I love this story of using offline-to-online marketing at it’s best. It’s a wonderful case study in how using multiple touch points, with multiple media, can increase response, sales, and profits.
I was consulting with Ed Rush in August. You probably know Ed, he’s been around “our direct response world” for years. He’s a consultant and author, and he’s a master of stage presence and selling. And of course, once you master something there’s always somebody willing to spend money to learn how to do what you do.
I highly suggest you get Ed’s Weekly “Flight Brief” Email right here. You’ll have to click over to find out why it’s a “Flight Brief.” That’s a good story, too.
Ed put on a speaker training boot camp, a live event held in San Diego in October. We discussed his marketing plan and he said that webinars are a great way for him to fill up his boot camp.
The only problem was (and this isn’t specific to Ed) his email open and click thru rates are dropping, he’s just not getting the clicks and sign ups he once was. Being dependent on one type of media is a recipe for disaster. Using multiple channels to communicate with your customers gives your list diversity. Diversity leads to stability.
This is a problem I see all too often and why you MUST be capturing as much contact information as you can from your prospects or clients. Many believe that because we’re hosting an online forum, in this case a webinar, that you can ONLY use online media to drive traffic.
The big money is made when you’re able to use all the media available to you in a cost-effective way.
Upon hearing this I said to Ed, “Well you have a mailing list, right? Let’s test a segment of your list, send them direct mail, and see if they sign up!”
Here’s a link to the the first of two successful direct mail campaigns we used to drive traffic to his webinar to pitch his boot camp. This is a
great example of using OFFLINE media to drive people ONLINE, to make a longer, more complete sales presentation or pitch.
Direct mail is great way to reach people in ways you can’t otherwise reach. And now Ed has re-engaged them, got them to act and it will now increase the effectiveness of his email marketing to these people. Direct mail is a rising tide for all your marketing media. There is a fortune to be made combining online and offline marketing.
I’m not privy to the specific results of Ed’s campaign, but I would bet my bottom dollar that if each lead that signed up for his boot camp was tallied based on purchase amount with Ed at his event, those that were sent the direct mail piece were his best and most valuable buyers.
It’s almost always the case. A prospect or buyer generated via direct mail is almost always a better prospect and customer for you, in the short and long term. Sure, it’s more expensive upfront to send direct mail vs. email, but the long-term benefits clearly outweigh the short-term costs.
Take a look at your online marketing and try to find ways to use OFFLINE marketing to enhance it. I think you’ll be surprised at your results.
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