Marketing Strategies and Custom Lead Generation information: For a mailing in which the only response is a "hard" offer—that is, to respond you must take an active step, such as calling a salesperson, having a sales representative visit your office, or going to a seminar or demonstration—the response rates range from 0.5 percent to 2 percent.

 

For a mailing that has both a hard offer and a soft offer—the soft offer typically being "mail the enclosed reply card for a free brochure"—average response rates are from r to 3 percent or so. For a business-tobusiness lead-generating mailing that stresses the soft offer—that is, emphasizes the free booklet, report, or information kit being offered rather than the product itself—average response rates are from 1.5 to 4 percent.

 

If the free offer is particularly enticing, or if a valuable premium (free gift as an incentive to respond) is added, response rates of 4 to 5 percent or more are possible. But typically, between to and 2.5 percent of the sales leads can be converted to sales within a few weeks to six months after the inquiries are received.

 

 

 

 

 

About Marketing Strategies

The key observation that can be made about mail-order marketing over the past several years is that response rates are on the decline. Let's say we are selling a $149 software product via mail order.

 

Now, we have to print and mail a direct mail package to get orders. Let's say our cost for the mailing is $700 per thousand. To calculate the number of orders needed to break even: Breakeven = Mailing cost per thousand = Profit per order For our example: $700 mailing expense = $134 profit per order = breakeven on 5.2 orders per thousand pieces matted. In terms of percentage response this comes to: 5.2 orders _ 1,000 mailings x 100 = 0.52 percent.

 

However, I cannot stress enough that these are rough averages only and may or may not apply to your product.

 

| Data Appending | Marketing Strategies | Direct Mail Fulfillment |

 

Response Makers - Marketing Strategies