Last week’s DM Days conference provided a valuable opportunity for marketers to exchange ideas regarding how to succeed in these scary economic times.

There is no doubt that BtoB and BtoC decision makers are nervous about the magnitude of damage which will be caused by the gathering economic storm clouds.

I asked some smart attendees to share their top takeaways from the conference. You will see their 15 tips below. My two tips:

• Tip #1: Continuing the same old “Spray and Pray” practices won’t solve a thing.
  
  Media clutter and irritation are at an all time high as evidenced by increasing “Do Not” / Opt-out legislation and decreasing response rates.
  
  The most effective way to substantially increase response is to build databases populated with people’s opt-in, self-profiled information.
  
  The unique accuracy this data, when combined with preference driven and relevant communications, drives consistent double-digit response.
  
  Nothing else comes close!
  
  
• Tip #2: We need to change our marketing from a “Me” focus to a “You” focus.
  
  Many of the web sites and marketing materials attendees to our workshop showed us were:
  
  
  • All about the marketer
  • Features heavy
  • Jargon filled.
  
  These communications must shift to a “You” focus and concentrate on benefits (versus features) to the reader.

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Tip 1:
All the great marketing in the world is for naught, if you overlook operations. Make sure your call center scripts and sales process are refreshed and reviewed with each marketing campaign.

Tip 2:
"Opt-in" is about agreeing to a relationship, not agreeing to receive an email. Ask your prospects when they want to engage and how they want to engage, for the relationship to flourish.

Tip 3:
Consider customer support as part of the marketing cycle and avoid the mistake a big company made that caused its customers to say "The fastest way to be forgotten is to buy."

Tip 4:
Customer orientation is the key to the success of our company. Voice of Customer Research must be incorporated into our CRM strategy and marketing activities. This just went from the bottom of my "to-do" list to the top. Delivering on customer expectations/needs is really a "no-brainer" for driving sales/profits.

Tip 5:
Opt-In requires the ability to capture customer preferences, align communications across multiple channels and a change from "push" to a "pull" marketing approach. It is the basis for providing responsible/relevant communications that will improve marketing performance.

Tip 6:
This statistic made a real impact on me: an average of 20% of company's advertising is done through the internet, while 80% of revenue is internet driven. This shows how inexpensive and valuable the internet can be.

Tip 7:
Don't underestimate the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Companies need to learn how customers want to communicate and make websites more “user friendly”. The internet is the main channel our society currently uses to communicate and interact. Direct marketing needs to evolve and integrate with the internet in order to engage their audience.

Tip 8:
Don't underestimate the Hispanic market because soon it will be a $1 trillion market. Companies need to remember: it isn't just about translating words but translating the whole DM piece starting with the central idea and making them relate to this particular audience.

Tip 9:
Permission and trust are more important now than ever. Consumers have access to unlimited amounts of information and are more educated than ever before. Therefore it is imperative to be authentic, transparent and respect their choices. The customer is now in control and as a marketer it is essential to understand and respect that. It is more important than ever before to have a relevant offer delivered at the right time (either temporal and/or buying cycle) via the right medium. The only way to truly do this is to have the customer tell you.

Tip 10:
People have an insatiable appetite to know what other people are doing and how they measure up against them. This is why the Social Media phenomenon is so big. Need to weave this dynamic into the product story.

Tip 11:
Do Not Call / Do Not Mail is the new reality. It is the norm, not the exception. We must learn to obtain information about what our customers want and how they want to be communicated with straight from our customers, and not make decisions about marketing communications in corporate conference rooms.

Tip 12:
For some decision makers, Direct Mail is seen as a value-added form of communication, when targeted and relevant. But format is also important. For maximum impact, stay away from post cards and #10 outer envelopes with windows, as recipients generally view them as junk-mail. Aesthetically pleasing DM pieces help to connect with consumers and break through the clutter.

Tip 13:
Personalize. Providing value to the individual can help you attain competitive differentiation.

Tip 14:
Leverage your community and promote participation. Customer feedback can be your best source for both internal and external growth, and Web 2.0 technologies or social software can make attaining this feedback easier.

Tip 15:
Create, automate, then measure the experience of relevance for each individual. Automating triggers based on preferences (both opt-in and suppression) is key to effectively communicating with customers.