1. Beef up your list. To offset the inefficiencies of the medium, you’ll need a large number of names, numbers or e-mail addresses in order to get a reasonable return.
2. Craft your message to get a response. Your “sale” will take the form of a callback, an e-mail reply, a resume attachment or a visit to your Web site.
3. Repetition is key. Even if you get a disappointing response, keep sending your message. Over time, you’ll build brand awareness and increase your chances of getting a response or making a sale.
4. Be prepared for success. Your only real opportunity to “sell” is when you get a call back, so have a script (or a strong presentation) ready for when people start responding. You may not get a second chance.
5. Don’t fatigue your list. Repetition is good; suffocation is bad. If you deliver the same message too often, people will get annoyed, and your response rate will decline.
6. Always test your message. If you have a list of 1,000 e-mail prospects, send your message to the first 250. If the response is good, send the rest. If the response is bad, rework your message or make corrections and send it to the next 250 prospects. Same thing with your voice mails: test your message with 10 people. If they all hang up on you, they’re telling you what they think of your message.
7. Clean your list. Direct marketers call this “list hygiene.” De-dupe and correct your list as often as you can, and make sure to honor all requests from those who want to be removed.
8. Be vigilant with your removes. It’s a common mistake to add new names you removed a couple of months ago. A simple clerical error on your part may offend a privacy fanatic.
As a safeguard, keep a DO NOT SEND list, and cross reference it before you start a new campaign. Even though voice mail and e-mail are non-interactive, they can still get terrific results—if you follow the rules
2. Craft your message to get a response. Your “sale” will take the form of a callback, an e-mail reply, a resume attachment or a visit to your Web site.
3. Repetition is key. Even if you get a disappointing response, keep sending your message. Over time, you’ll build brand awareness and increase your chances of getting a response or making a sale.
4. Be prepared for success. Your only real opportunity to “sell” is when you get a call back, so have a script (or a strong presentation) ready for when people start responding. You may not get a second chance.
5. Don’t fatigue your list. Repetition is good; suffocation is bad. If you deliver the same message too often, people will get annoyed, and your response rate will decline.
6. Always test your message. If you have a list of 1,000 e-mail prospects, send your message to the first 250. If the response is good, send the rest. If the response is bad, rework your message or make corrections and send it to the next 250 prospects. Same thing with your voice mails: test your message with 10 people. If they all hang up on you, they’re telling you what they think of your message.
7. Clean your list. Direct marketers call this “list hygiene.” De-dupe and correct your list as often as you can, and make sure to honor all requests from those who want to be removed.
8. Be vigilant with your removes. It’s a common mistake to add new names you removed a couple of months ago. A simple clerical error on your part may offend a privacy fanatic.
As a safeguard, keep a DO NOT SEND list, and cross reference it before you start a new campaign. Even though voice mail and e-mail are non-interactive, they can still get terrific results—if you follow the rules