How do you get customers to become loyalists when they’re barraged with marketing messages from companies vying for their attention? We could list the many “how to’s” but here’s the bottom line — you have to Be Remarkable. Recently I was on the receiving end of “remarkable” from the most unlikely of sources.
Story #1:
Heard any stories lately about phone companies and their amazing customer service that goes the extra mile? More than likely, your answer is a big NO! Phone companies aren’t known for exceeding expectations; they’re more often the source of frustration and gripes for lousy service.
Imagine then my surprise and delight when I received a handwritten note card from a Sprint employee thanking me for my business and offering a 25% discount on my next in-store purchase. Seems Sprint has decided my loyalty is appreciated. And I appreciate them taking the time to tell me so. It seemed so, well, personal.
What happens when you feel appreciated? For starters, you feel good. And you feel good about your decision to use this company, their product or service. You feel more emotionally connected to them and their brand and you become more passionate and engaged. And chances are, you will tell your friends, family, and colleagues. So by exceeding your expectations and showing appreciating, this company has turned you the customer into a fan who will tell others this remarkable story.
Story #2:
Here’s a story about another type company you’re unlikely to get excited about – an auto body shop. I became a fan recently of Caliber Collision Centers when they surprised me with their excellent customer service. I dropped my car off some for repairs recently. The staff was so attentive and caring I was taken aback. They asked about the accident (not our fault), empathized over the inconvenience and offered me copious amounts of coffee and water. The service agent followed through on his promise to call every Tuesday and Thursday with an update. And the repairs took 3 days less than anticipated. In short, they exceeded my expectations and generated a level of loyalty in me I didn’t know possible.
When I complimented the office manager on their great service, she told me she tries to treat customers the way she’d like to be treated.
I hope I don’t get in another accident soon but if I do, I know where I’m headed.
How are you working to be remarkable and remembered? We’d love to hear your story.
What marketers do is often judged on a client’s perception of “whether it worked”. But how do you know if it worked? Without a reply vehicle it is nearly impossible to tell. Including a reply card, an online portal, or custom coupon code for point of sale gives you a tangible account of the campaign’s performance.
Quantitative response information gives marketers the opportunity to analyze the respondents by geographic, demographic and psychographic factors. Without this information, targeting future campaign is done blindly. With response information, revisions to the targeting strategy can be made to improve the response of the next campaign.
I was thinking about this issue and naturally came to the analogy of education. Without testing, how can we tell “whether it worked”? It would be unwise to base a student’s progress in a subject area only on gut feel. We have to be able to assess the student’s learning so we can adjust what is being taught and place that student appropriately in the future.
Please don’t judge a campaign based only on subjective information. Make the commitment to bettering your marketing plan by always including a response vehicle…and then committing to using that information for your future campaigns.
Generation-Y or Millennials are the 79 million US consumers born between 1980 and 2000*. These tweens, teens, collegians and young adults are tech savvy, cost conscience, cultural diverse and accustomed to on-demand access to entertainment, continual stimulation and extreme multitasking. With purchasing power of over $170B/year they can’t be ignored. However they have grown up to be suspicious of mass media. So how do you get them to become loyal listeners and viewers? Would you be surprised if I said direct mail?
- Millennials say 75% of the mail they receive is valuable, and 73% of them have used direct mail coupons. (Source:Deliver Magazine-Jan. 2012)
- According to the DMA Statistical Fact Book 2011, More than 18% of 22 – 24 year olds say they will respond to mail. This is actual a 13% increase over the 2010 results, showing that mail is actually growing in popularity with many younger consumers.
“We tend to move a lot, so we don’t get as much mail as older people,”
says Matt Crandell, 24, owner-founder of a web design and computer services firm.
“So when we do get mail, it tends to be a bigger deal.”
(Source: Deliver Magazine-Jan. 2012)
Today, direct mail is morphing into “cross-media marketing,” a term that reflects the integration of data with digital print and online technologies. Here are some things to consider when creating direct mail for Millennials:
- Be authenticity: The voice of the piece needs to focus on their situation and need. They don’t want to be sold.
