Well, what a weekend for sport! There’s been World Cup action (albeit without England!!), the Wimbledon finals (albeit without Andy Murray!!), F1 at Silverstone (well done Lewis!!) and of course the absolute favourite at Bubble Towers; Le Tour De France!! The whole thing was amazing (well, with one exception – Cav’s demise 100 yards from the finish line at Harrogate!), even though it seemed to be over way too soon!
Weren’t the crowds unbelievable!! How proud did we feel being Yorkshire folk, seeing our wonderful county displayed so vibrantly on TV for all to see!! Even the caravan going through was incredible, making even the most self-respecting adults act like kids in a sweet shop when the sponsors were handing out all their freebies. I may have even uttered the words ‘Me! Me!’ at one point!
Now, we are slowly coming back down to earth after all the excitement and I am reflecting on how effective a marketing tool all those sponsors have in being able to build on their brand recognition and promote their products and services to the captive audience of the Le Tour crowds.
Right Message, Right Person, Right Time
We talk a lot to our clients about this golden rule of getting the right message to the right person at the right time. It helps businesses to:
- Market more effectively
- Market more productively
- Avoid the SPAM trap
- Make the marketing budget go further
- Maximise on the Return on Investment
Breaking Down the Direct Marketing Message
Getting the right message out there to your prospects is worth taking time over, in order to reap the benefits most effectively. So, I thought it would be helpful to look at that in a bit more detail.
Top 6 Tips for the Right Message
- Grab their attention – Make sure the initial headline draws them in, otherwise the rest is wasted. Remember, you only have one line to make them want to read on, whether that’s at the top of the letter or the subject line within your email. If that doesn’t appeal, your message will end up in the recycle bin before it’s even been read!
- Be engaging – It is time well spent to craft your message properly. Think about the profile of the person you want to engage with (more on this next week). What kind of person are they? What do they do? What might their interests be? Keep your content succinct but informative. We could all wax lyrical about how wonderful we are, but think of your direct marketing messages as the start of a conversation or relationship. Otherwise we risk our message coming across as more like a lecture!
- Be personal – Even if parts of your marketing are automated, there is still plenty of scope to be personal. Again, think about the type of person you are addressing. Addressing that person by name is important but beware of being overly familiar or casual in tone – it tends to be a turn-off to the reader. Make sure the recipient can also see the personality of you and your brand – people buy from people and brands they like and trust. Tailor your message to their industry or location – it may take a while longer, but if you make reference to certain industry specific terms or facts about their locale, it shows care and knowledge, both of which express great professionalism.
- Be Creative – Have a think about how you can tie in your message with what’s going on in the world that might be of interest. Explore how you can make your promotions and special offers seasonal, topical and relevant (for example; ‘the cost of postage has just gone up again. Luckily we offer free delivery on orders over. . . .)
- Segment your data – Data segmentation is a very effective way to make sure you are getting the right message to your customers. Organising your contacts by various means, such as buying preferences, allows you to craft the message that will most interest them. It is also a great way of letting your customers know what else you do (for example; ‘we hope you are pleased with your bedding set. Did you know we now have a range of matching curtains?’)
- Call To Action – Most important and so often missed……What would you like the recipient to do when they have received your message? Enquire further? Subscribe? Buy? Pick up the phone? Be clear about the next step options and make it easy for the recipient to do it.
Remember, not everyone who receives your direct market message will immediately buy from you. They may have interest in you but they are not ready. If you continue to keep in touch with relevant information and build the relationship between your prospect and your brand, you are much more likely to make a future sale and achieve a good ROI on your marketing investment.
Next week, I’ll take a closer look at how to get your marketing message to the right person. Tonight, we will be out on the bikes on part of Le Tour route, possibly pretending we are part of the Peloton!
