Twelve tips from the top

The IDM Marketing Guide is packed with tips that will save you time and money across a range of marketing activities. Here’s a snapshot of what you can learn and apply in seconds, thanks to the specialists sharing their years of experience in one guide.

Every aspect of marketing demystified in jargon-free language

The IDM Marketing Guide is especially designed by marketing experts to make sure you don’t have to wade through endless acronyms, impenetrable jargon and complex data-speak. Instead, you’ll find the information you need can be quickly found, easily understood and immediately applied. You'll find the answers to such questions as:

Understanding the difference between features, benefits and offers
Calculating allowable cost-per-order
Developing a customer marketing strategy
Preparing the ultimate market research brief
The ten key differences with digital marketing
What is the latest data protection legislation?
Developing great customer propositions
What are the five key stages of profiling and segmentation?
What does CHAID stand for and which kind of modelling technique is it?
Latest legal advice on marketing to Bluetooth users

1. Copywriting tip

State facts, not opinions. ‘The best doodah ever’ merely reflects your opinion about your product. Demonstrate every reason why your product is better.

2. Email tip

Make sure that your emails help recipients keep their information up-to-date. Add footers that allow recipients to unsubscribe (in one click) and forward-to-a-friend or colleague.

3. B2B database tip

B2B data decays faster. Without updating, you can expect 50% of contacts and 15% of company details to become inaccurate in 12 months.

4. Testing tip

Test the five most important elements first; list, media, timing, offer, format and creative execution.

5. Data protection tip

Always inform a visitor to your website that you are using cookies. You are likely to be in breach of the first data protection principle if you neglect to tell them.

6. Creative tip

Remember FAB (Features, Advantages, Benefits). Most copy describes features. The best copy completes the job by describing the benefits that derive from those features.

7. Email tip

Always include a member-get-member offer in your email newsletters. Research has shown that 10%of your opted-in readers will forward your newsletter to a friend or colleague.

8. Offers tip

The most popular prizes are cash, but prize draws can be run with a relatively small prize, or by offering products as prizes.

9. Database tip

Create a graph to illustrate your point, a picture in data terms can be worth a thousand words and much easier to interpret.

10. Copywriting tip

Turn negatives into positives:
Instead of: If your hearing isn’t improved, we’ll refund your money.
Say: You’ll hear whispered conversations, or we’ll refund your money.

11. Email tip

The strict opt-in rule is relaxed if the following three exemption criteria are satisfied:

The recipient’s email address was collected ‘in the course of a sale or negotiations for a sale’
The sender only sends promotional messages relating to their ‘similar products and services’
When the address was collected, the recipient was given the opportunity to opt out. The opportunity to opt out must be given with every subsequent message.

12. Email list tip

Affiliate lists generally only work where there are clear associations between two companies’ brands and customer interests.

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