What I Learned From Spending Over $50 Million on Marketing

"Eat more vegetables than ice cream. Save more than you spend. Don't cut corners if you want results. We all know this advice is true-and we all resist it because it takes patience and discipline. Marketing is no different. After decades of marketing my own company and helping 128,194 businesses nationwide, I've learned that what works best doesn't always feel best."

"I know this because I've spent more than $50 million marketing my own business, tracked every dollar, and relentlessly tested and refined every major element to maximize response. Here are the biggest lessons I've learned along the way. Direct mail leads continue to over-deliver Direct mail makes up a significant portion of my marketing budget. It's not the cheapest channel, but it's the one I would never eliminate. Why? Because no other channel consistently delivers the same quality leads."

"It was a mistake. The following year, our revenue dropped by more than $1 million. Fast forward to today: Direct mail continues to outperform everything else we do. In 2024, each postcard lead generated $253.54 in revenue. By comparison, leads from pay-per-click generated $41.60 each. That's a 509 percent difference-and that figure reflects only initial purchases, not long-term customer value, where it's guaranteed to increase even further."

Long-term, disciplined marketing strategies that appear costly often produce superior results. Direct mail consistently delivers higher-quality leads and greater revenue than organic search, pay-per-click, and social media. More than $50 million was spent marketing the business, with every dollar tracked and major elements relentlessly tested and refined. Postcard leads generated $253.54 each in 2024 versus $41.60 from pay-per-click, and cutting back on direct mail in 2008 led to a revenue decline of over $1 million. Direct mail should be included in the marketing mix through bulk or highly targeted triggered campaigns, starting small and tracking outcomes carefully.

Read at Inc