Last
modified August
25, 2009
Direct
Marketing at its Best
Business
leaders are confused about what to do next; how to reach
their target market when there is so much information floating
around? With limited dollars, a challenging economy and
expectations high for terrific products and service, how
do you make your message stand out?
There
are many ways to approach this situation, and what works
for one business doesn’t work exactly the same way
for another. There are three important facets that must
be included, no matter what:
- Customer
involvement – connect with customers
- Pertinent
communications – make sure what you are saying
is important to them
- A
product or service that is needed – explained simply
and shows benefits
Decision
makers are overwhelmed with needless information, have
short attention-spans and want what they want immediately.
Our public relations VP would say, “engage, engage,
engage.”
One
example of a client who is engaging is one that sells malt
to breweries, home brew aficionados and bakeries. Muntons,
a UK-based company is really just getting into social media,
but is finding great promise in the communication and education
possibilities. Even though they are very visible through
normal marketing channels, trade shows and traditional
contact methods, they would like to be more involved with
their customers.
Muntons
is unique because the beer-making community has a passionate
following. Beer is that little reward you give yourself
at the end of the day. So it’s a natural to get the
end user involved in networking. With home brewers, “best
practices” could be a whole area by itself, as could
brewery sampling and preparation techniques, and then there
is the bakery facet. What would you do?
The
economic slump may have lasting results in terms of how
media is bought and sold and how marketers plan advertising
campaigns, but social media fits right when we need it
the most. This new experience can be treated as a test
lab to discover new ways to engage, persuade and communicate.
Proactive customer participation, when done well, will
drive sales.
Give
us your thoughts…!
Social Media Policy
Does
your company need a social media policy? Only if you
have computers and are connected to the Internet. Otherwise,
no.
If
you do have computers and Internet, you must detail the
framework within which you expect all stakeholders to operate
while communicating. To form a social media policy, let
it not be an edict from on high, but involve those involved,
hold discussions, gather input, anticipate scenarios and
express your final expectations in writing in a social
media policy statement.
Encourage
honesty and explain posts on social media will be read
and forwarded. It seems intuitive, but really you must
let your entire staff know that what they say goes public.
If
they are posting on behalf or in the capacity of the company,
this will be a reiteration (assuming there has been discussion),
of the fact that every single communication will be an
expression of the brand.
Disclaimer
statements:
If
they are posting privately and as an individual, iteration
of the possibility of what they post in relation to a general
awareness of who they work for and how the two may or may
not match is reasonable and good policy. Encourage disclaimer
statements, posted in their “bio” or “about
me” section to protect both the employee and the
company. An example:
This
is a personal account and the thoughts expressed are
my own and not those of my employer.
The
best tweeters, in my opinion, are those who combine some
personal insight with the professional. However, this
is a position which requires quite a bit of savvy. The
personal must not be too personal; the professional can’t
sound like marketing. Imagine a Chamber of Commerce cocktail
party, as an analogy. You may attend as a representative
of your company, but you wouldn’t want to speak
only about business. People love to connect with others
in many ways; talking about gardening, sports, even politics,
but with class and professionalism. That’s as it
should be with those posting on behalf of their company.
With
the right attitude—assisting your staff in navigating
social media, instead of limiting them—you can make
solid brand ambassadors out in the blogosphere and Twitterverse.
Here
are some social media policy examples.
Links will open in new windows.
Feel free to post
or write with thoughts and questions!
Intel
The
Air Force (with flow chart, naturally)
ESPN (very
much in the news lately)
(CIPR) Chartered
Institute of Public Relations Social Media Guidelines (lengthy)
Regular
Contact Results in Customers
With
less money to spend on marketing campaigns, fewer staff
to get things accomplished and with more pressure to get
return-on-investment, what are marketers to do?
Showing
value by delivering larger, faster, cheaper results with
less resources means more contacts must be made with qualified
prospects to reach your sales goals. With that in mind,
touch points to nurture them through the buying process
is even more important!
By
reaching customers and potential customers on a regular
basis you can influence your company’s sales, because
it often takes several contacts to develop interest. Marketers
agree that it takes between 5 and 10 contacts with a potential
customer to actually get their attention, and that’s
only when they need your product.
So
how do you reach a potential customer to get their attention?
How do you get in front of a new customer? How do you get
them to your web site? How do you make the sale faster?
Just
a few ways:
- Get
new prospects to download a free copy of tips and articles.
- Have
them take part in a research study where you have a second
chance to provide results.
- Get
them interested in reading your blog.
- Offer
a free e-book.
- Have
a free newsletter.
- Provide
updated information on topics in which they have an interest.
- Invite
them to hear you speak at an event or through an e-course.
- Supply
a discount.
- Write
a note.
- Stay
in touch!
Top-of-Mind
Awareness:
More important than ever before?
At
a time when “return on investment” is so
important, your mindshare or top-of-mind awareness is
critical. It isn’t the price of your products
or services, it is when people think of you and your
organization
first, before the others, that drives sales. This is
why search engine optimization is so important; brands
want to be at the top, literally, when a potential
customer goes looking.
We
all have brands that we won’t give up no matter what,
and then there are products where "generic" will
do.
Making
your business the preferred organization or the one people
go to first, has to be your goal. That way, people are
not as worried about price as much as they are thinking
about quality; they know they are getting something that
will last, or will taste better, or will somehow improve
their lives. Whether you sell a product or a service, this
is important!
There
are certain plumbers I trust and call whenever I have a
problem because I trust them, and know they will always
do the best job for me, so they have my top-of-mind attention.
In the “search” of my thoughts, this company
always comes up first when I have a plumbing need.
Techniques
for applying a top-of-mind strategy mean finding ways to
make sure you are using marketing ideas that can reach
your target audience most directly. There are many ideas
that hone your message, and reach right into the heart
of your ideal audience and customer.
Thought-provoking
ways to generate awareness can hit their target with a
little focused thinking. It doesn’t have to be hard
on your budget to reach those with the budgets who can
afford your products and services.
Take
a look around at what's new, what's next and what’s
essential to your customers' success. Explain why people
should do something in a new way with products like yours….
