JR Direct is your DM CADDY
A great caddy is always there with the right advice. As your DM Caddy, JR Direct offers these tips to help you on the International DM course.
Tip #1 - Keep your assets clean
A clean database saves time and money.
Save money on unnecessary mailings: Most countries have national Do Not Mail lists. Some countries, like Canada, make these readily available but can be costly. Others you may need to hunt for. Make sure your data provider has this as a part of their processing package.
Floating data can be tricky: With International markets; data tends to be a lot less structured and formats and fields can vary within your data. Having a system to fix data will ensure only unique names exist in your database.
Be ready for anything: Can your system recognize the following characters: Ф (Russian) ö (German) ą (Polish)? These, among many others, are all completely valid characters that your system needs to be able to accept before trying any of these markets, otherwise your data could be f []ll of illeg []ble charac []ers .
Tip #2 - Improve connections
Tailor to country preferences and requirements.
Sequencing matters: Many markets have a different addressing sequence, so don’t assume your current layout will always work. In Japan, the order of names is often reversed, and last name is the typical way to address your customer.
Avoid offending or putting off customers: Titles can make a difference in your copy. For example, in Germany, no title before your customer’s name can be considered rude. It is advisable for some markets, such as Germany, to request gender identifiers when sourcing names.
Put it in your customers’ hands: Above all else, you want your piece to make it to your customer. It pays to work with providers like JR Direct who can output your data according to country specific requirements.
Tip #3 - Maximize your yardage
Success depends on targeting only the best prospects.
Find the Hot files: Every DM market has hot and cold lists, and it is often difficult to tell the difference. JR Direct manages inquirer files that often perform as well as buyers names in many markets. Your broker can tell you which files get the most action and which never make it past a test.
Relationships matter: Work with a broker who knows the market well and can use their connections to work to your advantage. You’ll not only get better names, but can also often get better pricing too.
Don’t limit yourself: Different brokers have different areas of strength, different market specialties, and different contacts. At JR Direct we never want to be your only broker, just your favorite broker. We’ll even recommend our top competitors to give you the broadest access to the best names.
Tip #4 - Keep your greens rolling
Accommodate how your customers prefer to pay.
Know the common payment methods: Your success depends on your customers taking that final step… make sure you make it as easy as possible for customers to respond. In Japan for example, money orders tend to be the most popular payment method. Personal cheques don’t even exist.
Offer convenient currency options: Knowing currency denominations and standard pricing levels will help you establish an inviting and convenient price for your product. In Japan, the lowest denomination of paper currency is ¥1,000.
Prepare to process the orders: Are you prepared to process multiple currencies and payment methods? Service providers, like PacNet Services, can be great resources to meet all your payment needs.
Tip #5 - Avoid the traps
Understand the market prior to testing.
Cultural differences: Knowing the market well in advance helps you avoid potentially costly mistakes. Australians for example are strongly averse to astrology style offers, and several marketers have gotten into some very hot water as a result of customer backlash.
Know consumer preferences: In Japan, for example, silver jewelry can be more appealing than gold jewelry. Knowing subtle differences in cultural attitudes can make all the difference in reaching that sale.
Understand the legal environment: Different markets have different laws surrounding acceptable products, charge back periods on credit cards, privacy laws, etc... A local legal expert will shed light into these areas and help keep you out of hot water.
Tip #6 - Make a good read
Interpreting results depends on the market.
Understand the customer behaviors: Loyalty, average spending levels, and other factors can vary greatly market to market. Knowing the typical buying patterns of your chosen market will change your ROI, and help establish acquisition targets.
Routing will dictate your timeframes: For International markets, be prepared to wait as long as 45 days to assess your test results. This is especially true if you’re using an alternative mail service whose pricing can be more affordable, but delivery times tend to be slower.
Know the competition: It’s helpful to understand what responses others are achieving before you test a market. Your International list broker is a good source for finding out how similar companies are doing and what you should expect to achieve.
Tip #7 - Get the most distance
Maximize your rental revenues.
Market knowledge: Work with a List Manager that knows your target market well. They’ll know the active players in the market, those that will be most interested in testing your names. These relationships will directly influence how much income you receive.
Handling multiple currencies: Marketing your names to International markets means you need to accept foreign currencies. In Europe for example, most companies deal only in Euro. You need to work with a manager who can handle multiple currencies.
International marketing: Even if you’re only mailing domestically, working with an International manager will increase your exposure AND revenues. Having an International manager promoting your names means your names get marketed globally, not just to the domestic market.
Tip #8 - Tailor your approach
Don't let your message get lost in translation.
Keep the marketing appeal: Your copy is king, and you spend a lot of money on getting the right copy. When translating to other languages, you want the message more than the words to come across. The last thing you want is a saying like “your ship will come in” translated to read “a ship will arrive at your front door” (true example).
Understand the language nuances: In Japan for example, the characters used for the number 4 are the same that mean death. How could that impact your package appeal? Knowing little nuances in advance helps you make minor changes to avoid costly mistakes.
Trust in your translator: Hiring a market expert, especially in your testing phase, is a costly and risky move. Look to outsource your translation to skilled translators, such as those at International Direct Response Services, who have a proven track record of success in customizing International DM campaigns.
Tip #9 - Get powerful results
Success lies in ongoing testing and tweaking.
Trust your own results: Sourcing opinions from others is helpful at any time, but your own testing will show you proven results. Some mailers have found pages of copy work well, others minimize it, and others use both strategies depending on the market. You never know until you test.
Throw what works out the window: This is especially true when testing a new market. Just because an offer or a segment is hot in one market does not mean it will work well in another. Some markets you can mail 2 year old customers profitably, and in others after 30 days you can consider them a cost. By all means test what’s worked before, but be prepared to adjust to market preferences.
Statistical significance: When testing, it is crucial that the conclusion be based on meaningful volumes. This can be even more challenging in the International market where volumes can be lower (depending on the market). A good rule of thumb is to test on volumes of 5,000 or more.
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