A common mistake businesses make is confusing their marketing vehicles—the messengers—with their messages. When I hear statements like, "I tried newspaper ads once. They didn't work for us," or "Direct mail doesn't work for our company," it's clear the speaker is confusing the messenger with the message. If you've selected a marketing vehicle that effectively reaches your target prospects and they fail to respond, it's your message that didn't work, not the vehicle.
For example, if you send your prospects a marketing message via a direct mail postcard and get zero response, and you are certain that your postcards reached targeted prospects with a high potential for responding to your offer, then the following is a more accurate conclusion: "I tried using postcards as my marketing vehicle to deliver my message to my targeted prospects, but got zero response. Apparently, my message wasn't very effective. I will have to improve my message before using that marketing vehicle again."
While selecting an effective marketing vehicle is crucial, crafting your message in a way that guarantees a successful response is even more important. That's where your focus should be.
Focus on the Message
This is the critical area that far too many business owners neglect. If you aren't getting the results you need from your marketing efforts, focus on improving your marketing message. Then, select an effective and cost-efficient marketing vehicle to deliver your message. However, if your marketing message is weak or ineffective, it won't matter which vehicle you choose—it will fail every time.
Understanding Customer Needs
All prospects and customers want the same things: to feel confident that their money has been well spent and that their buying decision was the wisest. They want the best deal in terms of price and value. You'll never hear anybody say, "I shopped around eight car dealerships, negotiated the best deals possible, and finally decided to take the third-best deal." People instinctively want to make the best decision possible without feeling buyer's remorse or second-guessing their choice.
Matching Values
We have two sets of values at play: the business wants more customers, loyal customers, and higher margins, while the customer wants to feel confident they've gotten the best deal possible in terms of overall value. The processes and principles that govern matching these two sets of values are the same for every business.
As a marketer, you need to figure out what's important to your prospects, educate them on what constitutes the best deal in your industry, show them quantifiable proof that you provide the best deal in terms of price and value, and communicate all of this in a way that they'll pay attention, believe, and take action. The result is the prospect gets what they want—not just the best deal in terms of price and value, but also the confidence that they've made the best decision possible.
Simple, Right?
It might sound straightforward, but always remember to view your direct mail or any other marketing program from the recipient's point of view. No matter how mass-produced a direct mail program appears to you as the sender, it still arrives as a single letter to your recipient.
And as always, working with an experienced mailing list provider will increase your odds for success. Call BB Direct today!