June 15, 2010 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) today released the 2010 Response Rate Trend Report which provides key cost and performance benchmarks to help marketers gauge the efficiency of their campaigns. The updated report shows effective paid search campaigns usually lead to a multi-step sales process.
Initially created in 2003 to detail the typical response rate for direct marketing campaigns in particular professions as well as the channels that yield the best response, this edition marks the seventh in the series. Since the report’s inception, interactive channels have multiplied and become a critical part of business. This year’s updated edition reflects the breadth of today’s landscape with full coverage for five media: Direct Mail (five formats: letter-sized envelopes, postcard, oversized envelopes, dimensional, and catalog); Email; Paid Search; Internet Display; and Telephone. It also contains additional data on Mobile (SMS and Display); DRTV; DR Radio; Magazine and Newspaper Space Advertising; Inserts; Fax; and Digital Out-of-Home.
Where possible, the overall data is broken down for direct order versus lead generation, B-to-B versus B-to-C, and new this year, average sale size of less than $1,000 versus $1,000 or more. This year’s report covers ten industries: B-to-B Services; Consumer Packaged Goods; Education; Financial Services; Health Care & Pharmaceuticals; Nonprofits; Publishing/Media & Entertainment; Retail; Technology & Manufacturing; and Telecom & Utilities.
“Technology has made it easier to measure results, but sometimes making sense of all this data can give marketers a headache,” said Yory Wurmser, DMA research manager. “This year’s report is much more user-friendly. It uses comparison charts and provides additional metrics for certain media like email and paid search, which we haven’t included before. The report gives marketers a context for response and cost metrics, letting them measure their campaigns against industry averages — an invaluable source when looking to benchmark campaign performance.
See full article at: DMA Releases 2010 Response Rate Trend Report.
