Software Firm Learns to Appreciate Mail
By Chantal Tode
DM News, October 18, 2004
The results of a business-to-business direct mail effort targeting
911 call centers in the United States have converted CML Emergency
Services Inc. from being a company with little interest in direct
mail to one that expects to mail multiple campaigns next year.
CML, Ottawa, was looking for a way to drive awareness at the start
of this year for a new software product, Patriot 2.0, that lets
911 call centers pinpoint the origins of calls made using Voice
over Internet Protocol technology. Because VoIP relays calls through
numerous transfer points, it can be difficult to trace a call without
assistance.
CML started out 25 years ago manufacturing electronic devices for
air traffic controllers but has evolved into a software producer
for public safety answering points or 911 call centers.
Because the software was to be introduced at the National Emergency
Number Association Show in June in Tampa, FL, a secondary objective
of any marketing effort was to drive traffic to CML’s booth
at the show.
“I had to work really hard to convince the CEO to flip some
budget over to a direct mail campaign with the understanding that
we’ll try it and see if it works,” said John K. Thompson,
vice president of marketing and product management.
CML had little experience with direct mail. The CEO wasn’t
convinced it would work, but the two-phase effort Thompson devised
changed management’s opinion quickly. The campaign, which
took place in May, had a combined response rate of 7.27 percent
and produced 630 raw leads for CML’s sales force. These already
have been turned into 19 sales appointments.
Phase one consisted of a 5 7/8-by-11-inch mail piece featuring a
close-up shot of a Boy Scouts uniform and badge sash. Next to the
uniform was the image of a merit badge with the initials VoIP embroidered
inside. Adjacent to the badge was the phrase “Be Prepared.”
Along with being the Boy Scouts’ motto, “Be Prepared”
speaks to the fact that though the use of VoIP technology is still
unusual among Americans, 911 call centers know its wider acceptance
is coming and are concerned about how deal with it, Thompson said.
“Be Prepared” also reinforced the idea that “if
you have questions, get the answers from the people who know,”
said Lenn Grabiner, co-owner and creative director of Grabiner/Hall,
the Los Angeles-based BTB marketing design and public relations
firm that created the campaign. The theme “established CML
more as an innovator” and a company that is tackling a challenging
issue.
Inside the three-panel mailer was the address for a Web site, www.cmles.com/voip,
where visitors could fill out a survey and get free access to a
white paper on VoIP technology. Anyone who downloaded the paper
was entered into a contest to win a global positioning system valued
a $500.
A GPS was “appropriate because we’re dealing with the
ability to locate somebody,” which ties in with the functionality
of CML’s product, Grabiner said.
CML’s booth number at the trade show was listed on the mail
piece, which mentioned “new VoIP-based” products, but
no specific reference was made of Patriot 2.0.
This first piece mailed May 10 to 8,000 recipients consisting of
names from a house file and prospects from a list of people who
operate 911 call centers at the country and state levels. It had
a response rate of 8.46 percent, which represents those who went
to the site. And 57.6 percent of the respondents filled out the
survey. This generated 390 raw leads.
The second piece featured a weather satellite image on the front
with the copy: “Forecast calls for 100% chance of VoIP.”
Inside, a satellite image of a storm fills two panels, and copy
reads: “A Storm is Coming. Be Prepared.” The mailer
dropped may 31 to 8,721 names and drew a 6.08 percent response,
generated 240 raw leads and had a conversion rate of 48 percent.
The campaign cost $34,900. A sale can mean a contract for up to
$5 million, so “if we make one decent sale, we’ve recouped
this cost many times over,” Thompson said.
Since the decision to proceed with the campaign was made, CML has
seen a change in its CEO. Based on the success of the Patriot 2.0
effort, the new head of the company wants to use direct mail to
drive awareness of its products and services, Thompson said. The
strategy calls for CML to do a new campaign every six to eight weeks
next year.
Media Inquiries:
Kande Hall
Ph: 310.364.1100 ex106
Fx: 310.364.1222
Twitter: KandeHall
Email: Kande@grabinerhall.com