Integrating Direct Marketing Know-How with Digital Marketing

Written By Ted Grigg

Have you ever written something and thought, "I wish I had written that?" Well that just happened when I found this perceptive and well-written post by Craig Dempster, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Merkle. 

His article, entitled Applying Traditional Direct Marketing Principles to the Digital Age provides an excellent analysis of some parallels between the digital marketing world and well-developed direct marketing applications.

He concludes that traditional direct marketers need to get up to speed on the growing array of internet tools available to them while criticizing new media mavens for thinking that they invented Internet marketing applications that have existed for many years in the direct marketing world.

I agree with Craig's conclusions in principle. But just how do highly experienced direct marketers break into the digital world? How expert should they become in a single medium like the Internet? That's the $64,000 question.

Strong direct marketers are lifelong learners and read a lot to keep up with the changes that were always a part of direct marketing. They also routinely use the Internet in the marketing mix. So most of them understand how digital media contributes to the overall strategy. They see the big, strategic picture and the tactical options. 

But just as direct marketers have used analytics and lettershops to implement their strategies, the majority knew better than to attempt to become overnight statisticians or experts on postal regulations. Suppliers provided the necessary detail expertise. 

In the same way, why should a direct marketing digital practitioner feel compelled to become an SEO, PPC and social media hands-on expert to become a respected digital marketer?

From the digital marketer's perspective, why should (s)he want to seek the advice of a direct marketer? 

In my view, this is the real obstacle. Some digital marketers do not think direct marketers bring value to their programs.

Could it be that digital media "experts" quickly develop tunnel vision tempting them to think they own the solution to all marketing problems and never recognize the need develop the breadth needed to look at all of the alternatives?

I think that is what Craig was alluding to when he wrote:

And while the digital folks believe they are creating brand-new marketing techniques, a close look reveals that most of the ecosystem is just an updated version of the way the direct and database marketing industry grew—with a series of data compilers and aggregators, analytic services providers, service bureaus, database managers, and lettershops.

My questioHave you ever written something and thought, "I wish I had written that?" Well that just happened when I found this perceptive and well-written post by Craig Dempster, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Merkle. 

His article, entitled Applying Traditional Direct Marketing Principles to the Digital Age provides an excellent analysis of some parallels between the digital marketing world and well-developed direct marketing applications.

He concludes that traditional direct marketers need to get up to speed on the growing array of internet tools available to them while criticizing new media mavens for thinking that they invented Internet marketing applications that have existed for many years in the direct marketing world.

I agree with Craig's conclusions in principle. But just how do highly experienced direct marketers break into the digital world? How expert should they become in a single medium like the Internet? That's the $64,000 question.

Strong direct marketers are lifelong learners and read a lot to keep up with the changes that were always a part of direct marketing. They also routinely use the Internet in the marketing mix. So most of them understand how digital media contributes to the overall strategy. They see the big, strategic picture and the tactical options. 

But just as direct marketers have used analytics and lettershops to implement their strategies, the majority knew better than to attempt to become overnight statisticians or experts on postal regulations. Suppliers provided the necessary detail expertise. 

In the same way, why should a direct marketing digital practitioner feel compelled to become an SEO, PPC and social media hands-on expert to become a respected digital marketer?

From the digital marketer's perspective, why should (s)he want to seek the advice of a direct marketer? 

In my view, this is the real obstacle. Some digital marketers do not think direct marketers bring value to their programs.

Could it be that digital media "experts" quickly develop tunnel vision tempting them to think they own the solution to all marketing problems and never recognize the need develop the breadth needed to look at all of the alternatives?

I think that is what Craig was alluding to when he wrote:

And while the digital folks believe they are creating brand-new marketing techniques, a close look reveals that most of the ecosystem is just an updated version of the way the direct and database marketing industry grew—with a series of data compilers and aggregators, analytic services providers, service bureaus, database managers, and lettershops.

My question remains unanswered. How do digital technologists and seasoned direct marketers combine both worlds to help companies achieve their sales and profit goals?

The first step is for both camps (and this includes clients, hiring managers and CMOs) to realize that they both have something significant to bring to the table. 

How would you propose integrating the skills of both experienced direct marketers and digital marketers? How do direct marketers demonstrate their unique and critical contributions to any direct response Internet program? n remains unanswered. How do digital technologists and seasoned direct marketers combine both worlds to help companies achieve their sales and profit goals?

The first step is for both camps (and this includes clients, hiring managers and CMOs) to realize that they both have something significant to bring to the table. 

How would you propose integrating the skills of both experienced direct marketers and digital marketers? How do direct marketers demonstrate their unique and critical contributions to any direct response Internet program? 

Ted Grigg

Ted Grigg is a direct response strategist who helps growth-focused companies reduce risk by identifying weak assumptions before they become costly mistakes.

Over the course of his career, Ted has evaluated several hundred million dollars in direct response testing across direct mail, digital, print, television, telephone, and other channels. His work combines direct response strategy, acquisition economics, customer analysis, creative evaluation, offer development, and disciplined testing.

Ted has worked on both the client and agency sides of the business. That experience gives him a practical understanding of the pressures facing executives, marketing teams, agencies, and service providers—and of the problems that arise when activity, media volume, or creative preference replaces a clear economic objective.

His consulting work helps organizations examine such questions as:

  • Are acquisition goals economically realistic?

  • Is the allowable Cost Per Sale supported by customer value?

  • Are targeting, offers, creative, media, and response paths working together?

  • Are tests structured to produce reliable business decisions?

  • Are unproven assumptions being treated as facts?

  • Is the organization measuring sales outcomes rather than convenient proxies?

Ted’s experience includes the development of direct mail and multichannel acquisition programs for insurance, healthcare, financial services, technology, nonprofit, manufacturing, retail, transportation, communications, government, and business-to-business organizations.

For a national direct-to-consumer insurance company, he developed a direct mail format that defeated established controls and helped expand the productive use of compiled prospect lists from less than 10 percent to more than 30 percent of total direct mail circulation within one year. He also planned Medicare lead-generation programs for more than 60 regional and national HMO and PPO organizations, with some programs exceeding sales projections by as much as 60 percent.

Ted founded Wyse Direct, a direct marketing division of Wyse Advertising in Cleveland, where he developed acquisition programs and helped launch a new technology product for Seiko Instruments by generating a predictable flow of qualified sales leads for its national sales organization. As vice president of new business development for the Grizzard Agency, he helped broaden the agency’s strategic capabilities and pursue new commercial and fundraising opportunities.

He is the author of The HMO/PPO Marketing Plan—A Step-by-Step Guide, published by Executive Enterprises, and has written numerous articles and conducted webinars on direct response strategy, testing, creative development, and marketing economics.

Ted earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Abilene Christian University and completed two years of graduate study at Texas Tech University. He is the founder of DMCG, LLC.

http://www.dmcgresults.com
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