We are familiar with the saying by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr a 19th century French critic and journalist, which is loosely translated “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
In marketing while the delivery of the messages may have changed (email and text instead of letters and newspapers) the questions we need to ask ourselves remain the same. Before we can create an ad or correspondence (whether electronic or print) to market products and/or services we must first ask:
Who is the audience we are trying to reach?
Most businesses deal with customers of different ages and generations with a variety of different wants needs and expectations. First start by segmenting your audience into categories that will bring you the best return, such as purchasing history
What makes your customers buy?
Keep track of what individual customers have previously purchased and ensure those types of products make up part of the mix of offerings you send them as well as similar things they have not tried.
How is the best way to reach them?
Ask your customers how they prefer to be reached. It may be email, it may be text, it may be a phone call or a post card. While it’s easy to create email campaign after email campaign if your audience is looking at your emails it’s not very effective. Check to see how many people are opening the emails, how many are clicking through and how many are actually taking advantage of the offer by buying. Think about a mix of ways to promote your products or services.
When and how often do customers want to get emails from you?
According to Wordstream the best time to send email newsletters for example is 8 – 9 a.m. on Thursdays, with the company seeing upwards of 25% open rather in this time frame. While Hubspot says that small companies (1-10 employees) find that the open and click rates are highest when they send 16-30 email targeted campaigns per month. Companies in this category may see a median open rate of 35.5% and an open rate of 6.9%.
Start honing your correspondence to fit your audience and focus your message on the wants, needs and desires or your audience. Take time to segment your customer list and send messages that suit their interests and focus.
A tip of the glass from me to you
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
