Direct Marketing Campaign Plan

Direct Marketing Campaign Planning Template

Instructions

Use this guide and template to plan your direct marketing campaign, which may include one or more tactics or be a fully integrated direct marketing campaign. Each section includes instructions to guide you through the planning process and details each aspect of the campaign. This guide walks you through every step of direct marketing campaign planning, development and execution.

Enter your responses in the provides sections. If you require more space for a response, simply drag the lower right corner of the box to enlarge it. To save a copy of your plan, select PRINT from your browser's file menu.

Direct Marketing Campaign Plan

Campaign Name:
Campaign Launch Date
Campaign End Date
Organization
Contact:
Phone:
Email:

CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND INFORMATION:							(check to close section)

Background:
• This is a summary of where your company is and why? • What is the company’s situation and reason for running this campaign? • What are the market conditions affecting your company? • Who are your competitors and where does your company rank in the competitive spectrum? • Where are your products and services in the product life stage cycle: entry, growth, mature, declining? • How are your company and your products and services positioned in the marketplace? • What are the characteristics of the end users of your products and services?
Solution, Product or Service Description:
• Describe the solution, product and/or services being promoted in this campaign.
Market Definition:
• Describe the characteristics of the market that the company’s solutions, products/services are intended to address through this campaign.
Market Trends:
• What technology, economic, environmental, political, legal changes, etc., are taking place in the market that may be influential or important in terms of their impact on the customer’s buying decision to purchase from your company?
Company Market Position:
• Give a description of your company’s position relative to important competitors.
Solution (Product/Service) Market Position:
• Give a description of your company’s solution, product or service market position relative to those of your primary competitors.
Competitive Trends:
• What kinds of competitive trends are taking place in the market that may impact your business and this campaign?
Competitive Positioning:
• What differentiates your company from its major competitors?
Target Markets:
• Describe the main characteristics of the group of potential buyers. • What are the primary and secondary target markets for this campaign? • Describe the industry segments and company size (revenue or employee size, if you are a business-to-business marketer. • Describe the demographics if your target markets are consumers?)
Target Audiences:
• For the target markets, describe who are the decision makers and influencers, either internal to the company or external to the company who play a role in or have an impact on the decision to purchase from your organization. • If your organization markets directly to consumers, describe who the decision makers and influencers are. Internal could be family members, close friends, etc., • External consumer influencers could be publications, public figures, viral web, etc. • Below, quantify the number of contacts for the campaign. • If this is a business-to-business campaign, list the functional titles.

CAMPAIGN TARGET MARKET DETAILS:							(check to close section)

Name Quantities for Campaign:
Business to Business
	Total Quantity
	Number of enterprises
	Number of establishments
	Number of contacts per establishment
	Functional titles being targeted (e.g., CEO, CMO, COO, CFO, VP Marketing, VP Sales, VP Engineering, etc.)
Consumer
	Total Quantity
	Number of segments
	Segment names / descriptions

Target Audiences' Perceptions:
• What are the target audiences’ perceptions of your organization and the products/services being offered in this campaign? • What are their key issues? • What advantages and disadvantages do your company and the product/service being advertised have in the customers’ eyes? • Why would the target audience buy from your company and buy this product/service? • What are the key decision criteria used by your target consumer to make a purchase decision?
Constraints / Concerns:
• What factors or constraints may have an impact on the success of the campaign? o These may be internal or external. o Internal factors may be company policies, staffing, etc... o External factors could be legal, etc. • What actions can be taken to minimize or limit the impact of these constraints or concern?

CAMPAIGN DETAILS							(check to close section)

Campaign Type: (check one)
		Single Tactic (A “tactic” is a single event, call, mail piece, email message, etc. A tactic is intended to build immediate results.)

		Marketing Program (A “marketing program” is made up of single tactics. These tactics are integrated and sequential and move the target customer through the buying cycle, usually focusing on a single product or service. A “marketing program typically runs 2 to 6 months from initial planning to execution. A marketing program is a set of integrated tactics. )

		Integrated Marketing Campaign (A “marketing campaign” is made up of sequential targeted marketing programs that move a defined customer set through the entire buying cycle identifying their wants and needs from a solution perspective (integrating multiple products and services). A marketing campaign is made up of integrated marketing programs that can run from 12 to 18 months from planning through execution.
Campaign Description:
• Describe in general terms the type of campaign that is being proposed. • Is it an integrated campaign? • What types of media will be involved? • Will it involve ‘calls-to-action’ and offers to drive prospect response? • What will be the focus? • What is it supposed to communicate to the various audiences? • Will it involve fulfillment kits, white paper, etc.? • Is it a ‘push’ or ‘pull’ or combination ‘push-pull’ campaign? • Will there be a contest, free giveaways? • Any other general details about the campaign.
Campaign Objectives: (check all that apply)
• What objectives are you trying to achieve by running this campaign? o Increase awareness? o Drive sales? o Drive multi-channel retail traffic; generate inquiries or leads; or, some combination of these? o Your objectives should be quantifiable and measurable. • What action do you want the advertising to persuade the audience to take?

