Every time we log into our computers or open up our phones, we are bombarded by marketing messages. If I asked you to take a survey of what you are seeing, how many of you would answer that a large majority of your inbox is flooded with marketing materials that don’t apply to you?
The title of this piece was inspired by a conversation I had, where I joked much of the online marketing I am seeing as exposing your brand to a large audience becomes easier and cheaper is just like the confetti cannons my kids were using on New Year’s Eve.
A big bang, and then a lot of tiny, indistinguishable pieces of paper thrown in the general direction of a crowd, where very few stuck to you and most of it became an annoyance.
Are you using the spray and pray style of marketing? Using the proper tools to approach your marketing from a strategic standpoint is more time consuming and often more expensive, but effective marketing is worth its weight in the results it provides, and it allows you not to get lost in the sea of flooded inboxes.
Take into consideration the process I use when determining how to effectively market to your target audience.
The first question that needs to be answered before moving forward with strategy is “Why are you doing this marketing to begin with?”
If you don’t have a specific reason behind your marketing campaigns, you’ll find that strategizing is difficult and makes for a lackluster message.
Next, answer these questions:
- What are you trying to achieve? Sales? Reach? Video Views?
- Are you taking care of your marketing by yourself or through your agency partner?
- Which platforms will you use to convey the right message at the right time?
- What is the budget?
- What message are you trying to convey?
First-time buyers aren’t attracted through one-time advertisements anymore. With as many options as today’s consumers are given, you need to make sure you are consistently hammering home a singular message across a number of different platforms so that when it comes time to buy, your brand is the first thing that comes to mind.
If a customer hears your ad on the radio, then gets home and sees it on TV, then sees a display ad of yours online, compound interest builds up over time as opposed to the “spray and pray” method, which relies on a single ad to stand out amongst an inbox filled with them.
Let me give you an example:
A Kia dealer has twenty 2018 Optimas they have to sell before the end of the year. As I discussed earlier, the dealer can go two routes with their marketing. The first option is to send out an end of year email blast to everyone with a special lease price, whether it applies to the audience or not.
The second is to create a list with everyone who bought Optima models from their store in years past so they can target correctly, and work with your agency to create and execute a targeted campaign.
The goal would be to create the campaign using imaging and messaging targeting similar people to those who previously purchased. Once the agency understands this, the goal is for someone to see the ad and recognize themselves. They may feel the store understands them, and therefore be more interested in reaching out.
By following this simple process, and discussing these questions with your marketing partners, your efforts will be more targeted, efficient and cost effective. Confetti cannons are fun, but let’s keep them for parties and New Year’s celebrations.
About the Author
Glenn Pasch is a Partner and CEO of PCG Companies. Glenn continues to author articles for multiple industry publications, blogs and forums as well as continuing his writing online at www.glennpasch.com.