Impressions - February 2014 - 51

able to create lists and break them down
into specific segments. The more segmented your list, and the more associated the
messaging that accompanies the segment,
the more relevant your contact with your
prospects. Most of the programs I previously mentioned have automated segmenting capability.
Here's how it works: Suppose you do
a broadcast mailing to everyone on each
different list. When people click the callto-action link that was the purpose of the
email, they automatically get added to a
new list that is comprised only of respondents to the broadcast. The link would
take them to an offer landing page. If they
respond to the offer, they automatically
would be unsubscribed from the list they
were just added to, and subscribed to a
third list of new buyers for your offer.
As buyers, they would get different
messaging than the people who looked at
the offer page, but did not buy. For that
group, you would craft an auto-responder
sequence that would move them toward
a future purchase. In both cases, the automation of the messaging is taken care of
by the email software. It's really powerful
once you get the hang of it.
This is a lot for the initial introduction.
Since February is cold and slow in most
parts of the country, this is a perfect time to
download a free 30-day trial of one of the
programs and start playing with it. If there's
only one thing you do in 2014, I would
recommend this. My only regret is that I
waited so long before I started building my
lists. A list that you have a relationship with
is worth more than money in the bank. It
becomes the foundation for what will be
a steady stream of leads and orders over
which you have complete command.

In this example of a segmented list offer, nine lists totaling 1,368 contacts were
mailed a Holiday Special flier. The initial mailing had a typical 5% response rate (68
orders), while the follow-up auto-responder sequence generated an additional 5%
(64 more orders). If each order averaged $500, this mailing would have created
$66,000 of sales.

Mark A. Coudray is a respected and
well-known industry innovator and strategist.
His works have been published in more than
400 papers, columns, features and articles in
every major publication in the United States
and abroad. Coudray has been an active
member of the Academy of Screen Printing
and Digital Technology since 1989 and has
written for Impressions since 1978. For more
information or to contact Mark, email him at
coudray@coudray.com or visit coudray.com.
Hear Mark speak on digital marketing
at a workshop at ISS Atlantic City. All-day
workshops are just $99 if you pre-register: issshows.com.
Use Info*Action #22 at impressionsmag.com/infoaction

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Impressions - February 2014

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