Multichannel Marketing for B2B Marketers

It’s like we’ve been saying all along: It’s time to restore your direct marketing spend. Budgets are on the upswing, and that means inboxes are about to become more cluttered, judging by a first quarter update by the Direct Marketing Association and Winterberry Group.

“After more than two years of persistent economic challenges, we believe the first quarter may have finally brought the true economic tipping point that the direct and digital marketing community has been eagerly awaiting,” said Jonathan Margulies, director at Winterberry Group.

The DMA reported these findings:

• Improved “data analytics tools and processes” are driving direct/digital marketing activity.

• Of the firms surveyed, 48% of the marketers and 54% of the suppliers reported higher profits in the first quarter, compared with the same period in 2009.

• The channels for new investment are “all digital: email; social media; search; online display; and banners,” “The same five channels had the largest increase in ROI.”

• Marketers are feeling optimistic about the second quarter.

All that’s good news. But keep these tips in mind:

• Act now if you’re planning to spend more. You don’t want to wait until mailboxes are even more filled.

• The best strategy is a multi-channel one. Direct mail and email, for example, work best together.

• Make sure that your marketing messages are going to the right people. Invest in customer profiling, and in the best email lists and direct mail lists.

• Use reputable vendors. That’s the only way to get the most from your marketing dollars.

Damn. Just when we thought things were calming down, the anti-marketing fringe reared its ugly head again on Earth Day. A so-called nonprofit group called 41pounds.org urged consumers to “say NO to unwanted junk mail,” and argued that direct mail produces “more greenhouse gas emissions than 9 million cars.”

That would be dismaying if true, but the source is far from credible. If these guys were on the up-and-up, they wouldn’t be charging $41 to get peoples’ names removed from mailing lists. The Direct Marketing Association offers this service for free. continue reading…

Greg Grdodian likes trouble.

That is, he likes it when clients come to him with marketing problems. His job as executive vice president of Edith Roman-ePostDirect’s List Management Data Solutions Group is to help them find solutions.For example, a client was having trouble understanding who its customers were.

“We did a profile, matched it up against our BRAD/BEN database, and helped with the crafting of the HTML,” Greg says. The effort was “sent to the prospects we recommended, and it responded really well, so the client rolled out with a much larger campaign.”

Then there are the clients whose lists have stopped performing. continue reading…

Quadrant Healthcom, Inc., a medical communications company, has placed its subscriber postal and email mailing lists on the market for the first time through Edith Roman Associates-ePostDirect.

Also available for the first time is the Quadrant HeathCom Masterfile, a multichannel file that is perfect for firms that offer medical equipment, publications, seminars, healthcare products and office supplies. It lists physicians, clinicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. continue reading…

When Sean Sullivan started out at Edith Roman in 1991, his department had a single shared computer, but it soon got more. “Now, if a computer’s down for even 10 minutes, we can’t figure out how we ever did without it,” Sean laughs.

It’s a good thing that Sean is so used to change. As a vice president of list brokerage, specializing in the electronic distribution, manufacturing and retailing sectors, his job is to help clients find their way through an ever-shifting marketing landscape. continue reading…