Building and Managing Your Marketing Database, Cont.
Lesson 5: PROMOTIONAL SOURCE CODES
If the data you collect in your marketing database is not properly coded, it will be useless to you -- even if you have been collecting it for a long period of time. Remember that one of the primary uses of your marketing database is to analyze how successful your marketing efforts have been thus far, so that you can improve on them later. That's why source codes are one of the most critical pieces of information you can have in your marketing database.
Whether you do electronic advertising, direct mail, email marketing or a combination of all of the above, there should always be a corresponding source code set up in your database that will allow you to track how that customer heard about you. Of course you can easily track response to your direct marketing programs -- that's one of the great advantages of direct marketing. However, if you also do mass market advertising such as print ads, radio or TV, you'll have to get that source information by asking the customers how they found you.
Your source codes should be consistent and follow a pattern so that the computer can easily sort on them. Outlined below is the format we advise you to employ when source-coding your direct marketing programs. We recommend utilizing a eight position system to allow for greater flexibility and accuracy.
| Recommended Source Code Formats |
| 1st position (alpha): |
Year |
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A = 2000 |
B = 2001 |
C = 2002 |
D = 2003 |
| 2nd position (alpha): |
Month of Mailing |
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A = January |
B = February |
C = March |
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| 3rd position (alpha): |
Media |
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A = Direct Mail |
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B = Newspaper / Magazines |
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C = TV |
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D = Radio |
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E = E-mail |
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F = Telemarketing
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| 4th position (alpha): |
Topic/Theme |
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A = New reason |
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B = Today is the time
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| 5th position (alpha): |
Offer |
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A = 4 weeks for $12.50 |
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B = 6 months to $50.00 |
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C = 10% Off
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| 6th / 7th / 8th |
Media |
| positions (numeric): |
Direct Mail and E-mail |
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001 = Investors Business Daily - Subscriber |
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002 = Windsor Vineyards - Last 12 Month Buyers |
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003 = COG 1 - The "Y-Herd" Opt-In E-mail Database |
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Newspapers & Magazines |
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B01 = Barrons |
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T04 = Time Magazine |
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N07 = Northwest Airlines World Traveler |
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| Example: |
"CBABC001" would indicate: |
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C = 2000 |
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B = February |
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A = Direct Mail |
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B = Today is the Time |
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C = 10% Off |
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001 = Investors Business Daily - Subscribers |
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