- Appeal to their love of technology: Don’t include large blocks of text. Instead add a QR code or directions to a digital experience like a video, personalized URL, mobile or social website for a richer experience.
- Be creative, edgy and entertaining: Use compelling graphics, candid shots of teens and young adults, and clear, concise messaging.
- Create a buzz: Get them talking to their peers about your station, campaign or offer.
Done right, direct mail can be a powerful tool to start building a relationship with this audience. Targeted, personalized and somewhat novel for an audience so digitally connected. Tie in a well developed digital experience and they’ll be tuning in.
*Source: comScore – January 2012
As the Promobabe, I see value in most forms of marketing. I’m all for the Internet. I love a creative print ad campaign. And as a 20 plus year vet of broadcast promotion, I’m a big fan of advertising on radio and TV.
Problem is, so does everyone else. Resulting in way too much “mass” communication.
So how do you zig when everyone’s zagging? By going old school. With a beautiful piece of direct mail.
Unlike the mind-boggling frenzy of info on the web, or the blather of too many broadcast messages, direct mail can be your own personal playground of effective promotion.
Because, Dear Marketer, that 6 x 9 card is your turf. With an attention-getting design, clean layout and clear, engaging copy, direct mail can rise above the average ad — and become an opportunity to begin a customer conversation. Even better, it allows you to target your prospects like a Jedi Master — so you can hone in on exactly the folks you most want to reach.
The other really great thing about direct mail? These days, it’s too often overlooked in favor of its high-tech brothers and sisters. Which means fewer of your competitors are likely to be there.
So, while everyone else is shouting themselves hoarse — trying to be heard over the other guy’s ads, questionable web “content,” or jammed into a broadcast break most people skip — direct mail puts you on your own island of advertising. With your message literally in your customer’s hands.
Now how cool is that?
Need more convincing? A recent study showed that 50% of consumers prefer direct mail to email marketing.
Check out some of our other blogs addressing successful direct mail strategies:
1) Targeting
2) Compelling creative
3) Personalized messaging
4) Enticing call-to-action
Or contact Eagle Marketing today at 619.223.1273 or letsconnect@eaglemarketing.com to learn more.
I just read an article titled “Amazing Mobile Marketing Stats Every Marketer Should Know”. With a title like that how could I resist? Out of the nine stats in the article, two stood out to me. The first noted that it take 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email, but about 90 seconds to respond to a text message (Source: CTIA). It talks to the urgency in which people feel they need to act on text messages. When these messages come from marketers they better be relevant or consumers will opt out. Text message marketing isn’t about brand awareness. It is about providing this audience relevant, fun or useful information they can use on-the-go.
The second stat noted that mobile coupons get 10 times the redemption rate of traditional coupons (Source: Borrell Associates). This stat has been around for a while, but does really speak to a successful tactic for mobile marketers. Mobile coupons are convenient and therefore more likely to be acted on.
Most of the other stats talk about how many people have mobile phones. Having a mobile device is certainly required for mobile marketing, but hardly earth shattering. Once my 90 year old grandmother got one and I have conversations with friends who are trying to decide if their second grader should get one, it is pretty clear we’ve reached mass adoption.
Marketers should strongly consider integrating mobile into their overall marketing strategy because the campaigns work. Adding a mobile call to action like a QR code or text campaign to print or TV ads allows you to track responses and provide more targeted information beyond the piece. Offering a text2win or text2vote campaign in outdoor advertising is a great way to engage a lot of people and quickly build your mobile database. Once opted in you can then provide them additional information about your offerings.
In a world of Do Not Call, Spam blockers and DVRs that allow you wiz right through the ads it can be challenging to determine how to reach your audience. Consumers are in love with their mobile devices. Isn’t it time to connect via mobile?
I am often asked about the future direct mail. People wonder if electronic media will replace it in the long run. My response is always “direct mail isn’t going away”. I firmly believe this and encourage people to continue to use direct mail as a key element in their marketing plans for several reasons.
- Direct mail has a long shelf life. If the creative or offer is strong, people will hang on to the piece—even if they don’t make a purchasing decision right away. They may handle it multiple times, reading portions of the offer over and over.
