Can Online Video Pep Up Your Direct Marketing?

The addition of online video to a multi-channel direct marketing campaign recently boosted sales by 20% for a performing arts organization, according to a "Target Marketing" magazine blog report. A series of five "behind the curtain" videos were aimed at creating curiosity about upcoming performances and were interspersed with three "music" videos where the product was basically given away. Direct mail, because of the target demographics, remained a key channel, but radio, a primary advertising channel (and expense) in prior years, was dropped. Meanwhile, the videos allowed for expanded e-mail marketing because they gave purpose to frequent messaging, and the videos helped leverage the viral impact of social media efforts with Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter to attract new patrons. The blog authors argue that the online videos turned around a tired direct marketing effort because they provided content purpose, enabled frequency, and allowed use of a "free" component in the marketing. For a complete discussion, see the post at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/turnaround-tired-direct-marketing-campaigns-with-video