Target Marketing articles from September 1998

Target Marketing archives from September 1998

800 years young. (mail order business)(Editorial)
September 1, 1998... Mail order itself did not originate in 1872 when Montgomery Ward first started in the mail order business. In the 1500s, the first book catalogs were printed in Venice. By the 1600s there were garden catalogs, and by the 1700s they included...

What you may not have known, but were afraid to ask. (alternate media in direct marketing)
September 1, 1998... Note: This guide is for marketers who typically use direct mail, space advertising, etc., but want to expand into new marketing ventures such as alternate media. Other programs available, but not mentioned in the following article include co-op...

Database revelations: does every marketing organization need a technology translator on staff?
September 1, 1998... With all of the high-tech tools now at our disposal - software and solutions that are supposed to make it easier and more efficient to home in on precise target markets - it's becoming more important than ever for marketers and technology experts...

The ABCs of testing: ideas for re-tooling your direct marketing efforts for better response - starting with the offer.(Cover Story)
September 1, 1998... When it comes down to it, the key element that separates direct marketing from other marketing techniques is the offer. Direct marketing campaigns are meant to sell products and services; a two-step campaign may be needed to explain the offer,...

Get the envelope opened! (direct-mail advertising)(includes related articles)
September 1, 1998... The only purpose of the carrier envelope, other than keeping its contents from spilling out onto the street, is to get itself opened. The envelope is the first place to start when considering testing. Why? Every recipient sees it - and it...

List testing: parameters & strategies.
September 1, 1998... No one will dispute the fact that testing lists is important. The list has the greatest impact on the success or failure of the mailing. "Whereas creative tests may cause 1.5-percent to 3-percent variations in response, the right or wrong mailing...

Alternative catalog formats to test.
September 1, 1998... What do all the following situations have in common? * You're launching a new catalog. * You're spinning off a catalog from an existing product line. * Your catalog design is fiat, tired and you're re-thinking the look of the entire...

'Best ideas' for fund raising by phone.
September 1, 1998... WHEN AND WHERE DOES IT PAY TO CALL DONORS AND PROSPECTS? If you're going to add the phone to your fund-raising arsenal, when and where does it make sense? "The phone should be in addition to any direct mail you are doing," says Tim Twardowski,...

Birds of a feather.... (using referral programs to expand direct marketing base)
September 1, 1998... HOW YOU CAN USE REFERRAL PROGRAMS TO LOCATE NEW PROSPECTS Yes, it's true: Birds of a feather do flock together. In the direct marketing world this means that customers who do business with you in all likelihood know other people who need your...

How Rodale mails cleaner. (Rodale Press; accurate address in the mailing list)
September 1, 1998... A TEST PROVES THE VALUE OF LIST HYGIENE TOOLS Rodale press has an Address Quality Task Force, an internal planning group that is charged with ensuring that the addresses of all Rodale customers are recorded as accurately as possible on our...

The back-end of global delivery: how to transport your products around the world.
September 1, 1998... You have the order; now it's time to make good on your offer. Shipping products to overseas customers is perhaps the most complicated part of international direct marketing. Not only do you have to contend with the intricacies of fulfillment...

Marketing 101: direct response goes to college! (targeting college students)
September 1, 1998... Every year roughly 14 million American students venture off to one of 3,000+ colleges in the United States. That's more then G percent of the total population, making it a market which cannot be ignored. But the college student market is even...

A guide to list management agreements.
September 1, 1998... The value of a customer's list cannot be minimized. And list owners now understand that sometimes they may have to terminate a list manager who is not performing according to the terms of the agreements. Thus, list owners now devote a little more...

Stepping up to the plate. (computers and printing in the direct marketing business)
September 1, 1998... COMPUTER-TO-PLATE TECHNOLOGY IS GOING MAINSTREAM AND TAKING DIRECT MARKETERS WITH IT For years, direct marketers have been looking to decrease turnaround times without losing quality on their print jobs. This pressure, along with the continual...