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Director of Direct Response Marketing (Retirement Planning Company)
Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced Director of Direct Response Marketing to lead our multi-channel marketing efforts for a retirement planning education company. In this senior in-house role, you will develop and execute comprehensive marketing strategies to drive attendance at our retirement planning classes held at colleges and universities in the suburbs of major metropolitan areas across the country. The ideal candidate is both a strategic thinker and a hands-on operator with deep expertise in direct mail, Facebook advertising, and digital media. You will leverage advanced data segmentation to precisely target affluent pre-retirees (ages 58–67 with $500K–$5M in retirement assets) in suburban areas of major U.S. metros. By combining offline and online tactics – from high-response direct mail campaigns to targeted Facebook ads (70% of U.S. adults 50–64 use Facebook) – you will maximize lead generation and conversion. This role leads a small internal marketing team and coordinates external vendors to ensure cohesive execution across channels. The Director of Direct Response Marketing is accountable for enhancing marketing ROI, rigorously tracking campaign performance, and continuously optimizing strategy to expand our reach and class participation.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Planning: Develop and refine a comprehensive multi-channel direct response marketing plan aimed at driving enrollment in retirement planning classes. Define campaign objectives, budgets, and timelines that align with company growth goals.
- Campaign Execution: Supervise the creation and implementation of direct mail, Facebook advertising, email, and various digital campaigns to generate leads and class registrations. Ensure all campaigns feature a clear call-to-action and a trackable response mechanism (e.g., unique URLs, phone codes).
- Audience Targeting & Segmentation: Utilize advanced database marketing techniques to segment and target our ideal audience. Leverage demographic, geographic, and financial data to concentrate marketing efforts on qualified prospects, as effective audience segmentation is crucial for the success of direct campaigns. Continuously update and refine target lists (e.g., by age, asset level, zip code) to enhance response rates.
- Direct Mail Program Management: Lead the strategy and production of direct mail campaigns—from concept and list selection to design, printing, and mailing. Apply industry best practices in direct mail (format, copy, personalization) to maximize engagement, leveraging direct mail’s high conversion and ROI potential. Coordinate with printing and mailing vendors to ensure timely and cost-effective execution.
- Digital Marketing & Social Media: Manage digital lead generation initiatives, including Facebook/Meta advertising, paid search, display, and retargeting. Develop compelling ad creatives and landing pages tailored to the 58–67 age group. Optimize digital media spending through A/B testing, audience lookalike modeling, and conversion tracking to achieve a lower cost per lead.
- Analytics and ROI Optimization: Establish metrics and dashboards to track campaign performance across all channels, such as direct mail response rates, digital click-through and conversion rates, lead-to-class attendee conversion, and cost per acquisition. Analyze the data to evaluate the ROI and effectiveness of each channel. Continuously optimize the marketing mix and budget allocation based on performance insights, concentrating resources on high-ROI activities.
- Testing and Innovation: Implement a test-and-learn approach in all direct response efforts. Conduct A/B tests on key variables (offer, creative, audience segment, timing) to incrementally improve results. Stay abreast of marketing innovations and tools – from new targeting capabilities to marketing automation – and incorporate them to enhance campaign performance.
- Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a small internal marketing team (e.g., content and project managers). Provide clear direction, set objectives, and foster professional development. Encourage a data-driven, results-oriented culture within the team.
- Vendor Management: Identify and manage external partners as needed, such as direct mail agencies, list brokers, digital marketing agencies, graphic designers, copywriters, or printing/mailing services. Negotiate contracts and oversee vendor work to ensure quality deliverables and alignment with strategy.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with other departments to maximize campaign success. Coordinate with the sales and advisor team, as well as class instructors, to align event schedules, ensure a smooth handoff of leads, and gather feedback on lead quality. Collaborate with community partners or college contacts concerning class promotions. Ensure consistent messaging and branding across all touchpoints.
- Compliance and Brand: Ensure all marketing materials and communications comply with relevant regulations for financial/retirement marketing. Uphold the company’s brand voice and credibility in all direct communications, building trust with the pre-retiree audience.
Qualifications & Experience
- Education & Experience: 8–12+ years of progressive marketing experience, with a strong emphasis on direct response campaigns. Previous experience in financial services or retirement planning marketing is highly desirable.
- Direct Response Expertise: Proven track record of developing successful direct marketing programs, particularly in direct mail and digital advertising. Comprehensive knowledge of direct mail tactics (audience list selection, mailer formats, response tracking) and digital lead generation (Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads, etc.).
- Data & Segmentation Skills: Hands-on experience with database marketing and customer segmentation. Ability to analyze large contact lists and segment by demographics, geography, and behavior to target campaigns effectively. Familiarity with CRM systems, marketing automation, or data analytics tools to manage and slice data for campaigns.
- Analytical & ROI Focused: Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret campaign data and ROI metrics. Results-driven approach with experience optimizing marketing spend and improving KPI outcomes. Advanced Excel skills or BI tool experience for reporting performance.
- Leadership & Management: Demonstrated success in leading a marketing team and managing cross-functional projects. Excellent people management skills – able to inspire, train, and hold team members accountable. Experience coordinating external vendors or agencies is required.
