The Best Direct Mail Strategy...Is to have one!

When I first started in this business almost exactly six years ago I was handed a somewhat up to date list of most of the dealerships in the state of Ohio and a phone. Sure, we had a little training - but a few hours in a conference room surrounded by glossy pieces of paper and some pricing sheets can't prepare anyone for what we do...but little can.


Those first few dealers I worked with probably signed up for different reasons...I caught them on the day they were planning to seek out a direct mail vendor, or they thought I sounded young, dumb & blonde on the phone (I was only 2 of the 3), whatever the reason they didn't agree to do a mailer with me because of my experience or knowledge. I like to think a lot has changed since then. But I know there are still those dealers out there that hop from one mail company to the next based on one piece, a short skirt or a low price. If it works for them - great, if not how about creating a strategy behind direct mail dance!?

Here in Divaland just this morning we were talking about how it feels like it takes working with a client for an entire year before they see the value in putting together a strategy for their mailers. They get their feet wet, realize we aren't idiots, eventually come around to taking suggestions and finally one of us says 'I think it's time we plan this thing out.' This post is really for anyone doing mail, but especially for those of you that know Marketvision and don't yet use a strategy.

So here it is - don't get too excited because it's simple. It's taking the time to do it that is hard.

1. Determine what zip codes respond to your mail and which don't. This typically takes 2-3 sales of just real data collection (which is easy using Marketvision, but can also be done by hand).

2. Take "good zips" and look for others that look like those demographically and add them to your master list.


3. Figure out how many homes there are and how often you want to do sales. Then divide the list evenly across all zips by the number of campaigns you are looking to do in the quarter. This makes certain you aren't blowing up your market and it keeps response consistent.


4. Find a good piece and stick with it. Look, I'm going to be blunt, if I'm telling you something is working then why change it? You can then use the same piece all quarter because no one is seeing it twice, easy right?


5. Put the plan in motion and continue tracking. The beauty of this is especially nice for dealers that do mail campaigns monthly or even weekly. You set it up at the beginning of the quarter once and then all you have to do is update dates throughout the quarter. Your piece & zips are already selected!


6. The result - mail with a strategy. You know who is getting your mail and when, and you know you're message is out there consistently. Every month a different group of people are in the market and are getting ready to be in the market - with a strategy you know they are seeing your message in that timeframe.

Obviously this is a simple list of things that actually require a lot of upfront work. The hard work pays off when you can just sit back and let your strategy plan out your mail. For Diva clients Katy does most of it anyway - give us a call today if you want to hear more.

Text Messaging & YOU

I have a confession to make. As a company we rolled out Text Messaging services about six months ago, and honestly I haven't talked to more than 5 dealers total about it. Sure, it sounds sexy to talk about adding a text messaging campaign to your current marketing plan, but I wasn't sold on how it can actually help dealers - and if I don't think it will help, I'm not going to offer it.

That is, until recently. Our Marketing Director has sent me over several case studies on how texting has brought in a ton of great leads for dealers (you can check them out here and here). In addition to these, real life examples of success I'm learning about the other applications and how this can fit into a long term strategy for dealers.

Here's the 20,000 foot view on what adding Text Messaging to your campaigns can do - I'll blog later on the week with more specific ideas.

1. Communicate with your customers the way they want to be communicated to. Think about even in your personal life - when people want to get a hold of you do they call, email, text, hit you up on Facebook? Your public is the same way. Texting gives them one more, convenient method to contact your store, and receive marketing messages from you.

2. Build a database for the future. When we add an offer to one of your current marketing campaigns "Text to win," "Text for a $15 oil change," etc. anyone who texts in to receive the offer is also "opting in" to receive future texts from you. As you build a database of people who has opted in you'll be able to start sending outbound messages to those folks with additional service & sales offers.

3. Offer something new in your market. Very few companies in general have hopped on the texting bandwagon, and even fewer dealers are in the game. This is an inexpensive opportunity to be one of the first in the market to offer this type of marketing.

4. Work texting into the advertising you're already paying for - TV, Radio, Mail, Billboard, etc. Click here to listen to a radio campaign with texting!

Introducing: the Roll Fold Mailer

Happy Hump Day!!

Exciting news this Wednesday from Tri - Auto, a week or so ago we came out with a brand new product, I believe it's brand new to the direct mail game in general, but who can be sure? :)

I wanted to wait until I heard from a few clients before posting on this product, but the reviews are in and everyone loves it, our first round of them are going to press this week so I'll be sure to update when we have the Marketvision results on how it's performing.

We took the best parts of all of our best pieces to come up with this one, here's what we're seeing work right now:

-High Quality Paper Stock. I used to be a believer that it was the message that counted, not what it was printed on. Wrong. For example, we just looked at one specific product that we commonly print in three different paper types, here are the results:

• High Gloss, heavy stock (100# gloss) - 1.41% response
• 70# Gloss (standard gloss paper for most companies) - 1.0% response
• 75# Matte (high bulk) - .77% response
• These are the averages of all our sales compiled using Marketvision data from the past 6 mos.

-The Right Message. I'm not going to give away all our secrets easily on my blog, but we've been able to pinpoint what messages are driving traffic, and what ones are selling cars. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes not.

-Slapping a key on it. It doubles response. Still doing better than a credit card. 'Nuff said.

-Self Mailer vs. Envelope. The self mailer is winning all the time now. Not just any self mailer will do though - toss your 11x17 tri - fold self mailer right out the window.

