 The acronym of all acronyms in 2015 undoubtedly has to be DFS. In other words, daily fantasy sports. And in what can only be described as a complete shootout prior to this year's NFL season opener, DraftKings and FanDuel have anted up heavily, counting on TV to drive new customer acquisition.
To put it in perspective, DraftKings spent $21.8 million on nearly 5,800 commercials over a seven day period ending Sept. 10, 2015. According to DraftKings, this media flight ultimately generated more than 1 million new fantasy sport players. Doing the simple math, that's a $21.80 cost to acquire, which could be good, great...or bad depending on the lifetime value of a DraftKings fantasy sports nut. Will this serious media outlay pay out for DraftKings in the long run? Time will tell - factoring in the possibility that subscribers can play DFS year round and not just for NFL football - this could lead to a nice average lifetime value of each subscriber. And let's not forget about FanDuel. For this same seven day time period, their ad spend hit $11.8 million over 2,600 commercials. Check out more details here. tandemROI is a DRTV and direct to consumer marketing agency located in Tampa, FL. Key Media Process Terms You Need To Know
If you are just starting your DRTV media campaign, or, perhaps you’ve launched and are now hearing phrases and lingo related to the media process, read on. Here are the most common terms you need to know: Direct Response Media: Any media purchased on a remnant and/or pre-emptible basis at reduced rate. A large majority of networks sell inventory on a direct response basis when they do not sell out their inventory to general or upfront advertisers. This can include major national networks with 100 million households to the smallest networks. Pre-emptible: Inventory that is pre-emptible is not guaranteed to clear. DR inventory is often pre-emptible, although there are often higher rates that can be Non pre-emptible if an advertiser needs inventory to clear to support a specific time period, i.e. Mothers Day Sale or to support retail during a specific window of time. Non pre-emptible rates are more common on larger networks that are typically more oversold. Broadcast Month: TV media is booked and billed typically on broadcast months. Broadcast months always start on a Monday. The first week of a broadcast month will contain the 1st of the month. It is best to use a broadcast calendar to keep track of broadcast months each year. For Example: 2015 January: December 29, 2014 through January 25 (4 weeks) 2015 February: January 26 through February 22 (4 weeks) 2015 March: February 23 through March 29 2015 April: April 30 through April 26 2015 May: April 27 through May 31 Broadcast Week: Broadcast weeks run from Monday 6:00 am through Sunday 5:59 am in national cable and Monday 5:00 am through Sunday 4:59 am in local broadcast. Weekly reporting of media is based on broadcast weeks. Direct Response Rates: When an advertiser purchases direct response media, they receive direct response rates, which are anywhere from 50% to 80% off the general rate card. If a network or daypart is mostly sold, sometimes the discounts can be lower if there is more competition among DR advertisers for the inventory. Unsold DR inventory will be awarded to the highest bidders. Networks DR rate cards are negotiable. Experienced DR media buyers already know the lowest clearing rates and therefore give their clients the lowest clearing rates at all times. Rotations: Direct response media is purchased based on broad rotations or daypart rotations. Spots can air any day or time within the booked rotation, such as: · Monday to Sunday 6a-12a (Broad Rotation or ROS-Run of Station) · Monday to Friday 9a-4p (Daytime) · Saturday-Sunday 9a-7p (Weekend) · Monday – Sunday 6p-12a or 8p-1a (Prime) · Monday – Sunday 11p-2a/3a (Late Fringe) · Monday – Sunday 6a-9a (Morning) · Monday – Sunday 3a-6a or 12a-6a or 2a-6a (Overnight) Rotation hours vary by network. Based on results or programming requirements it is possible to narrow rotations but sometimes this may result in a higher rate per spot. Clearance: Clearance means the amount of spots and dollars that actually aired during the week. Since direct response media is pre-emptible, we plan and evaluate not only what is booked but also spots cleared (spots aired). Post Logs: Post logs are a report received from stations at the end of each broadcast week stating the spot times and costs that cleared for the prior week. Stations do not guarantee logs are 100% accurate. Post logs are used to generate weekly reporting of clearance to advertisers. Post logs are typically received Tuesday or Wednesday for the prior broadcast week. Overbooking: Since spots are pre-emptible, DR buyers must often overbook to clear the advertisers’s desired budget. Part of the planning process in direct response is managing booked spots vs. cleared spots specifically as it relates to clearing budgets. Buyers must estimate the amount they expect to clear , which can often be anywhere from 60-85% and then they must overbook to clear the budget. Optimization: Optimization in direct response media buying includes cancelling unsuccessful networks or rotations, and rebooking or increasing bookings on successful networks or rotations. This can also include narrowing rotations as needed and negotiating lower rates if a network is struggling or even increasing rates slightly to clear a network that is a top performer but has stopped clearing. Buy Management: Buy Management is the process by which DR buyers manage the process of planning, overbooking, clearance and optimization over the course of a quarter. Since inventory is pre-emptible, buyers must reallocate monies that do not clear to future weeks. If an overbooked week clears over the budget, then future week’s budgets are reduced accordingly. This type of buying is best for ongoing campaigns that are seeking the best possible results over time. This process allows buyers to manage campaigns on the fly according to allowable, and be most aggressive with rates. Affidavits: Affidavits are invoices from stations and networks that certify the actual amount of media that cleared and is being billed. Affidavits are sent to agencies at the end of the broadcast month. Once received, agencies review invoices against booked schedules to ensure accurate billing. Actual spending is not final until affidavits are received. tandemROI is a cross-channel advertising and marketing agency located in Tampa, FL. 
