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"Koeppel Direct's media buying expertise has played an integral role in making my company successful. Koeppel generated so much business for our company, occasionally we have to limit their media buys, in order to handle all of the new business." | |
| - R. Gregg Marketer of Senior Products |
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MEDIA BUYING DIRECT RESPONSE TELEVISION (DRTV) ARTICLE ...... |
3 tech strategies to power your marketing muscle and dollars
By: Joanna L. Krotz
Published: 04/07 Microsoft Small Buisness Center |
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Can you customize offers for your top-tier customers? Or personalize discounts for those
who buy a specific product? Do you know whether your biggest customer was satisfied by her last interaction with
your service agent?
Do your sales and marketing people have the right information on pricing and inventory when they need it? Can you
tell if your Web site traffic spikes after offline advertising?
If the answers are no, you need to evaluate how today's technology can improve your business.
Leverage electronic solutions to get closer to your customer
To see the whole picture and then respond as immediately as customers now demand, you need electronic access to
trustworthy information. What kinds of information and what sort of technology will depend on the data you want
and the business you're in.
Here's a rundown of affordable, easily installed, results-oriented business tools-including telephony, software,
online services and third-party offerings-that apply to a range of businesses.
1. Make phones work harder. Options for telephonic solutions keep proliferating - and also keep getting
cheaper. You can get an idea of the options from these cost-effective offerings.
Value-added services
Launched in 1992 and based in Piscataway N.J., COA Network provides virtual PBX phone systems for small
businesses. The service includes the usual phone features, such as automated answering and greetings, individual
extensions, audio conferencing, call forwarding, caller ID and voicemail, which can be retrieved via a
toll-free number or as e-mail messages in Outlook.
Since COA hosts the services, you don't need special phones or telecom updates or installation. So costs drop
to typically $10 to $50 a month, including the toll-free number, several extensions and certain
in-bound calls.
Such systems can be used to market in several ways. As an example, says COA Network founder Paul
Champaneria, "Many of our home realtor customers record value-added messages, such as '7 Things to Do before
Selling Your House.' Realtors advertise the free information, listing a special extension clients can call.
The information gets prospective clients in the door."
Other ideas for virtual PBX phone systems include:
Assign a different extension number to each of your advertising outlets or direct-mail drops to measure
response and evaluate which pulls best.
Use the system to track incoming calls, including geographic origins, peak times of day or matches to
white or yellow page listings, so you can follow up.
Create instant, automated surveys or audio focus groups with recorded question-answer formats to gain
feedback for product launches, price changes or the like.
Quality control
For more established businesses, other telephony services offer sophisticated recording and monitoring functions
to give you real-time information about customer preferences.
NICE Systems, a worldwide company with U.S. headquarters in Rutherford, N.J., can capture, store, retrieve and
analyze all your customer interactions, whether for retail or call center operations or for financial or
professional services. The NICE software tracks certain keywords that you choose. So whenever a caller
mentions those words, the system flags it, instantly.
"Our technology can help small businesses manage the customer experience," says Eyal Danon, vice president of
global marketing. "It can make sure that agents or customer service reps take calls appropriately, follow
scripts and then follow up so the customer is satisfied." Services can be implemented for $20,000 to $30,000 and
up, depending on the package, says Danon. To make the NICE system cost-effective, he suggests you need a
minimum of 20 service reps.
Most of the latest phone tools also can scale up, becoming more sophisticated as you expand and need
more coverage.
2. Network information so you can actually use it. If your staffers are still unconnected to company resources
and customers, it's time to update. Consider installing a server, like the Microsoft Windows Small Business
Server 2003.
A server permits employees-as well as the outside vendors, suppliers, investors or contractors you select-to
access, store, post and retrieve the information and reports that keep you competitive. A server can:
Give you a central location to store data and customer histories and information.
Speed all communications with customers, suppliers and vendors.
Provide access to customer and day-to-day business information from anywhere at any time, whether you're on the
road or working in remote locations.
Protect your valuable information-including customers' identities-from hackers and other miscreants.
To learn more, find a Microsoft partner in your area.
Share customer data
Once your company and data is networked, you can begin leveraging your customer information and contacts in very
affordable ways. For example, you can host monthly Web casts, using Microsoft Live Meeting, to keep your clients
up-to-speed.
You can also install a customer relationship management system, like Microsoft Dynamics CRM and start offering
specialized offers to different groups of customers. What's more, the efficiency gained by centralizing all
customer data in one robust management tool can improve your bottom line.
3. Get more bounce from direct-response campaigns. New tech tools and document management services can now
analyze customer preferences, niche markets, regional buying habits and more to help small businesses focus
efforts and resources.
Target specific customers
Active Data Services, for example, located in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is an integrated document management
solutions provider, handling scanning, imaging and document management, as well as data storage, printing and
mailing. The company can generate and manage such material as personalized mailings, enrollment forms or kits
and customer service correspondence.
"We also do marketing programs for businesses and startups," says Steve Jones, director of technology solutions.
The company will review your business or marketing plan and then develop material that targets the specific
customers likely to respond.
For instance, says Jones, "We designed a program for a new, upscale, large-engine pleasure boat being designed
and built for clients in North Carolina and the Southeast. We bought marketing databases and utilized a set
of criteria that created a mailer concept of text and images that went out to unique customers based on
demographics, likes and dislikes, previous purchases of existing pleasure craft and more."
When a consumer gets that mailer, says Jones, "it's something he will open and read."
Link online and offline ads
Once the stepchild of marketing efforts, direct-response media campaigns are growing in popularity and impact,
especially when used to drive customers to promotional or company Web sites.
"Direct response TV ads, such as infomercials, or short-form commercials of 60 or 120 seconds, generally cost
30% to 70% less than general advertising," says Peter Koeppel, who runs Koeppel Direct, a direct-response
media buyer based in Dallas.
"There's a lot of convergence between the Internet and TV now," says Koeppel. "Some marketers aren't even
using 800 numbers anymore. They just list a Web site for customers to visit." He points to eHarmony as an
example of an online marketer that has dramatically boosted business by using cable TV outlets to drive its
online traffic.
According to Koeppel, other digital buying efforts can take advantage of the inexpensive reach of the
Internet. Ads on satellite TV that allow viewers to click on a link with the remote, which then loads a Web
page with more information or offers. For instance, a car ad can lead to a page that lists local dealers.
Mobile phone ads, with GPS and location-based, one-to-one offers, are a hot new area. As are video-on-demand, or VOD,
services on PCs and TV, which are being used for short commercials that allow consumers to click links for more
information. Similarly, digital and interactive signage in retail shops, including flat-screen TVs and kiosks, give
in-store customers information or special details.
With the wealth of new offerings out there, it's likely you'll find an appropriate, affordable solution that can
boost your business. Maybe it's time to chat with your IT director or consultant.
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