Direct Response Marketing Blog

Trust & Money in Direct Reponse Campaigns

You can never have too many checks on the system. Look at casinos – they have people watching people, watching people, in multiple layers of security to make sure that nothing 'slips through the cracks'. This might seem excessive, but when it comes to money, especially large amounts, its always important to take it seriously and be careful.

What does casino security have to do with direct response (DR) advertising? More than you think! Both involve a fair amount of other people’s money, trust, and the goal of making money. Throughout a DR campaign, there are many little things that can go wrong. Phone numbers might be mislabeled, spots might be trafficked to the wrong station, but once the leads come in they are often overlooked. Unconverted calls are sloughed off as normal, dropped calls are considered uninterested, and when the campaign struggles to meet a certain cost per lead, the media buy is attacked. Making the most of the leads you do generate could potentially reduce the need and expense for a higher volume.

When I first started out buying DRTV, I created all of my insertion orders (IO) from an Excel template, saved them in a folder on my desktop, and faxed each one to the stations. Confirmations were received via fax, except for the rare rep who scanned and emailed back. Most of the communication was done over the phone. And it was up to us buyers to keep very organized. This was less than 10 years ago, and then I moved to another agency to buy print. Similarly, we created every IO from a Word template, printed, and faxed them to stations. Each one was fastened to a folder, piled up, and used to bill from at the end of the month. Imagine the possibilities of lost files! This was only 5 years ago.

I am happy to say that my most recent buying was done through a web based system, although it was bulky, elaborate, and contained many more features than I ever needed (which I am sure was factored into the cost). At the very least, it was effective at keeping data organized, the buys in an easily accessible place, and streamlining the billing process.

If you still buy media the old fashioned way, it may be because you don’t know your options, or that you think you can’t afford media buying software. Finding a basic, less expensive option could be the best alternative, and once you begin to use it, you might realize it saves you money and time in the long run. The top reasons for using media buying software include:

1. All insertion orders are kept in the same place, easily accessible from any location.
2. Information such as rates, stations, and contacts are stored for quick reference.
3. Accounting can pull billing information straight from program.

One of the most important pieces of a successful direct response, or DR, campaign is quick and consistent analysis of the data. Without the ability to monitor results, it's nearly impossible to improve them. However, time also plays an important role, as unproductive media outlets left active for too long put a drain on the budget and destroy CPL. Increasing the efficiency of the analytical team is crucial to the success of the campaign.

Data analysis begins with the collection of campaign information from a variety of sources. Gathering media spend and spot clearing information from distribution channels, as well as response and conversion data from call centers is tedious and time consuming.

Then there is a substantial amount of work involved with entering such data into whatever metrics you have created and now have to constantly update. Call centers provide raw, and often incomplete, call logs that must be manipulated to eliminate short calls and repeat callers. If multiple call centers are being used, call logs may look slightly different and require the analyst to spend more time deciphering and combining them. All of this work is necessary just to get to the most important part: the analysis.

Minimizing the excess work involved in campaign reporting saves time and money, therefore helping to streamline the analytical process and increase ROI. Delivering all of the data, rolled up into custom reports, from one source, can help you do just that. If you are currently working through all of the steps listed above, just to be able to monitor your campaign results, Zenith Media Tracking is the perfect solution.