The Intangible Benefits of Response Expo For Your Business
Having attended numerous Response Expos over the years, the event always wraps for us with a plane ride or two back to Tampa, FL from San Diego. This year we took a chunk of the travel time and analyzed the overall ROI value of the show for our company and as individual professionals. It’s a given that many of us envision attending the show and closing a piece of new business right then and there. And that does happen quite frequently. After all, it does take an investment of time, expense and effort to attend any industry tradeshow, so you tend to do the quick math in your head. But looking back over the years, we’ve seen an increasing ROI benefit well beyond closing a sale in the moment. It’s a benefit, when viewed in retrospect, continues to build year over year. Here’s our take on the real-world ROI of Response Expo for us. Relationships Our industry typically rides the razor’s edge with regard to trends, technology and consumer needs. As such, every year we see an influx of new companies and attendees ready to contribute to innovating the industry by breathing fresh insights and ideas into all corners of our business. Everywhere you look, new relationships are just waiting to be made. Without a doubt, each year we make new contacts that directly help our business. And as these new contacts blossom into relationships, we see a direct ROI correlation to the expansion of our own business. But long-term relationships cannot be overlooked. Percolating within established relationships, there always seems to be new business opportunities. As the direct response industry expands and evolves, colleagues move between companies, or start their own. It’s this constant energy and movement that creates exponential business opportunities. As a cross-channel agency, this translates into the ability to meet creative, media and operations connections all in one place. And invariably, there is always something new to learn – this knowledge contributes directly to our company ROI. Intelligence With consumer purchase behavior, technology and regulations changing so quickly, it’s an absolute that we stay on the cusp of what is happening in the industry. And when you aggregate a large number of marketing visionaries and trench troops together, as you see at Response Expo, there is an incredible amount of real-time intelligence flowing. The ROI payoff for us is huge when it comes to this intelligence. As we meet with marketing partners, media reps and service providers, we share back and forth what is working, and what is not. We can then analyze and triangulate tactics for our own customers, based on this intel, to enhance and optimize our campaigns. The key here is listening, because the answers are there. Services As a full service agency, clients regularly ask us for recommendations on third party service providers. For us, Response Expo provides a unique opportunity to walk the show floor, or attend events, and meet various support vendors such as call centers, fulfillment and other vendors who help make the backend operations happen. With these companies spread over the US, Expo is a great opportunity to meet these folks, evaluate their services and make informed recommendations to our clients. And in many cases, aligning clients with the right provider elicits a direct ROI back to our company, in the form of expanded media, production and service budgets. Intangibles With Response Expo, there’s the Show itself and there’s the show around the Show. The Show proper, of course, is chock full of continuing education seminars, panel discussions, speakers and more, all of which contribute greatly to our overall perspective of the industry. By ingesting, and digesting, insights from direct response pioneers and up-and-comers alike, as an agency we can formulate directional changes that once again drive direct ROI. For us, Response Expo is a giant sounding board where we can confirm, affirm and crosscheck our own data points against what others are experiencing in their campaigns. Additionally, the show around the Show is a powerful networking entity. From half-day marathons in the Fox Sports Grill, to broadcast and cable network events, to dinners late into the evening, this halo of activity could be quite possibly the biggest driver of all in terms of measurable ROI back to our company. For us, it’s the perfect opportunity to conduct meaningful business, in a laid back environment. It’s where impressions are made and relationships are solidified. Response Expo provides something for just about everyone in the direct response and direct to consumer business. In looking at the past data (prior Response Expos), we see a clear pattern of return on our investment in both short and long term gains for our company. tandemROI is a cross-channel advertising and marketing agency located in Tampa, FL.  Simple steps you can take today to attract more clients, more job offers and more opportunities for success.