- Human beings like to touch things. We like fluffy things, soft things, squishy things. We like to see how the structure of an item changes when we press, fold or crumple it. Direct mail’s structure can reach people like no other medium.
- Integrating a mobile call-to-action into a direct mail piece makes it actionable and trackable. Whether you ask people to scan a QR code or opt into a text campaign to get a coupon, enter a sweepstakes or learn more, you can now provide them updated info and continued engagement.
- Most of us like to get mail that isn’t a bill. I remember so clearly, amidst the loneliness and homesickness of my freshman year of college, how a simple letter from home or from another friend who was away at school would brighten my day—or even my week!
- Your message with direct mail can be consistent and variable for all of your targets. Clear messages, consistent branding and a vibrant look and feel make direct mail appealing. Utilizing personalization and variable data can make your message personal and meaningful.
And, there are companies that are using direct mail to reach our other senses…even taste and smell! Imagine a direct mail piece that can not only sing, but one you can taste or even smell freshly cut grass. It’s already happening. Yes, my friend, direct mail will continue to evolve and is here to stay.
There’s been a rush to exit for Netflix customers. The company lost 800,000 customers in 3rd quarter this year, the first time ever its customer base shrank instead of grew. The reason for the slump is simple. They chose to ignore the KISS rule – Keep It Simple Stupid – by first raising prices and then splitting its business into 2 companies. Customers who used both DVD and streaming services would need to manage two accounts at two different websites.
Why would a well defined brand with loyalists galore make it more difficult for customers to use their product? Some days I can barely remember my own name let alone one more online account. Smart loyalty marketers focus on me and how to make my life simpler, easier, better. Anything else is just a complication I don’t need.
So the Netflix got the backlash it deserved. Twitter and Facebook went a buzz and the stock took a dive. And Netflix got the message loud and clear. Qwikster, the newly formed company, quickly went away. CEO Reed Hastings, to his credit, sent an email in August to customers apologizing for moving too quickly. You got to give the guy some credit for admitting he screwed up.
“There is a difference,” he said, “between moving quickly – which Netflix has done very well for years – and moving too fast…” As my 7 year old would say, “Duh!”
Anytime you ask me to do more to access the same services I’ve known, and possibly loved, you’ve lost my loyalty and potentially a customer. What shocks me is Netflix had such a strongly defined brand of super servicing the customer and then came greed and inconvenience. And there went loads of customers flocking to the door. What were they thinking? Clearly not about loyalty.
I’ve been saddened by the recent passing of Apple Founder Steve Jobs. The guy was the greatest inventor of my lifetime, a college dropout who has revolutionized computers, phones, movies, music. So much so that Apple’s market capitalization was the planet’s most valuable in 2011.
Jobs invented products that made our lives simpler, more entertaining, more connected than ever before. TIME magazine concludes his expertise was less in computers than in it was in the humans who used them. Apple owners aren’t just customers, they are fanatics. Lining up around the corner at Apples stores the world over for the newest version of anything Apple. Visit an Apple store on any Saturday and, if you can get in the door, you’ll be struck by the demographic melting pot of young and old.
Jobs used marketing to create an emotional connection. To make us feel smart, cool, and hip. To stroke our ego and build our self-esteem. To remind us we ARE sophisticated and bold and cutting edge. In exchange, Apple got our heart and soul and lifelong loyalty.
After Jobs’ death I watched an interview with co-founder and long-time friend Steve Wozniak. While he and their band of byte brothers focused on the nuts and bolts of building computers that would sell, Jobs focused on how people would actually use their computers. What people would do with them. And how they would make our lives better. He focused on us and made us not only crave the iPod, iPhone, iPad, he made us wonder how we ever lived without them. Truly he was the King of Cool.
As a working stiff in the marketing trenches, I’m usually too busy pep-stepping in my own Promo Parade to pay much mind to the advertising around me.
And, as you’re likely thinking, that’s a huge mistake. I agree.
As an advertising pro, I need to be more heads up about what’s happening in my industry, despite my daunting daily to-do list. It’s a challenge we all face in business.
So lately I’ve been paying a lot more attention to the marketing (or attempts at marketing) I see around me. Not only do I get inspired, it’s a great reminder of those timeless advertising basics.
