data selections by hand from one or two files. Long before there were sophisticated relational databases and  campaign management tools, like Red Point, or customized Customer Data Platform (CDP) solutions, we have been creating successful direct mail campaigns for national mailers.

Our Exploration Into Data-Driven Predictive Analytics Started Almost Two Decades Ago

Today, in addition to great mail production and creative solutions, we bring the very best data solutions, cutting-edge predictive analytics, and customized reporting solutions to bear for our clients’ businesses to ensure we target responsive, converting, and profitable prospects. Sending each prospect relevant, compelling messages and offers that create positive return on marketing investment (ROMI) for every client dollar spent.

As we continue to build upon that success, we continue to grow our data science and analytics team.

We are pleased to introduce two new team members: Ted Grigg, VP Marketing Strategy, and James Hoskins, Director of Analytics. Both have extensive careers in finding the right prospects and creating great direct marketing campaigns.

Ted brings an extensive background to IWCO Direct, with key vertical experience providing marketing strategy for clients in the insurance and health care verticals. Ted’s more than 30 years of experience and expertise in creative consultation, analytics, and strategy are a welcome addition to IWCO Direct.

James’s  experience includes predictive modeling, strategic consulting, and a wealth of data and analytics knowledge that includes past tenures at companies like Accenture Interactive, RAPP, and many others.

If you’re searching for a way to improve the performance of your direct mail or multichannel direct marketing campaigns, contact Ted or James. I am confident you’ll be glad you did.

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