Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing

Contents......Page 5
List of Plates......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 11
1 Beginnings......Page 13
THE AMATEUR APPROACH......Page 14
THE DIFFICULT APPROACH......Page 15
SOME VALUABLE DISCOVERIES......Page 17
THE MYSTERIOUS RISE OF DIRECT MARKETING......Page 18
A PARADOX......Page 22
YOUR TIMING IS GOOD......Page 23
TO MAKE LEARNING EASIER......Page 24
2 The Three Graces of Direct Marketing......Page 26
SHORT-TERM THINKING......Page 27
WHAT IS DIRECT MARKETING?......Page 28
THE THREE GRACES OF DIRECT MARKETING......Page 34
HOW YOUR CUSTOMER IS CHANGING......Page 35
CONTROLLABILITY: AN IMPORTANT BENEFIT......Page 38
GIVING YOUR CUSTOMER A BETTER SERVICE......Page 40
THE SPIRAL OF PROSPERITY......Page 43
3 Direct Marketing Can Do More Than You Think......Page 48
WHAT CAN YOU SELL?......Page 49
THE ROLE OF DIRECT MARKETING......Page 50
FIVE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF DIRECT MARKETERS …......Page 57
… AND FOUR WAYS TO ACHIEVE THEM......Page 58
WHICH NAMES ARE BEST?......Page 65
4 How to Get Started......Page 66
DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE A CONTINUING RELATIONSHIP BUILT IN?......Page 68
SALES-FORCE HELP......Page 69
SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS......Page 71
USE YOUR NAMES......Page 72
THE KEY TO PROFIT......Page 73
EMPLOYERS AND SHAREHOLDERS......Page 76
WHAT MAIL ORDER TEACHES......Page 77
THREE MAJOR ERRORS......Page 78
WHAT SHOULD YOU SELL?......Page 80
CAN YOU OFFER A GOOD DEAL?......Page 81
ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS......Page 83
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?......Page 84
DON’T OVER ORDER......Page 85
WHERE TO LOOK......Page 86
5 Positioning and Other Mysteries Explained......Page 89
SOUND ADVICE ON BOASTING......Page 90
WOULD A SALESPERSON DO THIS?......Page 91
ADDED VALUE......Page 92
UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION......Page 94
POSITIONING: TODAY’S THEORY......Page 95
CHANGING THE RULES......Page 102
GENERAL ADVERTISING AND POSITIONING......Page 103
6 How to Plan Well......Page 106
ELEVEN STEPS TO SUCCESS......Page 108
FIVE QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER......Page 111
KEEP IN TOUCH......Page 114
HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMERS BETTER......Page 116
WHERE YOUR MONEY WILL DO MOST GOOD......Page 120
WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?......Page 124
FIVE MAJOR DIFFERENCES......Page 125
TIMING CRITICAL......Page 132
THE EIGHT TRADITIONAL MEDIA AT YOUR DISPOSAL......Page 134
OTHER MEDIA......Page 153
INTERACTIVE, PERSONALISED MEDIA......Page 154
SUCCESSFUL MEDIA SELECTION......Page 156
PROVEN PRINCIPLES OF NEGOTIATION......Page 160
TEN GOOD DEALS......Page 161
8 Digital Marketing: The Internet and E-mail......Page 165
GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE START – SEVEN THINGS YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR SITE......Page 167
A–Z OF BUILDING AND MANAGING A WEBSITE......Page 174
YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC SITE – WHAT NEXT?......Page 176
DON’T BE BAMBOOZLED: COMMONSENSE ONLINE TECHNIQUES......Page 178
HOW YOUR TRAFFIC HELPS IMPROVE YOUR AIM......Page 185
JUST A REMINDER: IT’S ACCELERATED DIRECT MARKETING......Page 186
WHOSE WEBSITE IS IT ANYWAY?......Page 191
WHAT’S MAKING MONEY – AND WHY......Page 203
AN EXTRAORDINARY, RARE OPPORTUNITY......Page 207
9 Your Greatest Asset......Page 211
THE VALUE OF A NAME......Page 212
THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE LIST......Page 213
TWELVE CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING LISTS......Page 218
YOUR DATABASE AND HOW TO BUILD IT......Page 221
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST NEW CUSTOMERS......Page 227
LIFESTYLE DATABASES......Page 246
COMPILED LISTS......Page 248
JON EPSTEIN’S 11 DESIDERATA......Page 251
THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA......Page 257
GETTING ORGANISED......Page 261
CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING......Page 263
NATIONALITIES AND SOCIAL GROUPS......Page 269
MEDIA VARY; PRINCIPLES DON’T......Page 272
HOW TO BUILD CONVICTION......Page 280
THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF GOOD CREATIVE COPY......Page 283
CREATIVITY IN ACTION......Page 295
TWO SECRET INGREDIENTS......Page 302
11 How to Make Your Creative Work Virtually Foolproof......Page 308
TWENTY-FIVE POINTERS BEFORE YOU WRITE A WORD OR SKETCH A LAYOUT......Page 311
PLANNING YOUR CREATIVE TREATMENT......Page 319
ELEVEN UNCREATIVE (BUT TESTED) WAYS TO MAKE YOUR LAYOUT WORK HARDER......Page 323
THIRTEEN ATTENTION-GRABBERS......Page 332
TRICKS AND TECHNIQUES THAT KEEP PEOPLE READING......Page 335
CHARITY ADVERTISING: A SPECIAL CASE......Page 336
WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN BROADCAST......Page 338
NOW THAT YOU THINK IT’S PERFECT HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ANYTHING?......Page 341
12 How to Test – and Evaluate Your Results......Page 346
TESTING: THE FIRST DUTY......Page 348
FOURTEEN WAYS YOU CAN LEARN BY TESTING......Page 351
A FAIR TEST?......Page 361
A TRUE AND PROPER RECORD......Page 362
WHAT TESTING ACHIEVED FOR ME......Page 368
13 Testing Versus Research – and Other Matters......Page 371
TESTS THAT GAINED AN ACCOUNT......Page 373
TWO LAWS OF TESTING......Page 374
STARTLING RESULTS......Page 377
NINE TESTING OPPORTUNITIES......Page 379
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TEST? AND WHEN?......Page 387
A FAMOUS CASE-HISTORY......Page 388
14 How to Choose Your Agency – and When to Do Without One......Page 393
AGENCY OR NOT?......Page 395
SPECULATIVE PRESENTATIONS......Page 397
ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURE......Page 398
PLAYING THE FIELD......Page 402
HOW MUCH YOU SHOULD PAY......Page 403
MONEY AND TALENT......Page 405
TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS......Page 406
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM......Page 408
JOY RIDE?......Page 410
TWO TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP......Page 411
WHERE THINGS GO WRONG AND HOW TO GET THEM RIGHT......Page 413
OTHER TROUBLE SPOTS......Page 418
16 The Future of Marketing: Ten Predictions – and a Health Warning......Page 422
HONESTY......Page 428
FULL CIRCLE......Page 430
Index......Page 432