So we added up all these things that we actually know to be true. As you know we aren't guessing or relying on registration cards from dealers anymore, or even a human being greeter at the door counting people. We have real, online, in real time data that is collected from 95% of our promotions now.

If you want to see the Roll Fold Mailer - email me. We have three different versions - one that is prize focused, one that is event focused, and one that is image focused. Yesterday we designed a tax one and they'll be more after that. You want to see this one.

Domino's Gets It

After my last post on reinventing our businesses and industry, I thought this was such a fitting application of a company that is doing just that.

Have you seen the new Domino's commercials? If we are Facebook friends I'm sure you've seen my comments on how brilliant I believe them to be. If not here's a very brief recap.

The spots feature Domino's employees talking about how they sucked - "The sauce tastes like ketchup," "Crust is like cardboard," "Microwave pizza is better," etc. Then they talk about how it makes them feel, and how now they have a choice. ...continue to hide the criticism or 'face it head on.' They are choosing the latter. They've completely started over when it comes to their recipe, and not only that, they are TALKING ABOUT IT. The marketing campaign is just as genius as their decision to make a change. Check out their website dedicated to this reinvention. The documentary is great, but what I find fantastic is the up to date feed of what people are saying on Twitter about the new pizza. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but either way it's honest.

So yes, Domino's is a national company that is very well branded and a household name. Shouldn't your dealership be the same way on a more local level? How can this story be applied on a smaller scale?

1. Take an honest look at the strengths and weaknesses of yourself, your department, your store. If you want true honestly Google your store and look at the online reviews (if you aren't already doing this - shame on you!).
2. Decide where the biggest opportunities for growth are.
3. Commit to changing the things that need to be changed.
4. TALK ABOUT the changes you are making. In your print, TV & Radio ads, on your website, through social media, etc.
5. Put your money where your mouth is. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb and make bold statements.

If you are looking for guidance in building a complete campaign - call me. We aren't just about event sales anymore.

2010 Marketing Strategy Planning Part 3

You are not alone when it comes to this! Here are a few areas I can help with as you do your own 2010 Marketing Planning, let me know if you'd like to hear more.

• Market Analysis-We have a ton of data & market info at our finger tips. Give us a call and we can put together an analysis of your market to arm you as you head into your strategy meeting.
• Custom Marketing Plan-This starts with a phone call I'll ask you some questions about what you have in mind and the Diva team will come back to you with a customized annual plan. We do all the work and you can pick and choose what you like.
• Marketvision 2.0-That's right, coming in January 2010 we're rolling out a whole new version of our extremely popular Marketvision software. The kiosk will now be able to sit at your dealership year round and track what marketing messages are being heard/seen, who is coming in, and what zip codes produce your most traffic & sales. On top of that customer contact data is easily uploaded from our system to your CRM for future follow up. Don't miss another lead's contact info again.
• ROI & Response analysis throughout the year to keep your strategy on track.

The quickest ways to contact us are direct at 317-644-5729, or by email at divateam@triauto.com.

2010 Marketing Strategy Planning Part 2

3. Decide how you will track response & ROI. These are two different things. In easy terms-response is the amount of action you see off of a type of marketing, ROI is the actual return on investment. If a piece of advertising brings in 400 people and you sell 0 cars, you have $0 ROI. 4. Draw up a calendar. Get an actual 2010 calendar out and look through the year. Plot tentative dates for your annual events, or for campaigns you tend to have good luck with or want to try. Think about holidays and how they will affect your efforts. 5. Call in the experts. Once you have a general idea of your annual spend & a basic calendar start planning with your consultants now. Giving a heads up to people like me, your TV/Radio rep, agency account exec and anyone else who helps design, place and execute your marketing can only be a good thing. Many of us work under such tight deadlines there is no time for custom creative ideas based on a complete marketing picture. Cluing us in early on will allow thought and planning to go into the ideas we bring you. 6. Finally, set up your plan. This 2010 strategy is flexible. Hold yourself & your team accountable to tracking all your marketing. Set realistic expectations as to what outcomes you are looking for. Be ready to change things that aren't working. Keep notes for next year's planning. There is no better time than December for getting these plans in place.

2010 Marketing Strategy Planning Part 1

Many dealerships, I'm sure not yours, but many never really sit down and strategize regarding their annual marketing. Budgets, ideas, campaigns, medias, markets and everything else change month to month depending on whims, gut feels and how the current month is shaping up. This leads to inconsistent messages to your market and gaping holes in your marketing, along with last minute planning and execution.

WHY!? We're talking about tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of mismanaged funds being spent willy nilly. So how do we change that? Here's a very simple list of getting started-it may seem very basic to the marketing masters out there but it is just a quick plan to get started for those looking to do more strategy based planning this year

1. Set a meeting of the minds date. Put it on your calendar and make it mandatory. Pull in your management team and any other decision makers-it's probably not a bad idea to also invite a person or two outside the inner circle. Maybe the text crazed college student that helps detail cars on the weekend, or the owner's daughter that promotes the local UFC fights. Bringing someone with a fresh perspective in helps to challenge current ideas and bring new ones to the table.

2. Determine an estimated budget for the year. This doesn't have to be exact. Marketing goes in waves, many dealerships slow down in January and February for weather reasons and ramp up in the spring, others have 4-6 large events a year. The monthly budgets don't have to be the same--just get an idea of the annual figure.

Keep tuning into the Diva Blog this week to see the rest of the steps!