Re: benchmark for site traffic increase

From: Jim Meskauskas <jimm_at_Mediasmithinc.com>
Date: Tue 6 Jun 2000 08:41:53 -0700

DARCIE DE FREITAS <a-dardef_at_microsoft.com> WROTE:
> Hi, I'm working on some offline direct marketing
> projects that will ask people to go to a specific URL
> on our site for more information, to enter a contest,
> etc. Does anyone have any generally accepted (or
> experiential) target benchmarks for (1) % of recipients
> who will go to a URL as a result of an offline direct
> marketing campaign and (2) % increase in site traffic
> to be expected? Thanks for your help.

Darcie -

Though I would figure that the folks over at McCann/A&L
should be able to provide this for you, I will relate
to you my experience.

I traditionally apply direct marketing response rates,
by medium, to an effort driving response to the web.
For print and FSI's, you can expect up to 1% response
rate. That, of course, if for a product or service
that doesn't ask for very much change on the part of
the consumer; say, trial of a new snack food or diaper.
If it is something that suggests altering decades of
behavior, you may not see that kind of response rate.
TV is lower; maybe .5% to .25%. Same with radio. To
be safe (otherwise known in the industry as the
"exercise of CYA"!), I will go with between .25% and
.1%. Better to underpromise and overdeliver; unless of
course you severely underpromise and end up crashing
the client's servers!

For online, I believe the average .5% CTR still holds.
I've not seen it dip too much below that for the
campaigns I've managed.

As for the % increase in site traffic, well, that is
all wholly dependent upon what kind of media and how
much weight you are running. What kind of activity are
you proposing and how much of it? There is no
"formula" for % of site traffic increase.

Again, though, I'd recommend that you talk to your
agency. I know A&L (Andersen & Lembke) have years of
experience doing stuff like this for Microsoft.

Good luck,

Jim

Jim Meskauskas
Mediasmith
Chief Internet Strategist
555 DeHaro, Suite 360
San Francisco, CA 94107
Land: 415-252-9339
Fax: 415-252-9854




Received on Tue Jun 06 2000 - 10:41:53 CDT