		Revenue
		Inquiries (building a database, fostering relationships, driving traffic to a storefront or website, etc.)
		Qualified Leads
		Awareness

Campaign Strategies:
• Describe the variety of campaign techniques that will be used in order to accomplish the objectives.
Key Messages:
• What is the overall positioning of the campaign to the customer? • What are the key messages that you want this advertising to communicate? o About your company? o About your service? o About the product/service being advertised? • What benefits, both product and those related to the customers purchasing from your company, do you want to communicate?
Calls to Action / Offer Strategy:
• What factors constitute the offer? o The product/service? o Any support provided to the buyer? o Credit and other terms offered to the customer who makes the purchase? o What kinds of incentives are offered to spur the purchase? o What kind of time constraints or time limits are part of the offer? • What does the buyer have to do and when to take advantage of the offer? • How does the offer compare to those being made by the competition? How is the audience likely to respond to the offer? • Has the offer been tested and validated prior to this campaign?
Campaign Tactics:
• Give a general overview of the various tactics that will be used as part of this campaign.

CAMPAIGN ELEMENTS: (check all that apply)							(check to close section)

	Market research
		Market segment study
		Competitive analysis study
		Market opportunity assessment study
		Focus groups
		In market product / pricing testing
		In market advertising testing
		Site selection study
		Traffic study (outdoor advertising)
		Other (describe)

	Print Advertising
		Newspaper
		Magazine
		FSI (free standing insert)
		Bound-in insert
		Supplement
		Directories
		Other (describe)

	Direct Mail
		Solo mailer
		Multi mailer (multiple products on individual flyers in single envelop)
		Card deck
		Coupon deck
		Catalog
		Package Insert
		Newsletter
		Other (describe)

	Broadcast
		Commercial TV
		Commercial radio
		Satellite radio
		Other (describe)

	Telemarketing
		Inbound telemarketing – lead generation
		Outbound telemarketing – lead generation
		Outbound telemarketing – contact discovery
		Outbound telemarketing - profiling
		Telesales
		Other (describe)

	Internet (Digital)
		Email
		Email newsletter
		Website
		Micro website / landing page
		Banner ad
		Blog
		YouTube ( web video)
		Social media (LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, etc.)
		eBay, Amazon, etc.
		Twitter
		SMS Text Messaging
		Other (describe)

	Outdoor Transit Advertising
		Billboards
		Bus Posters
		Mobil billboards
		Airport advertising
		Outdoor posters
		Subway posters
		Transit shelter posters
		Outdoor bulletins
		Street furniture
		ATM advertising
		Blimps
		Elevator advertising
		Restroom advertising
		Car / truck wraps
		Other (describe)

	Sales Promotion
		Event
		Conference
		Trade Show
		Seminar
		Webinar
		Teleconference
		Product promotion
		Contests / Sweepstakes
		Coupons
		Advertising Support Program (Cooperative Advertising)
		Short Term Allowance
		Sales Incentives or Push Money (Spiffs)
		Coupons
		Rebates
		Promotional Pricing
		Trade-In
		Loyalty Programs
		Sampling and Free Trials
		Free Product
		Premiums
		Demonstrations
		Personal Appearances
		Other (describe)

	Alternative Media
		CR-ROM
		Fax
		Other (describe)

	Public Relations
		Press Release
		Media Relations
		Media Tours
		Annual Report
		Organization Backgrounder
		Newsletter
		Special Events
		Speaking Engagements
		Sponsorships
		Employee Relations
		Community Relations
		Philanthropy
		Other (describe)

	POS ( Point of Sale)
		Displays
		Signage
		Other (describe)

	Personal Selling
		New Business Development
		Account Management
		Order Taking
		Sales Support
		Other (describe)

	Data Build
		Collect contact data from internal resources
		Receive contact data from external resources
		Purchase data from external resources
		Purchase data overlays (psychographic, demographic, SIC, behavior, etc.)
		Database cleanup
		Other (describe)

Notes:
Enter your notes here regarding your tactic and media selections.

CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES, OPERATIONS, BUDGETS							(check to close section)

Media Strategy / Circulation Strategy:
• From the checklist above, elaborate on the campaign elements that will be used and how they will be used. • Identify the specific lists and/or media placements that may be used in the campaign. o Lists should include company internal as well as possible purchased lists and/or overlay data. Includes a summary description of each list and/or recommendations. o For lists, identify the list name/source, selection criteria, estimated name universe based on selection criteria, estimated order quantity, estimated net quantity, list cost per thousand (CPM) and total list rental cost. o For print or other media, should include name/source, expected audience, cost per placement, number of placements, applicable discounts and total cost.
Creative / Formats Strategy:
• Describe the creative objectives, creative strategy, buyer perceptions/barriers to overcome, critical sales messages, and design direction for all deliverables. o The creative objectives outline what the creative work is supposed to deliver. o The creative strategy describes the main ways the creative is supposed to accomplish the objective. • Creative work needs to address anticipated barriers and negative buyer perceptions as part of the message content. • What tone and manner should be used to talk to the audience? • What will be the look and feel of the campaign?
Campaign Forecasts:
• What are the projected results of the campaign? • What are the projected response rates? • What are the expected conversion rates from leads to sales? Use the "Lead Sales Projections" Panel to calculate the campaign results.
Total Budget:
• Provide a summary of the total budget allocated for this campaign, including materials, creative, production, and media. Also include any other costs such as sales promotion, public relations, event and event supporting costs. Enter amount calculated in "MARKETING CAMPAIGN BUDGET" section.
Campaign Implementation:
• Address these issues as they affect campaign implementation: media and list acquisition; response handling; in-bound and out-bound call handling, external resource identification and contracted support, prospect database, and fulfillment.
Campaign Timing: (Critical Dates and Dependencies)
• List all critical dates that affect campaign implementation and execution. o What is the desired delivery date to the marketplace? o When does data work to support the campaign have to be completed? o When do insertion and list orders have to be placed? o When do sales scripts for telemarketing resources have to be completed? o When does training of all sales resources have to be completed? o When does inventory to support the campaign have to be delivered to the channel or available for shipment to customers from inventory? o When do orders for products have to be placed? Etc. • Develop a separate campaign calendar to support this document.
Database and List Management Strategies / Requirements:
• Specify the database procedures for the campaign: lists of script codes, activity codes, when and how to use codes. Specify the source of data for the campaign. • Will it come from external sources or internal sources or a combination of both? • Do target customers/accounts/contacts already exist in the CRM and SFA systems or is some data importation required? • If outside data is acquired, are there contracted limits on how the data can be used? • Can the external account data be loaded into your existing database systems or will alternate databases be required? • Is some contact discovery required? • Is a pre-call required to gather any required data for the campaign? • What are the selection criteria? • How will overlay data be used? • Develop activity/source codes and “campaign” key codes. • Determine the current buyer profile to make sure they match the target audience profile. • Determine what kinds of segmentation techniques will be applied to the data based on the type of campaign and overall campaign objectives. • Will data be flagged to include interest tags and suppress names? • Does all of the required product information appear in the CRM / SFA databases or does some data need to be entered or is another source required? • How will contacts or accounts that express no interest be handled in subsequent tactics? • Will codes be assigned to them to exclude them from future tactics in this campaign?
Post Campaign Analysis:
• Specify the criteria for campaign success (# of sales, # of inquiries, # of leads, # of qualified leads, # of clicks, revenue, and qualification criteria). Where will measurement components come from? Specify the techniques for obtaining information for reporting results of the campaign. Techniques might include: actual counts, customer or market surveys, data from order entry system, etc.) Evaluate actual performance against pre-established metrics for the campaign: • # contacts, # responses, response rate • Cost per contact • Cost per response • Leads o # generated o # qualified o # closed o % leads vs. planned target o Cost per lead • Response to qualified lead rate • Lead conversion rate • Revenue per close • Awareness, attitudes, usage (attitudinal) shifts

LEAD MANAGEMENT:							(check to close section)

Response Methods and Handling:
• Describe how the customer responds to the offer and how the responses will be handled as they are received.
Lead Management Summary:
• Develop detailed lead plan. o The lead plan should show the migration through the lead sales cycle, appropriate hand-offs, anticipated lead flow through the various campaign tactics, etc. o Who will touch the leads? o Where will they go? o Who’s responsible for them? o How will leads and lead status be reported?
Lead Hand-off Identification:
Criteria used to classify leads according to lead status.
Qualified Lead Description:
• Describe the characteristics of a qualified lead for this campaign.

Lead Phase (Use your definitions for the lead phase and the identification criteria you use to describe that phase.)			Lead Phase Identification Criteria
1	Inquiry
2	Lead
3	Qualified Lead
4	Opportunity
5	Qualified Opportunity
6	Proposal
7	Close

Lead Nurturing:

Lead Phase (Use your definitions for the lead phase and the identification criteria you use to describe that phase.)			Nurturing Steps and Actions for Each Phase
1	Inquiry
2	Lead
3	Qualified Lead
4	Opportunity
5	Qualified Opportunity
6	Proposal
7	Close

ACTION SUMMARY:							(check to close section)
In the boxes below enter the description of required actions, responsibilities, and timeframes.

