What do SeQuel Response Clients Look Like?

Like a matchmaker, our agency connects today’s leading brands with the proven potential of targeted direct response strategies. Whether it’s a seasonal acquisition campaign or a routine test on the channel, we work hand in hand with SeQuel Response clients to deliver measurable results and drive tangible impact. Their achievements not only inspire us, but also serve as a testament to the effectiveness of direct mail marketing.

But what exactly does a SeQuel client look like? Keep reading as we uncover the standout qualities that drive our partners’ exponential growth.

Roll Call: Understanding SeQuel Response’s Client Base

SeQuel Response clients range from household names with seasoned direct mail programs to start-up brands and clients who have outgrown their in-house or automated platform mail programs. They represent various industries, including:

• Automotive
• B2B
• E-commerce
• Educational
• Financial Services
• Food and Beverage
• Health and Wellness
• Home Goods
• Home Services
• Insurance Services
• Investment Services
• Mobile Apps
• Non-profit
• Retail/Consumer
• Subscription Services
• Travel

The average SeQuel client has a direct mail budget of $1.14 million a year. Our industry research shows that 41% of DTC brands have an average direct mail CPA of $150, and our clients have a similar CPA tolerance. Lastly, it’s important for SeQuel clients to have a CRM of more than 2,000 customer files for strong targeting results.

The Winning Formula: Traits That Set Successful Direct Response Clients Apart

Niche Expertise and Audience Focus

Did you know that 56% of consumers of all generations have made a purchase because of the mail they received?

While you don’t need to be a data expert from the start, successful clients have a clear understanding of their target audience. By focusing on their specific market, we work with our clients to anticipate trends, uncover hidden opportunities, and position them as leaders in their industry. This strategic concentration not only enables SeQuel Response clients to create campaigns that speak directly to their audience’s needs, but it also provides a solid foundation for robust targeting and modeling, ensuring accuracy and relevance when building campaign audiences.

This leading meal delivery service partnered with SeQuel to recover from declining digital leads, a loss impacting their sales. SeQuel initiated a focused direct mail campaign to target the client’s niche audience, conducting tests on creative, offers, and mailing lists to determine the best-performing combination. This hyper-targeted approach enabled recurring monthly mailings, ongoing digital campaigns, and sustained growth for the brand.

Data-Driven Strategy

In successful direct mail campaigns, your mailing list is the backbone of your strategy, accounting for over 60% of your program’s potential success. SeQuel Response clients share a common trait: they understand the power of a data-driven approach and are eager to embrace it.

The most effective direct mail programs utilize predictive modeling to curate audience lists. This process involves harnessing insights from first-party data, various data partners, datasets, and prospect models to pinpoint the individuals most likely to convert. Routine testing helps identify the highest-performing prospects, ensuring optimal results.

Our clients use FaQtor Test™ to discover the best audience, creative, channel, and offer strategy to get the biggest return on investment from each program. They work with our strategists to set clear testing parameters, prioritize testing categories, and develop a testing roadmap with a hypothesis and performance projection. The ultimate goal of any test is to gain knowledge to continuously improve campaign performance.

This real estate company enlisted our help to enhance its direct mail marketing program by optimizing data targeting. Using the FaQtor Test methodology, we analyzed buyer-level intent data to identify top prospects and refine mailing lists. This data-driven approach improved cost-per-inquiry (CPI) metrics, enabling the client to expand into new markets and effectively broaden its customer base.

Long-Term Vision

Direct response marketing isn’t a quick fix or a one-time solution. It requires commitment and investment to yield significant results. By adhering to a regular testing schedule and adopting a results mindset, you can move closer to establishing a profitable and sustainable direct mail program.

The most successful SeQuel Response clients have a framework that facilitates both consistency and flexibility. They are able to scale their efforts gradually, beyond immediate sales or conversions. When our team fully understands each client’s holistic vision, we can better develop strategies that align with their overarching goals, ensuring focused and cohesive efforts.

This online retailer turned to SeQuel to enhance their struggling direct mail program. SeQuel tested over 610K records using our FaQtor Test method, identifying new prospect models and a winning creative. Within just 60 days, our data-driven approach delivered a 479% return on investment, re-establishing direct mail as a key acquisition channel for the retailer.

Integrated Marketing Philosophy

At SeQuel, we believe direct mail and digital marketing are better together. This is because we know a seamless integration between online and offline channels will maximize campaign impact. We love working with brands that have an integrated marketing philosophy and actively test how digital channels affect performance.

Investing in integration has consistently resulted in a significant lift in campaign performance for SeQuel Response clients. This is driven by the activation of SeQuel Surround™, a digital enhancement integrated into their mail programs. The strategy involves delivering relevant and timely digital touchpoints to your mail audience that coincide with the mail drop window, maximizing reach, fostering engagement, and driving conversions.

This personal investment brand sought evidence that integrating digital campaigns would enhance performance and generate more qualified leads. SeQuel facilitated a testing environment to showcase the benefits of combining direct mail with digital efforts. We implemented SeQuel Surround and orchestrated a strategic sequence of digital touches alongside direct mail drops, resulting in a significant lift in campaign performance compared to a holdout group that only received direct mail.

Creative Innovation and Design

Although important, simply targeting the right audience isn’t enough. You need to grab their attention with messaging and imagery that’s impossible to ignore. When SeQuel Response clients share this same value, it signals their readiness to explore new and innovative creative strategies.

Clients who grasp the distinction between branding and direct response marketing bring a nuanced perspective to the table. They recognize that branding focuses on building long-term relationships and shaping perceptions, while direct response aims for immediate action and measurable results. This understanding allows us to craft direct mail packages designed to generate response.

SeQuel’s experienced team of in-house designers, writers, and offer strategists have experience in the ins and outs of direct response design trends and best practices. We appreciate working alongside our client’s in-house team of designers to develop a cohesive concept that adheres to their brand guidelines, streamlines creative approvals, and produces impressive results.

This fintech brand aimed to revitalize its direct mail strategy through innovative, creative approaches. We utilized the FaQtor Test methodology to explore various combinations of creative elements and offers, resulting in enhancements such as simplified content and interactive features. Our new creative concept outperformed the brand’s longstanding control, leading to a 27% increase in overall sales rate, demonstrating the power of strategic creative adjustments in direct mail campaigns.

——

It’s important to remember that not all brands require a direct mail agency. While factors such as budget limitations or company growth stage can come into play, there are also certain qualities that we look for when selecting SeQuel Response clients. Take a moment to reflect on your brand’s attributes and compare them to the qualities discussed above. If your brand checks all the boxes, we may be a perfect match.

Want to find out if we’d make a good fit? Download our Direct Mail Agency Checklist, or contact us today.