How are you using Response Metrics?
White Oak Printing 1180 Dillerville Road Lancaster, PA 17601 717.291.2222
800.487.0488
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When it comes to 1:1 printing or any type of marketing, it’s all about measuring response. Is the approach working? If so, why? If not, why not? What can you learn from the response metrics to help you improve the campaign for next time?
Response metrics are any measures you take to evaluate the impact and success of your campaign. They come in all shapes and sizes, and there is no “best” metric to use. Some marketers use response rates, which are generally defined as any contact the recipient has with your company as the result of the campaign. Others use conversion rate, revenues generated per sale, cost per lead or return on investment (ROI). Online marketing uses other measures. In the case of e-mail marketing or banner ads, it might be open rates or click-throughs.
All of these measures have value as response metrics, and one is not necessarily better than another. Each measures a different aspect of the campaign.
Response rates, for example, indicate the effectiveness of such things as the list, the creative and the offer. They measure how effective the postcard, the direct mailer or other contact was in getting the recipient to contact you, whether by phone, by visiting a Web site or taking a coupon into a store.
Conversion rate tells you what percentage of those who initially responded to the campaign converted to sales. If you have a 30% response rate to a campaign but a 2% conversion rate, something is terribly wrong. Maybe your Web site ordering interface is confusing. Maybe there is a disconnect between the promise in the promotion and the reality. If you have a big gap between your response and conversion rates, you need to know why.
Conversely, maybe the response and conversion rates are both low, but the ROI is high. This can happen when the product has a high value and a specialized audience (such as with automotive sales). In these cases, low response rates and conversion rates aren’t necessarily a reflection on the quality of the campaign. If your ROI is 1000%, the campaign is highly successful.
So before you even start your campaign, understand the following:
the different types of response metrics
what each metric is telling you
which would be more valuable to you
Put these metrics into place at the start of the campaign. Get in the habit of using the invaluable information that they give you to improve your marketing results for next time.
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