Anderson Marketing Blog

Whether the objective is to increase sales or reduce costs…the channel is online or offline, we are often faced with more ideas than we have time or budget to test. Since each marketing campaign is an opportunity to learn and improve results, it’s important that we are not overwhelmed with the concept of continuous testing.

Every Friday morning at 9:00 am, you will find our largest conference room a bustle as members from numerous departments gather for our weekly iBreakfast Break training session. Everyone stops for a moment for a workshop (led by our savvy interactive team) about relevant interactive topics.

I would like to hear from anyone and everyone regarding your plans to go to the DMA conference this year. Those of us who are members gain a lot from the DMA in general but the conference is a wonderful event, if you are exhibiting, or simply attending. Whether you are a full service direct marketing agency or a mail house, you will learn, engage and build relationships at this global event.

Did you know that Anderson Direct Marketing has a Proofreading Department? That’s right; everything from email blasts to websites to letters, self-mailers and postcards (and more!) is reviewed by a critical eye several times prior to being released. Our department is just one example of Anderson’s commitment to quality.

When I first saw the letters UX, I had to ask,

Here at Anderson Direct Marketing, we pride ourselves on our commitment to quality as noted in our direct marketing quality mission statement: Anderson Direct Marketing is committed to providing the highest level of quality and direct marketing services in the industry. We accomplish this by educating and communicating with our associates to drive quality and consistent timeliness for our clients.

After two decades of working on business projects with technical components and over a decade of Internet-related project management experience, one of the best pieces of advice that I can share to increase your project's Return On Marketing Investment (ROMI) is to focus on PLANNING. While taking my first project management course in 2005, I was introduced to the saying "one hour of planning today will save two hours of work tomorrow." Back up and read that statement again, then let it sink in because you'll want to apply that motto throughout your career, starting today, to be an effective project manager.Do you want to reduce or prevent scope creep? One hour of planning today will save two hours of work tomorrow.

Probably the most popular rule of thumb in direct marketing is 40/40/20 Rule. The rule states that the success of any DM program relies 40% on the data/list strategy, 40% on the offer and 20% on the creative/messaging approach. My experience is that this rule of thumb typically holds true and as a result, I spend most of my effort guiding clients to test and optimize their list and offer strategy. However, we certainly can’t ignore the last 20% and when it comes to DM campaigns (mail, email, DRTV, etc.) as there are many best practices that need incorporated to develop creative that is truly “effective” at driving the desired action.