Direct Marketing Institute

Complete Seminar Details

Learn the essentials of direct mail and direct marketing by attending the best-selling direct marketing seminar in America.

Most new direct marketers make mistakes that cost their companies thousands of dollars in lost income. This course will save your company many times more than the cost to attend.

DMA's Direct Marketing Institute is an in-depth course for beginners and a great refresher for experienced DM professionals wanting to sharpen skills, expand their expertise, and update their knowledge. We’ll cover all the core aspects of direct marketing from the basics to the latest concepts in an easy to understand manner.

Whether you market to business or consumers, this seminar will cover all the core areas of direct marketing - from the basics to the latest concepts - in an easy-to-understand manner. Plus, you'll take home a complete notebook packed with concepts and examples covered in the seminar - this will become the most valuable reference in your direct marketing library.

Direct Marketing Institute is a 3-day seminar. If you want a career in direct marketing and a thorough understanding of all the key elements including research, catalogs - online and print, more thorough understanding of testing, copywriting and internet - then the 3-day Institute is for you.

Benefits of Attending

In three information packed days, you will:

• Gain a broad-based understanding of DM, covering key issues of Cardinal Principles, media, offers, creative, list/database and targeting, and research/testing, with an emphasis on mail and internet.
• Take home a "best practices" understanding of direct marketing, and a context for making decisions in order to avoid common mistakes
• "Fast forward" your learning curve, your productivity for your employer, and your career advancement

Who Should Attend

• Planners
• Supervisors
• New employees
• Copywriters
• Account executives
• Any person who can benefit from a better understanding of the complete direct mail and direct marketing profession.

Why Should You Attend

• Earn a "DM Degree" in only 3 days of intensive classroom instruction - great training for you and your staff.
• Sharpen your skills, expand your expertise, and update your knowledge the seminar is a great in-depth course for beginners and a refresher for experienced DM professionals.
• Speed up your learning curve ... your productivity... and your career advancement.
• Broaden your understanding of DM get up-to-date on key issues and principles of media. offers, creative, list/database and targeting, research and testing with an emphasis on mail and Internet.
• DMA's Direct Marketing Institute provides you with the proven tools and techniques needed to jump start your direct marketing career.

FREE BONUS!

You will receive a workbook packed with valuable information you can continually reference back on the job. It includes proven techniques, checklists, guidelines, and a wealth of other methods for improving your company's results. Plus, there is ample space for you to take notes and highlight new ideas as they are presented during class discussions. Attendees tell us this workbook alone is worth the price of admission!

Continental breakfast and lunch will be served each day and is included in your registration rate.

Outline

DAY 1

9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Please arrive 30 minutes earlier than the start time to register. Continental breakfast will be served.

Note: Please bring a calculator.

Introduction/Essentials of DM (9:00 A.M. – 10:30 A.M.)

• What is direct marketing?
• Why general advertising techniques fail in direct marketing
• Examples of International ECHO Award winning campaigns
• 7 cardinal principles for direct marketing success
• Critical issues of ROI and lifetime value of a customer
• Key direct marketing analysis measures
• Retention rates
• Anticipated response rates by medium
• Test your direct marketing knowledge

The Direct Mail Package (10:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M., continued 1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.)

• When to use a self-mailer vs. envelope package
• What package formats are most effective?
• How to get your envelopes opened
• Letter formats that get the best response
• Effect of personalization on response
• When do you need an insert?
• Strengthening your inserts

The Direct Mail Package (1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.)

Direct Marketing on the Internet (1:30 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.)

• 10 Internet marketing pressure points
• Search Engine Marketing overview
• Tips on getting website registrations
• Key elements that determine the success of your website
• New ways to increase your checkout conversions
• Critical e-mail elements
• Avoiding the spam label
• Most common e-mail failures
• Banner and rich media advertising
• Successful viral marketing

Networking Opportunity:

• Lunch will be served each day to facilitate networking with your peers.

DAY 2

8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.

Lists and Database Marketing (8:30 A.M.. – 11:15 A.M.)

• What to know about choosing mail and e-mail lists
• Important list selection characteristics that can lift your response
• Functions of a list broker and list manager
• Sources of list information
• List enhancements
• Merge/purge
• List hygiene and how to improve deliverability
• Database marketing and market segmentation
• Profitable prospecting tips
• Building customer relationships

Graphics And Design (11:15 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)

• Studies on how people view brochures and catalogs
• How typography and layout choices impact comprehension and results
• How to improve response by improving readability
• What’s different about Web site design?

Offers & Propositions (1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M.)

• Creating irresistible offers to melt away inertia
• Effect of payment, terms, price, product features, and the guarantee
• When to use a discount
• How to effectively use an incentive
• Proven offers that increase response, increase average order value, and retain customers.
• How offers affect your retention rates
• Class project
• Action Devices: Sweepstakes, Premiums, Tokens, and Games

Creative Guidelines (2:30 P.M. – 4:30 P.M.)

• What makes your copy succeed or fail?
• The essentials of good creative strategy
• How to overcome inertia
• Understanding what triggers response
• Direct Response copy writing vs. general advertising
• Guidelines on writing for direct mail and e-mail
• Translating features into benefits
• How to close the sale
• How long should your copy be?
• 6 things to edit copy for

DAY 3

8:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.

