You need to drum up business. You have accounts on all the social media channels, you’re running ads in all your local papers, you’ve distributed flyers all over town… but it’s not working. Why?
One size does not fit all when it comes to marketing. A thoughtful strategy is imperative to ensure you communicate with those mostly likely to act – your target audience. Rather than running ads in various places and hoping they find their intended audience, your marketing dollars are better spent on specific messaging strategies intentionally directed at particular audiences.
If you follow the three “R’s,” right audience, right offer, right time, you’ll get a fourth – results.
Right Audience
No matter how great your content is, it will fall flat if not directed to the right people. Content must be written with the end user/reader in mind, featuring what they care about or need and keeping their preferences in mind. Write for your audience, not for you.
Identifying your audience requires a bit of research and consideration. Are you marketing to people already familiar with your brand (regulars or absentees?), or are you looking to attract new customers? What problem does your audience need to solve, and what product or service of yours will help solve it?
Consider your target audience’s demographics (age, gender, occupation, etc.), geographics (location), and psychographics (personality, lifestyle, beliefs, etc.). Use your existing customer data to find trends among the three or go directly to the source via surveying your database.
Right Offer
Once you’ve established whom you’re talking to, plan what to tell them. Your message should be memorable, clear, and make users want to take action. Take everything you learned about your target audience to help determine what will resonate with them most.
Data comes into play here as well. If you’re targeting existing customers, look at their past purchasing behavior. Can you send offers for them to upgrade or purchase accessories for an item? Are they due for a service appointment and need an incentive to visit again?
If you’re targeting new customers, you’ll likely need a stronger offer to get them to decide to do business with you versus a competitor. Consider what advantages you offer over the competition when crafting your message.
Right Time
You’ve heard it before – timing is everything. You might have the right offer for the right person, but if it’s not reaching them when they’re ready to purchase, they likely won’t go through with it.
You can’t read your audience’s minds, but you can monitor their behavior. If a customer is returning to the same page on your website multiple times or repeatedly clicking on one section of your email newsletter, that indicates a specific interest.
Targeting relevant life milestones like buying a home or getting married can also help you meet your customers where they are, and market products aligned to their current lifestyle and needs.
Results
Let’s put these three “R’s” into practice with a real-world example of a campaign we ran for a motorcycle dealership.
We were tasked with improving customer relationships and driving business specifically to the service department. We surveyed customers to determine the perceived opinion of the stores and their staff, behavior motivation, ideal areas of improvement, and opportunities for further engagement. Research indicated location and trust in staff and services were primary factors in where their audience took their bike. Since the service department had seen a decline in business from existing customers and their location had not changed, it was clear that trust was an issue.
Based on this and the sales goals, we proposed enticing lapsing customers using a direct mail piece that offered $50 off any service within one month. It also invited them to a major upcoming event where they could meet new and existing and rebuild trust, and have fun.
We developed the most targeted list possible with the highest chance of response by using a list of service department customers who had not been in for six months or more, (minus any out-of-market customers). The mailer content focused on appreciation and had a clear call to action – come in, save $50, and attend the event.
As a result, the dealership enjoyed a net profit of more than $16k, a return on investment of 605%! And, they had the opportunity to reconnect with formerly lapsing customers, helping to ensure continued business in the future.
So, how will you put the three “R’s” into practice for your business? If you need some help, Pushing the Envelope, Inc. has years of experience developing strategic campaigns for our clients. Reach out to us at getpushing.com/contact.
Hannah Ramsey is the Client Relations & Marketing Specialist with Pushing the Envelope, Inc., a strategic marketing communication firm based in Fort Myers, Florida, servicing clients both regionally and nationally. She enjoys developing a partnership with her clients and coming alongside them to help reach their business goals.
