PointClear Data Confirms That Multi-Touch, Multi-Media Approaches Multiply Marketing Results

Market Wire, April, 2008

Sales and marketing services firm PointClear, LLC, today offered insight into the value of multi-touch, multi-media direct marketing campaigns, based on data it collected working with more than 30 clients on over 50 separate programs in 2007. While providing outsourced sales lead management programs for companies that include CenterBeam, D&B, Ingenix, Microsoft and others, PointClear tracked the number, frequency and type of touches performed and the corresponding response rates.

"Historically, it's been known that database marketers can expect to increase results by up to eight times when following up a direct mail or email campaign with a single phone call," said PointClear President Dan McDade. "However, we've also learned that stopping at that single touch can cause you to leave half or more business on the table."

Intuitively, most marketers agree that a series of touches consisting of quality outbound calls, emails, voicemail messages and direct mail over a period of time is the most effective way to reach and convert your market to revenue. Such approaches build familiarity with busy decision-makers and increase the potential of impacting him or her at a point when their business need for the solution is high.

"Based on work with our clients, we've determined that unless you are reaching contacts in your target market with at least nine individual touches -- including a minimum of two email messages -- you are not generating the results you could," said McDade.

Additionally, there is benefit in implementing multiple cycles for high-touch marketing campaigns. PointClear data indicates that the initial contact cycle (the first time you touch your market with a combination of those nine calls, emails, voicemail and direct mail) will yield only 40 to 50 percent of the total opportunities. Other opportunities existing within the market can be identified by continuing to touch the same prospects with the same multi-media, multi-touch strategy on a regular basis. Lead rates from the second and subsequent touch cycles can generate anywhere from 120 to 210 percent of the initial lead rate, declining only after the fifth contact cycle.

Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., Ingenix is a leading health information company that is using PointClear to help it cultivate leads through multi-touch, multi-media marketing directed to its targeted prospects -- namely, top-level administrators in hospitals of varying sizes. PointClear employs an integrated strategy of phone calls, voice messages, emails, direct mailers and even handwritten notes to reinforce Ingenix's key messaging and keep proffered solutions top of mind until live contact occurs.

"We've absolutely seen the benefits of multi-touch, multi-media programs for reaching busy hospital executives," confirmed Angela Bailey, vice president, marketing operations for Ingenix. "Compared to traditional 'one and done' approaches, such programs dramatically increase our potential for engaging prospects and making sales."

It should be noted that contacts responding to voicemail or email comprised over 20 percent of all leads PointClear generated for its clients in 2007. Importantly, the most frequent responders to voicemails and emails were senior-level decision-makers. In fact, PointClear data indicates that nearly two and a half times more leads were generated from multi-touch, multi-media, multi-cycle campaigns to senior-level executives in large companies as compared to lower-level line of business decision-makers in large companies or all levels of decision-makers at mid-market organizations.

About PointClear

Headquartered in Norcross, Ga., PointClear, the sales and marketing services firm, provides Sales Lead Management solutions that fill client forecasts, not just their pipelines. PointClear's expert sales and marketing professionals provide clients with forecastable sales opportunities, actionable market intelligence and effective market coverage. For more information about PointClear's products and services, go to http://www.pointclear.com .

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Contact: Kathy Cabrera Carabiner Communications 770.569.8221 Email Contact