Direct Marketing Plan Checklist

When developing your marketing campaigns, whether they are direct marketing or online advertising, there is "homework" to be done before hand. Planning helps reduce risk and increase likelihood of success. This checklist provides the essential planning information and activity required to create a successful direct marketing campaign.

1. Executive Summary
2. Situation Analysis - Marketing environment, economic trends and competitive analysis. Analysis is not just a collection of information but an analysis of importance and impact of information (Not just the What, but the Why).
3. Target Group Profile(s) & Analysis - Know your audience(s) Opportunity and Issues Analysis - Including SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
4. Goals and Objectives: Quantitative - Build lead database, acquire new customers, cross-sell, new product introduction, prospect cost per lead, acquisition cost, retention, Win back cost, return on advertising Qualitative - Increase customer satisfaction, enhance brand perception, etc.
5. Marketing Strategy - Including differentiation/positioning/uniqueness
6. Tactics
7. Test Plan - Direct marketers always TEST! List/media, offer, visuals, copy
8. Budget/Financial - Budget, Breakeven scenarios (0 profit, % profit, etc.)

Direct Marketing Creative Strategy & Campaign Plan Checklist

1. Advertising Objectives - Primary (e.g., response, sales), Secondary (e.g., brand awareness)
2. Marketing Messaging - "The Promise"
3. Product/Service Description - Benefits, benefits, benefits. Practical, emotional
4. Customer Problem Creative Must Solve
5. Media Plan-Media Mix and Budget
6. Creative Strategy - Know your audience!
7. Offers and Call-to-Action - Hard offers, soft offers
8. Direct Marketing Essentials - Urgency, ways to respond, messages/affiliations to reduce risk in mind of customer
9. Copy/Layout
10. Legal - Know FTC, FDA and FCC advertising guidelines. Disclaimers. Self-regulation

When it comes down to fundamentals: The right offer to the right person at the right time. Relevancy and personalization are ways to win better response in direct marketing. Test, test, test...and track, track, track.

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