Marketing success involves a three-step process: Strategize (market opportunity, brand identity, target market, product mix, competitive landscape, and sales model), Communicate (sales tools, collateral, and website), and Promote (direct mail, email, telemarketing, advertising, etc.). It is absolutely critical-especially for the majority of us with limited, if not insufficient, marketing budgets-these steps occur in the correct order. Once a strategy has been developed and a communication infrastructure designed to support that strategy, then and only then, are you ready to PROMOTE.

When it comes to promotional planning, it can be very difficult to know where to start, given the many vehicles available to marketers today-direct mail, email, telemarketing, online advertising, email sponsorships, search engine marketing (SEM), print advertising, radio or TV, to name some of the more obvious choices.

Though determining the right promotional mix for your company requires careful consideration of many angles-including, but not limited to, your target market, market maturity, and brand identity-I thought I would share the benchmark metrics from the top four vehicles your fellow marketers are using:

Direct Mail. A staple in any marketing plan (75% of marketing plans include direct mail), direct mail comes in many shapes and sizes. The biggest battle with direct mail is breaking through the noise and getting "opened." To be sure your direct mail is opened, consider designing it as personal correspondence-invitation/greeting card sized envelope, hand addressed, and hand stamped. Lead Generation Metrics: Flat=.03%-2.56%, Dimensional=.5%-4.25%

Email. A close second to direct mail, and considerably cheaper, email is used by at least 60% of your marketing colleagues. In fact, the flood of email being sent, even permission-based email, creates its own challenges for using this vehicle. Value added content continues to win in this arena! Lead Generation Metrics: 30%-40% open, .10%-1.73% click through.

Telemarketing. Specifically for B2B markets, telemarketing (not to be confused with telesales) is a critical component (34% of you use it in your promotional mix) to cost-effective lead generation, not to mention lead qualification. Lead Generation Metrics: 20%-40% connect rates, 5%-25% qualifies or leads generated.

Online Advertising. Finally, 33% of marketers use some form of online advertising (search engine advertising, banner advertising, and email sponsorships) to promote their products and services. Lead Generation Metrics: SEM=3-5% click through, 10-15% conversion; BANNERS=.20-1.11% click through, 6-25% conversion; EMAIL SPONSORSHIP=.10-.27% click through, 8-24% conversion.

Remember, no one vehicle will do the job (VARIETY), you must implement over time (FREQUENCY), and your message cannot change from vehicle to vehicle (CONSISTENCY). These benchmarks are just guidelines for you to use in designing your lead generation blueprint and projecting its ROI-and they're a great place to start!