Here are some recent campaigns that showcase Advertising 101:
Yellowtail Wine: The creative crew behind Yellowtail encourages me to take what I call “realistic risks.” The in-your-face graphics, the odd, yet compelling voiceover and the sheer audacity of the spots make this campaign a real attention-getter. Most important? They don’t let the clever concept get in the way of their real mission: selling Yellowtail wine. The branding shines through loud and clear in every aspect of the creative. The concept and the writing speak directly to their target audience (young-ish, stylish, connected and social). And the product is truly the star.
Lesson Learned: Find your own product’s “unique flava” — but never let cool creative obliterate your branding.
1-800-CONTACTS: Ahhh, humor. We all love funny campaigns – but they’re tough to pull off. Too many “humorous” spots forget Job
#1: the need to sell a product. However, this funny campaign is a winner. The folks behind 1-800-CONTACTS brilliantly blend humor and product branding in a simple, but effective campaign. It’s got all the key elements: a crystal clear concept (ordering their contacts is easy and saves you money), memorable characters, who are perfectly cast (I’ll long remember the actor lamenting about his “special eyes”) and great scriptwriting that hammers home the USP. Even more interesting is how simple, almost barren, the visuals are. No flash, no fast edits, no barrage of incoming effects. A reminder that the K.I.S.S. principle can really work.
Lesson Learned: Funny is as funny does. Does the creative really sell your product? Support your branding? Make your product/service the star? Or is it just…funny?
So every now and then, take a trip back to old school. Absorb the advertising around you – and not just in your own industry. Review those timeless marketing techniques. Are you really selling your product – or is the creative getting in the way?
You’re in for a very valuable lesson.
Marketers are starting to add these odd little boxes that look like crossword puzzles to all types of traditional media. From packaging to print to TV I’m seeing them everywhere. What’s perplexing is that most have little to no explanation with them. Like they are only intended for those in the know. Several will at least let you know to scan it, but the how and why are often left off. Leading to a frustrating experience for the consumer and a missed opportunity for the marketer.
If these are new to you here’s a quick overview. They are 2D barcodes. The most common types are QR codes (short for Quick Response codes) and once scanned allow users to access a richer experience – launch a website, video, opt-into a text message campaign or make a mobile donation. QR codes can be created for free from numerous websites like http://redlaser.com/qrcode/. To scan a code a user needs a smartphone with a camera and the correct barcode scanner. Armed with the right tools QR codes offer a simple and effective way to engage a mobile audience. But not everyone is doing it right. Here are a few things to know before adding QR codes to your campaign.
- Let them know what they are going to get. Even if it is just a tease. Make the experience worth the effort. Don’t just launch your main website. It should be a unique, targeted or fun experience for the consumer. (ex. Scan to enter our sweepstakes, scan for a coupon, scan to get show times in your area)
- Not all consumers have a barcode reader or the right scanner on their smartphone. There are different kinds of 2D barcodes so make sure to let the user know where to get a reader (ex. Need a barcode reader? http://scan.mobi/). Even if a user has a scanner, if you don’t tell them which one to download they may not have a positive experience. Without the right scanner the user can complete the experience and will leave frustrated. Make sure to let the users know where to get a reader
- Add the code in a way users can scan it. A lot of marketers do pretty well here, but when dealing with outdoor advertising you really need to make sure glare and other elements are addressed or users won’t be able to scan the image.
- Offer the option to get the same info via text message. Although ATT and Verizon both anticipate that over half their subscribers will have smartphones by the end of this year, there are those with feature phones that can’t scan QR codes. You also have people that don’t want to take the time to download the reader. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage. Offering more information via a text campaign allows user to engage quickly.
Here’s a simple example of how to do it right:
These are just a few quick lessons learned to help you get started. We’ll keep blogging about how to integrate mobile. If you have specific questions add a comment or contact Eagle to discuss how to create or enhance your mobile strategy.
Next up: How to use QR codes and mobile to breathe life into traditional media like direct mail.
Kristen Panebianco
Amy Blum
Barb Chandler
Don Wells
Dee Dern
