Is Email and SEM Just Another List?

I had an ephinany the other day while pulling together a direct mail strategy for a business that is desperately in need of some new customers. Due to a freak situation, the company is in a situation where they can anticipate no renewal revenue from an annual program and instead has to rely almost entirely on new cusotmer acquisition in the coming year.

I lined up the usual suspects for mailing list selection and came up with a rather staggering potential list universe to test and an estimated budget to match. Then I emailed the plan off and leaned back in my chair waiting for the accolades to roll in.

Later that day I was discussing online marketing with a co-worker. We were lamenting that we didn't have enough money budgeted to launch an online marketing program. Then it hit me - certain targeted online media - including search engine marketing (SEM) and email marketing - are really just other list sources with a different creative execution.

So now I'm retooling my "mail" matrix to include these online channels right along with the direct mail plans. Taking the same offer and creative we're testing in print and figuring out how to parlay it into the virtual world. Dropping in various sites and geo-targeting and demographic targeting right into the list column; adding the email and online creative right into the package row.

While this will reduce the number of mail packages I send out, it is as testable and viable a source of new customer acquisiton as any traditional mail campaign.

We (meaning us marketers) are still too silo'd in our approaches ... online vs. offline, brand vs. direct, broadcast vs. print.

But this day, our eocmmerce marketing director went away a little happier and this direct mail manager can sleep better at night knowing that I'm leaving no rock unturned in our search for the most effective and least expensive means of acquiring a new customer.