Direct Marketing Institute
The Data & Marketing Association

Delivery Method

Seminar

Target Audience

• Planners
• Supervisors
• New employees
• Copywriters
• Account executives
• Any person who can benefit from a better understanding of the complete direct marketing profession.

Summary
Sharpen your skills, expand your expertise and update your knowledge in all facets of marketing.

Description/Agenda

Whether you’re a beginner in the direct marketing world or a seasoned professional looking to be brought up to date on the latest techniques and technology, the three-day Direct Marketing Institute is for you. This seminar will cover the core areas of each marketing channel, from offers and propositions to copywriting and design—across digital, direct, and integrated marketing—all with detailed examples and step-by-step tactics. You’ll come away with a firm grasp of direct marketing’s best practices and the practical strategies needed to implement them.

Course Topics

• Introduction/Essentials of Direct Marketing Campaign Management
• Digital Marketing
• The Direct Mail Package
• Audience Targeting & Relationship Marketing
• Graphics & Design
• Offers and Propositions
• Proven Creative Platforms
• Evaluating and Strengthening Your Copy
• Research & Testing
• How to Achieve Multichannel Marketing Campaign Success
• Print & Online Catalog Marketing Guidelines

Course Outline

Day 1: 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Introduction/Essentials of Direct Marketing Campaign Management

• How to master direct marketing’s 8 Cardinal Principles for Success
• Why general advertising techniques fail in direct marketing
• Examples of International ECHOTM Award-winning campaigns
• Making it easy to respond: PURLs, QR codes, mobile landing pages, and more
• Critical issues of ROI and lifetime value of a customer
• Key direct marketing analysis measures
• How to make campaign integration successful

Digital Marketing

• Key online marketing pressure points
• Search secrets and the role of social media
• SEO and SEM integration
• How to get and keep email registrations
• How to avoid the most common email failures
• Top tips to improve click through rates
• Key elements that determine the success of your website
• Proven strategies to convert your website visitors to customers
• How to avoid mobile marketing pitfalls

The Direct Mail Package

• How to make direct mail work in a digital world
• Differences between business and consumer mail
• When to use a self-mailer vs. envelope package
• How to prevent your mail from ending up in the trash unopened
• What formats get the best response?
• How to get your envelopes opened
• Effect of personalization on response
• How to strengthen inserts and get results

Day 2: 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Audience Targeting and Relationship Marketing

• New list building strategies: online ad retargeting, social sign-in, and more
• How to get the right mailing list for acquisition
• What to know about choosing mail and email lists
• Important audience selection characteristics that can lift your response
• Sources of list information
• List hygiene and how to improve deliverability
• Database marketing and market segmentation
• Word-of-mouth marketing and making the right decision on social media

Graphics and Design

• How people view websites, email, brochures, and catalogs
• What typography and layout choices impact comprehension and results
• How to improve response by improving readability
• Ensuring your creative works on mobile platforms

Offers and Propositions

• Creating irresistible offers to melt away inertia
• How to effectively use an incentive
• Proven offers that increase response, increase average order value, and retain customers
• ROI secrets for using sweepstakes, premiums, freemiums, discounts, free trial, and more

Proven Creative Platforms

• Understand what triggers response
• Direct response copywriting vs. general advertising – don’t get caught in the trap
• Guidelines on writing strong copy for email, search, banner ads, and mail
• Translating features into benefits
• Class project

Day 3: 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Evaluating and Strengthening Your Copy

• How to prevent prospects from ignoring your offer
• What to look for when you critique
• Why most copy fails
• How to close the sale

Research and Testing

• Why do you need both?
• 3 things research tells you that testing can’t
• 4 ways direct marketers use research
• When to use quantitative vs. qualitative research
• What you should know about focus groups
• What you should know about internet research and social media listening
• How to ensure statistically valid results
• How to get an accurate test and test for less

How to Achieve Multichannel Marketing Campaign Success

• Multichannel integration, synergy, and budget allocation
• Key media combinations that deliver the greatest results
• How to allocate your media budget
• Key media overview – top social media guidelines, digital and print display ads, and DRTV

Print and Online Catalog Marketing Guidelines

• Basics of successful catalog marketing: image, ease of use, helping the customer shop, taking advantage of hot spots, organizing your merchandise, up-selling, evaluating results
• Examples of market leaders’ in print and online strategies

All Date/Location Information