Archive for the ‘Essential Guides’ Category

New direct mail postal service cuts costs and corners

Posted: April 7th, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

A free new hybrid mail service which aims to reduce the environmental impact of postal-based direct mail is set to be launched.PDQit Back Office provides an automated postal service that enables companies to upload a mailshot template to a server with a customer database and send documents to be printed, enveloped and posted directly from a computer.The system aims to make direct mail campaigns more convenient by eliminating the need to fill envelopes and frank post manually.PDQit also aims to… Read more »

Direct mail ‘reverting back to postal phase’

Posted: April 1st, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Direct marketing is undergoing a reversion back to a "postal phase", according to industry experts.The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM) said that after going through telephone and email-orientated phases, direct marketing is now going back to being postal-based.Ren Kapur, director of corporate development at the ISMM said that direct marketing post is also now being generated from outside the UK and mass-mailed in a more cost-effective way.She added that marketers still regard direct marketing as a highly effective… Read more »

Low quality leads ‘harm direct marketing campaigns’

Posted: March 31st, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Direct marketing campaigns conducted without any quality leads could damage the brands they are supposed to promote, an industry expert has said.According to the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM), if a firm sends out information about a product that is related to a customer but inappropriate for them, the consequences could be disastrous for its brand.Without any quality leads, it is difficult to know what impact a promotion is having and firms don’t know whether anybody "receptive" is… Read more »

Telemarketing ‘most irritating’ channel

Posted: March 27th, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

UK consumers find telemarketing the most irritating marketing channel, new research reveals.According to a survey conducted by technology specialist Pitney Bowes, respondents rated automated and live telesales calls as the most annoying marketing platform, giving it a score of nine on a scale of one to ten.This is closely followed by spam email and text messaging adverts, which both came in at 8.7 and 8.3 respectively. Web pop-up adverts were also cited as a major gripe, with a score of… Read more »

Postal strikes could make marketers abandon offline direct mail

Posted: March 20th, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

The prospect of more Royal Mail strikes and continued disruption to the postal service could lead marketers to switch from printed direct mail to other platforms, according to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).Speaking to Print Week, Alex Walsh, the head of postal affairs at the DMA, said that the prospect of marketers abandoning offline direct mail for other media would only arise if there is further industrial action.He added that strikes have brought the issue "up to boardroom level", making… Read more »

Direct marketers expect growth in Q1 2008

Posted: March 5th, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Direct marketers are expecting more growth in the first quarter of 2008, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s Quarterly Business Review for the fourth quarter of 2007.In spite of concerns about the economy, the marketing industry has experienced 18 consecutive quarters of positive growth, a trend that is set to continue in 2008.Direct marketers experienced strong profitability results for the fourth quarter, with revenue positive for every segment.The report shows that 51 per cent of direct marketers cited the economy… Read more »

Direct marketing is most effective, report shows

Posted: March 4th, 2008 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Marketers around the world ranked direct marketing as the number one medium for marketing effectiveness in 2007, according to a new report.Fournaise’s 2007 Global Marketing Effectiveness Report shows that despite accounting for less than 35 per cent of all global marketing and communication spend, direct mail is the preferred platform among most marketers.Direct marketing was considered by both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketers the most effective medium, topping the 2007 global marketing effectiveness ranking.Marketers even ranked offline direct marketing ahead of… Read more »

Online direct mail offers ‘lower costs and increased flexibility’, says the DMA

Posted: November 14th, 2007 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Using the internet for direct mail marketing can be very efficient for small businesses – costs are lower and there is increased flexibility, according to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).Although for maximum efficiency, companies must keep on top of data hygiene. Ensuring the accuracy of their online contact database is a "basic requirement" for businesses, the DMA advised.According to the DMA’s Email Benchmarking Report for the first quarter of 2007, the average number of email addresses held by Email Service… Read more »

UK call centre industry “faces major shakedown” warns ex-BT chief

Posted: November 13th, 2007 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

The UK call centre industry has been warned in its annual convention that it is facing major job losses due to higher customer expectations and advances in new technologies.Industry experts ContactBabel, estimate that the industry is worth £20.6bn to the economy and that total jobs will break the one million barrier for the first time by the end of the year. However, at a speech delivered at the annual Customer Contact Association convention in Edinburgh, ex-BT chief technologist Peter Cochrane,… Read more »

Direct mail ‘still works’ but marketers must keep on top of data hygiene

Posted: November 12th, 2007 by Marketscan comment-icon 0

Direct mail continues to be one the most successful forms of marketing, despite recent public backlashes, according the Consumerist.The company asserts that one of the most important facets of a modern direct mail campaign is the use of data enhancement technology, in order to deliver more tailored messages which will yield more effective responses from those targeted.Research shows that the more an item looks like a personalised letter, the higher the likelihood of a recipient responding and the more effective… Read more »

Page 25 of 26« First...10...2223242526