Get Right to the Point of Success with Direct Marketing
by Janet C. Harvey-Clark, 31 March 2009

Dr. Vaughn, a veterinarian, just opened her practice in a friendly community and needed to build a new client base. Dr. Vaughn sought help from a local marketing firm that had a strong reputation for helping businesses succeed. The firm’s principal explained to them how direct marketing could be very effective for meeting their objectives.

Direct marketing begins by identifying a targeted audience, a group of individuals who are most likely to be potential clients or customers. Mailing directly to new residents who live within a small radius of their practice was a method that had proven to be highly effective with other practices. Many of the new residents need a new veterinarian, and will often rely on promotions to prompt them to make an appointment or visit the website for more information.

One essential element for the success with direct marketing is to appeal to people’s emotions. You have to make your target feel connected to your message. People who spend money on their pets care deeply about them. Dr. Vaughn wanted to assure potential clients that she understood their concerns and made sure her direct marketing pictured her with her personal pets. In addition, she included testimonials from existing clients demonstrating her caring services and expertise as a veterinarian.

Success also depends on emphasizing your benefits and unique selling points. A potential client or customer is going to ask, “Why should I use you or buy your product?” You need to answer that question. Her benefits may be the same as many other veterinarians, but still needed to be stated. Her unique selling points can help differentiate her from the competition. For example, Dr. Vaughn has equipped their office with innovative, high-end technology as well as offering 24-hour emergency care like many other offices, but she also offers dog and cat massages and house calls to reduce anxiety, which most offices do not offer.

The creation of an offer is necessary in direct marketing. The offer acts as prompting mechanism, and when combined with an expiration date creates a sense of urgency. Dr. Vaughn, on the advice of her agency, opted to mail a postcard. Her offer and call to action was a free initial pet physical exam when scheduled within 60 days.

Finally, there must be a means for answering the call to action. A phone number, address and web address are necessary elements. Depending on the type of direct marketing you are using, your direct call to action may vary. The means for answering the call to action was a prominently printed phone number. Dr. Vaughn made sure a well trained and friendly receptionist, who gathered essential client information, answered the call.

Direct marketing drove $2,058 billion revenue in U.S. consumer sales in 2008.* And it’s still going strong, even in this economy. Ultimately, direct marketing is more cost-effective than mass advertising, because it’s going directly to people who are most likely to purchase your product or service. Because direct marketing is response oriented, it's highly measurable, making it financially accountable. The bottom line in direct marketing: it works when done correctly and can reach a niche market like no other medium.

*According to Direct Marketing Association.