Everyone knows the virtues of LinkedIn as a business connection conduit. LinkedIn is a powerful, and essentially free, asset every businessperson should be using. And for those of us who spend our days advertising other people’s products, we know especially well that proper positioning, messaging and value proposition is key to compelling your target audience to take action. So if your goal on LinkedIn is to create an image of professionalism, separate yourself from the competition, convey your knowledge, present yourself as a high value target and prove you're on the cutting edge, here are simple steps you can implement today to help you achieve that goal. Remember Where You Are Each of your LinkedIn followers is connected to you for a different, individual reason. But in most cases, that reason is business related. So your LinkedIn followers (your target audience) will be looking to you for helpful business information, insights and dialog of substance. Optimize your LinkedIn activities by providing your audience what they want. Then use other social channels such as Twitter and Facebook for more spontaneous or casual input. Exit From The Herd You can create separation for yourself by avoiding the quick repost of the high profile article that was just blasted out by an industry news source. You must realize that everyone else has the same idea, thus your timely repost can portray you as just one of the herd. A much more powerful approach is to take time to digest the article and its impact on your customers, industry, etc. Then write your own content, provide your own analysis and link out to additional content. Now you’re creating personal brand value that gets the attention of your target audience. Coherent Thoughts It’s important to slow down and think about what you are writing. You possess expertise that will be helpful to someone. So take a bit of time and craft your content based on the needs of your followers. Stream of consciousness posts, while genuine and original, can at times make it challenging for followers to understand your key point. Be Original On LinkedIn, everyone’s posting, reposting or commenting. So whatever you post or comment on, make it count. The best way to make it count is to be original. Create your own content. Think about it - most people repost other people’s content. Become the source of content and you elevate yourself to an entirely new realm in the eyes of your followers. Finally, you can optimize and elevate your personal brand style on LinkedIn. It’s LinkedIn Remember that LinkedIn is a business-networking platform. So whether you are looking to gain the attention of new clients, potential job offers or speaking opportunities - presentation is everything. Beware of being too conversational and casual - it often doesn't come through as intended. Be yourself so that your personal image can shine through, but do it with professionalism. Timeliness Timing is everything. Posting or commenting several times a day, particularly with secondhand content or impulsive thoughts, can cause your target audience to turn a blind eye. Conversely, not maintaining a high value presence actually puts you behind the herd. Your followers want information that is new, has substance and is relevant. Find a balance during the week of perhaps one original piece of content you have written, combined with a few strategically placed comments that have value and meaning. Repost sparingly, and again, only if you have added your own take and why this information is important. Become the individual brand your followers rely on for insight. Finally, the essentials. Spelling No matter what you post or comment on, you do not want to misspell words. Period. Fast typing or smartphones are no excuse. Grammar It’s just as important as spelling. We’ve all seen posts, comments or emails via LinkedIn containing a double whammy of misspellings and improper grammar. In short, slow down and proof what you are about to post. Doing so takes just a second and helps to eliminate silly errors by which others may judge you and your brand persona. Optimizing LinkedIn to boost your personal brand and value is relatively easy, and doing so can pay big dividends. You are an expert in your category…but you can just as easily become a leader. And the gap between these two roles isn’t nearly as large as it may appear. With focused intent, preparation and poise, you can harness LinkedIn to position yourself as a sought resource for potential clients, colleagues or your next gig. tandemROI is a cross-channel advertising and marketing agency located in Tampa, FL.  Found Money: Five Places You Can Find Revenue in Your Direct Response Campaign
It’s there, guaranteed. Revenue that is. Revenue that’s generated by your direct response or direct to consumer campaign but not yet claimed. To make it yours, it’s a bit like digging for gold or gemstones – you have to know where to look and how to extract it. Underpriced Offers: It’s quite possible you have underpriced your product or service without even knowing it. Do you know, with certainty, the price to value ratio threshold for your customer? Do you really need to offer free shipping? How urgent of a problem does your product solve? In direct response, price testing is essential. Phone Center Scripting: Whether external or internal, finding revenue in a call center is easy. And it usually lies in your inbound or outbound script. Have you reviewed your script since the program launched? Have you done enough inbound test calls at different hours and days to understand where operators may be having trouble? How many recorded calls have you listened to? Perhaps rewriting a preformatted script template to be more consumer friendly is in order. Upsells and Add-Ons: Consumers in an active transactional mindset many times are willing to spend more with you…if it makes sense. Review your direct response upsells and cross check for disconnects in affinity. If I have just purchased a vacuum cleaner, I could be interested in an add-on tool package. But not magazines or cruises. Online Resellers: Proper policing is essential to reign in affiliates, resellers and wholesalers that may be part of your business model. It’s frighteningly easy for your online to get out of control, with many different parties offering different prices, offers and dreaded discount language, thus eroding your price point integrity dramatically, while cannibalizing your direct response sales. Web Sites/Landing Pages: You cannot set it and forget it in direct response or direct to consumer marketing. But web is hard and takes time. Guess what, there is revenue in them hills. Web needs to be a daily exercise in optimization, testing and CRM troubleshooting. Do so and you will be amazed at the impact a ½ percent increase in conversions will have on your program. tandemROI is a cross-channel advertising and marketing agency located in Tampa, FL. |
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