Internal Communications Vehicles:
	CRM System
	Email
	Paper Forms
	Other

Hand-off Phase		Action Taken		Responsibility		Lead Recipient		Timeframe








Internal Feedback Requirements:
Description of feedback content, timing and recipients of each lead phase.

Communications Vehicles
	CRM Systems
	Email
	Paper Forms
	Other

Hand-off Phase		Information Required		Lead Frequency		Recipient








Campaign Fulfillment and Operational Requirements:
• What is the fulfillment plan for the campaign and what fulfillment actions need to take place? • How will the various types of responses (email, website, fax, telephone, business reply cards, etc.) to the campaign be treated? • How will entry of responses into the marketing and sales databases (CRM system) be handled. • Describe the database programming requirements for the campaign. • Describe the lead management coding process for follow up contact. • What types of marketing collateral needs to be inventoried to send to customers, sales executives, etc.? • What will be sent to respondents? • How will fulfillment of these materials be handled? o Internal or external resources? • What are the guidelines for delivery of marketing materials and products? • How will in-bound order processing be handled? • Training process for all customer touch point areas (sales, customer service, etc.)
Notes:
• Use this space to enter any notes relevant to campaign planning, implementation, and or execution. • Describe the database programming requirements for the campaign. • Describe the lead management coding process for follow up contact. • What types of marketing collateral needs to be inventoried to send to customers, sales executives, etc.? • What will be sent to respondents? • How will fulfillment of these materials be handled? o Internal or external resources? • What are the guidelines for delivery of marketing materials and products? • How will in-bound order processing be handled? • Training process for all customer touch point areas (sales, customer service, etc.)

CAMPAIGN BUDGET: (Leave blank any category that isn't part of this campaign. If you do not see a subcategory listed, enter that expense in the "Other" category.)							(click to close section)
(Note: include all direct campaign expenses and include those expenses that also support the direct marketing campaign.)

		Amount		Explanation

Direct Marketing
Creative Design
Direct Mail Program
Email Marketing System (Hosted)
Email Marketing List Purchases
Other
TOTAL

Analyst & Public Relations
Employee Relations
Community Relations
Philanthropy
Public Relations Strategy Consulting
Press Releases (Outsourced)
Press Release Wire Fees
Press Kit Development (Outsourced)
Analyst Firm Memberships
PR Management System (Hosted)
TOTAL

Online & Website Marketing
Online Advertising Design
Google Adwords Program
Content Management System (Hosted)
Demand Generation System (Hosted)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Organic
Website Development, Hosting, Updates
Other
TOTAL

Advertising
Advertising Design
Print Advertising Placements
Radio, Television, Outdoor Advertising
Other
TOTAL

Events & Tradeshows
Event Sponsorships
Travel & Accommodations
Signage & Collateral
Seminars, Webinars, Teleconferences
Audio/Video Equipment
Client/Prospect Entertainment
Digital Media (USB Pens, CD Business Cards etc.)
Other
TOTAL

Market Research
Competitive Intelligence
Surveys
Market Segmentation Studies
Market Opportunity Analysis Studies
Focus Groups, Panels, etc.
Testing
Modeling & Predictive Research
Media Research
Analytical Services
In-Market Research
Reports
Other
TOTAL

Sales Promotion
Product Promotion
Contests, Sweepstakes
Cooperative Advertising
Allowances, Discounts
Sales Incentives
Loyalty Programs
Premiums, Free Products
Demonstrations
Personal Appearances
Other
TOTAL

Point of Sales (POS)
Sales Displays
Signage
Other
TOTAL

Personal Selling (expenses directly attributed to this campaign)
New Business Development
Account Management
Order Taking
Sales Support
Other
TOTAL

Data Build
External Data Purchases
Data Overlay Purchases
Internal Data Collection
Database Cleanup
Other
TOTAL

Totals Summary
			Total		% of Total
Direct Marketing
Online & Website Marketing
Advertising
Events & Tradeshows
Public Relations
Market Research
Sales Promotion
POS
Personal Selling
Data Build
GRAND TOTAL

Campaign Lead & Sales Projections

Tactic Name	Media	Contact Volume	Pr0ject Response Rate % (enter as whole number + decimal., e.g., 1.25)	Projected Response #s (Leads)	% of Closed Leads (e.g., 30% as 30)	Average Sale	Total Opportunity (Closed Leads * Avg Sale)






















Totals