but you need to mine your lists and categorize each to get that shiny gold you want.
Today’s customers, prospects, sales leads and so-called contact list of maybes can be reached using a ton of tactical marketing channels daily.
The glaring question most people search an answer for “Which marketing channel is the best one for us to use?” The best answer may be all of them. What channels do your customers respond to? All your contacts in your databases control the marketing communication they use in their company.
Trying to look for gold in a stream by your house or office is probably crazy. Sending a message using a marketing channel your contact does not respond to, email for example, is like waiting for a sunrise on a stormy, cloudy day. Time wasted is lost.
Fortunately, today’s databases can process a host of data, using a variety of options to reach the right customer using their preferred channels of communication. In addition, there are a variety of niche segments to consider, so an open mind may be your best option.
Here is a list to help you get started and to assure your team is headed in the right direction.
IDEA: Put a value on your corporate database so it is not viewed as an expense.
- Match your products or services to customers’ and prospective customer’s wants/needs. You want your data to give you a summary of your customers’ buying patterns. Knowing customer data will help you customize offers for use in any marketing channel. If you’re looking for an increase in answers, you may find gold in these channels.
- Select new list purchases that fit the profiles of existing customer data. Use your Website landing pages in conjunction with an email newsletter you send regularly.
- Maximize personalization in your customer channel selection communication and more than one offer. This is a proven method that increases response. Address your customer by name, title and add additional data from their last purchase date. You may want to add a discount or another offering that will pique their interest.
- Provide ongoing interaction with customers, especially the ones receiving your email newsletter. Out of sight is out of mind. Your goal is to stay in touch with your customers to learn their preferred communication channels. Be careful. Too much too soon could shut down the lead spigot.
- If there is no preferred communication channel, start the conversation using direct marketing mail. Make an offer of value on a landing page on your website. You want to gather some additional data, creating an awareness that triggers consideration and beginning to build your brand awareness and customer loyalty.
- Pinpoint timing and frequency of promotions. See who responds and at what time of the year. Use the results to spread offers to your customers and your prospective customers. Make sure to collect the results and add it to your data. Some large companies with a diverse customer base use a special customer event once or twice a year to help fill the sales pipeline.
- Measure response and be responsible for results. Direct marketing mail is measurable. More than any other medium, it can be evaluated for its impact on a specific goal. When results are not satisfactory, go back and learn what went wrong.
- Collected customer data will help to determine offers to share with others in your lists. If a customer makes a request about your marketing enter it into your company data fields. As you test different offers and promotions, compare the responses of each to see if some produce better results than others. Most important, listen to customer suggestions for future deals!
- Demonstrate that your customers are valuable assets. Check your customer data and customer service data for ideas such as having a workshop, personal presentations of new products, or a customer rewards/sales incentive program. These programs have a history of building brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.
- Show customers you care about their opinions. Conduct a customer satisfaction survey through direct marketing mail. Add an offer to increase the rate of surveys. If you hear back from inactive customers, you can tailor an event or promotion to bring them back to active status. If you have a sales team, train them to ask questions and learn what you want to know.
Always remember that a clean customer database is a quality database. Quality customer database results are valuable business tools that in turn is a quality asset for your business. When you communicate using the correct tactical channels, you now follow a gold standard for success.
Creating effective direct marketing copy is more important than ever before.
The goal of writing marketing copy is to get people into taking action. Like buy my product or service.
The more you address specific human elements that motivate your audience, the greater your chances of moving them into action, calling, e-mail or buying.
So, what moves people, besides a big truck?
- People cannot resist a bargain. People seek pleasure and satisfaction. People like exclusivity. And some are even moved by greed.
- People seek to improve themselves. They want to save time. People seek security and safety.
- People seek power, stature, fame, flattery from others and inside information. They are often envious, revengeful and proud.
- People want to make money, save money, save time, stay healthy, become more knowledgeable, increase their status, boost their prestige.
This is a never-ending list as we try to understand the human mind and how it relates to purchasing your products and services. You need not attempt to solve the human condition in every direct marketing piece you write. But it’s recommended to learn continuously about your customers.
What you need to do is think carefully about what you sell, to whom, and how best to make them want to act.
It’s a complicated activity and, at the same time, it is easy. Your direct marketing must lead people to consider worthy opportunities to improve their personal situations. Train your mind to react to them.
It becomes much easier when you take the time to keep learning more about your customers and provide products and services that exceed their expectations.
Some of those expectations may even be in the preceding paragraphs. It’s all about learning and doing.
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