- Strategic and Tactical Balance: Capable of both high-level strategic planning and hands-on execution. Strategic thinking to craft effective multi-channel plans targeting an older affluent demographic, combined with attention to detail in operational follow-through.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Able to craft compelling marketing messages and explain strategies, results, and recommendations to stakeholders at all levels. Strong presentation skills are a plus for reporting on performance or making business cases for new initiatives.
- Industry Knowledge: Understanding the retirement planning consumer landscape is a plus—e.g., awareness of the mindset and financial concerns of pre-retirees. Familiarity with marketing strategies targeting Gen Xers, baby boomers, and senior demographics, as well as the channels that resonate with them, is essential.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency with marketing tech and tools such as CRM databases, email marketing platforms, digital ad platforms (Facebook/Meta, Google), and web analytics (Google Analytics). Comfortable adopting new software or tools that improve marketing efficiency (e.g., campaign management, attribution tracking).
Desired Skills & Attributes
- Analytical and data-driven: You make decisions based on data and evidence. Skilled at interpreting campaign analytics and consumer data to refine targeting and messaging continually.
- Innovative and Curious: Continuously seeks new marketing ideas, channels, and technologies to reach our target audience more effectively. Stays updated on direct marketing trends and best practices (e.g., postal mail innovations, social media trends for older audiences).
- Results-Oriented: Highly focused on outcomes and driven to exceed lead generation and ROI targets. Not afraid to adjust course or experiment to improve results.
- Organized & Detail-Oriented: Excellent project management skills with the ability to juggle multiple campaigns and timelines. Ensures nothing falls through the cracks in complex, multi-channel campaigns.
- Strong Interpersonal Skills: Collaborative team player who can build relationships internally and externally. Able to influence and coordinate with colleagues in sales, operations, and leadership to champion marketing initiatives.
- Adaptable & Resilient: Comfortable working in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment. Able to adapt to changes in market conditions or strategy and keep the team motivated and on track.
- Ethical & Customer-Centric: Committed to honest, transparent marketing that builds trust with our audience. Sensitive to the needs and concerns of retirees, with a genuine desire to help them achieve a secure retirement through education.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Improvements in both marketing efficiency and business growth will be key measures of success in this role. Key KPIs include:
- Lead Generation & Class Enrollment: The number of qualified leads generated per campaign and the conversion rate of those leads into class attendees. This includes maintaining strong registration levels for each class (e.g., consistently filling 6–12 household slots per session).
- Cost Per Lead / Acquisition: Reduction in cost per lead and cost per acquired client over time, by optimizing channel mix and targeting. Efficiently deploying the marketing budget to yield more results for each dollar spent.
- Campaign Response Rates: Response and engagement metrics for each channel include direct mail response rate, Facebook ad click-through rate, landing page conversion rate, and email open/response rates. Improvements in these metrics are expected through ongoing testing and refinement.
- Return on Investment (ROI): Overall marketing ROI and specifically the ROI of individual channels and campaigns. Tracking the revenue or long-term client value generated from class attendees against marketing expenditures. The goal is to steadily increase ROI by focusing on high-performing tactics and eliminating waste.
- Audience Growth & Reach: Growth of our marketing database and audience within the target demographic. This includes expanding our reach in key suburban markets and increasing penetration into the 58–67 age segment with $500K–$5M assets. For example, year-over-year increase in the number of new leads in this segment.
- Team & Operational Metrics: Effectively managing marketing operations—such as meeting campaign launch deadlines, staying within budget, and maintaining a high level of accuracy in list management and data (error-free campaign execution). Additionally, team development and retention can serve as a reflection of good leadership.
Reporting Structure
This position is a senior leadership role on the marketing team and will report directly to the Chief Operations Officer (COO) or the company President. The Director of Direct Response Marketing will provide strategic direction to a critical component of the company and deliver performance updates to the executive team. They will directly supervise a small team of marketing professionals and coordinate cross-functional efforts with the sales and advisory teams. The role may also involve regular collaboration with external partners and consultants, reporting on vendor performance to the COO and other members of the executive team as needed. The reporting structure underscores the significant accountability of this role for delivering marketing results and shaping the company’s growth strategy.
Location & Travel Requirements
Location: Either onsite or remote. The direct marketing leader is expected to work closely with the executive team and marketing staff in the office to facilitate collaboration and rapid execution (not a remote role). Candidates should either be local to the area or willing to relocate.
Travel: Minimal to moderate travel is anticipated for this role. The Director may occasionally travel to key market areas or event locations to observe classes, meet with regional partners, or conduct market research. Additionally, occasional travel may be required depending on location. The primary focus of the role can be accomplished from headquarters or remotely, with travel as an as-needed supplement to drive marketing effectiveness to the company HQ.
At Goodwin Recruiting, we are committed to our core values and providing world class customer service. We are committed to helping our clients navigate and comply with the complex and ever-changing labor laws as well as help ensure that in every hiring decision, internally and with our client partners, that all viable candidates are considered, and the most qualified candidate is offered the role. We evaluate the knowledge, skills, and abilities that meet the requirements of the position and aim to open doors and change lives. We value all people, understanding that uniqueness and diversity foster a stronger team that is innovative and brings varying perspectives to the table. We put our money where our mouth is and are proud of our efforts to identify a broad slate of candidates, with many hiring success stories to share.
JOB ID: 160246
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Rachel Kiernan