Research and Testing (8:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.)

• Why do you need both?
• 3 things research tells you that testing can't
• What 4 ways direct marketers use research
• When to use quantitative vs. qualitative research
• What you should know about focus groups
• What you should know about Internet research
• What to test
• How to test for less
• Basic testing rules
• How to get a statistically valid sample size
• Testing price, lists, copy and timing
• How to avoid disasters

Other Media Overview (1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M.)

• Multi-Media Integration
• Magazines: Timing, position factors, and selection
• Newspapers: which sections work best?
• Telephone: Most effective uses, combining with other media
• TV: What's different about DRTV
• Insert media: Low cost prospecting alternatives

Catalog Guidelines (2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.)

• Basics of successful catalogs: image, cover strategy, ease of use, helping the customer shop, taking advantage of hot spots, organizing your merchandise, up selling, evaluating results
• Examples of market leaders in print and online
• 10 most common catalog creative mistakes

Outline is subject to change.

Sponsor Background:

The Direct Marketing Association is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process.

Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including the majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2007, marketers - commercial and nonprofit - spent $173.2 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated $2.025 trillion in incremental sales. In 2007, direct marketing accounted for 10.2 percent of total US GDP. There are 1.6 million direct marketing employees today in the US alone, and their collective sales efforts directly support 8.9 million jobs.

Each dollar spent on direct marketing yields, on average, a return on investment of $11.69, versus ROI of $5.24 from non-direct marketing expenditures. That's the Power of Direct.

From DMA's The Power of Direct Marketing: ROI, Sales, Expenditures and Employment in the US, 2007-2008 Edition.

The Direct Marketing Association is headquartered in New York City and has an office in Washington, DC. It represents its members’ interests in the 50 states as well as on Capitol Hill and at the US Postal Service, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and other federal agencies. DMA is increasingly active in international government relations, reflecting the rapid growth of transborder marketing.

DMA’s Education Services Department offers over 18 seminars on various direct marketing topics around the US major cities with more than 70 sessions a year. Virtual seminars bridge the gap between locations and allow professionals learn and get inspired from their desks during over 80 sessions a year including industry or channel-specific, Council-sponsored virtual seminars.

In addition to dozens of networking events around the US, DMA organizes over 22 major conferences and exhibitions, including the Annual Conference & Exhibition, the largest gathering of direct marketing professionals in the world.

DMA’s Global Knowledge Network Center, the world’s largest direct marketing reference collection, includes DirectLINK, the online searchable database dedicated entirely to direct marketing, with over 28,000 abstracts and full-text articles, case studies, periodicals, and ECHO Award portfolios.

DMA’s Research Department annually conducts and publishes dozens of member and industry studies and other resources, including the annual The DMA Statistical Fact Book, The Power of Direct Marketing: ROI, Sales, Expenditures and Employment in the US, Economic Impact: US Direct Marketing Today, and Response Rate Trends Report.

DMA also promotes the direct marketing community and member companies to consumers, fights negative perceptions, ensures fair treatment by the media, and proactively addresses the issues affecting marketers. It maintains a consumer Web site, www.DMAConsumers.org, which provides resources and protection information for consumers. The Association maintains an array of consumer education programs and services, including the Mail Preference Service, Telephone Preference Service, and E-Mail Preference Service, which are free services for consumers who wish not to receive unsolicited communications.

DMA maintains a US-wide Affiliate Network to unify the direct marketing community, build deep political grassroots to enhance all direct marketers' lobbying strength, enhance the national and local educational, informational, and networking opportunities, and build membership locally and nationally.

To enhance networking and learning opportunities for its members, DMA has over 20 Special Interest Councils: Analytics, Broadcast, Business-to-Business, Catalog and Multichannel Marketing, Circulation, Creative, Customer Relationship Management, Direct Marketing Agency, Directo: Council for Hispanic Marketing, E-Mail Marketing, Financial Services, Insert Media, International, List and Database, Marketing Technology, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Retail Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Teleservices, and Travel and Hospitality.

Payment Policy and Confirmation

In order to confirm your place in the seminar, we require payment in full. From time to time, we change a date or location of a seminar. If we need to change a date or location for any reason, you will be contacted.

Cancellation Policy

If you cannot attend an event for which you are registered, please send a substitute. Substitutions are allowed at any time and no fees are imposed.

If you cannot send a substitute, please contact DMA Customer Service five (5) business days or more in advance of the event and your registration fee will be held on account for a future event. Please note all account credits must be used with a year. If you must cancel your registration altogether, please refer to the Cancellation Refund Schedule below. Registrants who do not cancel or arrange to have their registration fee held on account prior to the event, and fail to attend the event, forfeit their registration fee.

Cancellation Refund Schedule

5 business days or more before the seminar date 100% refund or account credit

4 business days or less up to the seminar date No refund – account credit minus $75 fee

1st day of seminar/no show No refund – no account credit

Please note account credits must be used within a year

If DMA cancels the event for which you have registered, the registration fee paid will be held on account for a future event or fully refunded if you prefer. DMA is not responsible for any expenses incurred by you as a result of your registration, whether the event was attended, postponed, or cancelled.