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Lead Them to Water…Automatically

May 31, 2009

A recent case study on MarketingSherpa.com demonstrated the effectiveness of autoresponders.

This is a tool offered within better equipped email platforms that allows you to program a series of messages to be delivered to your target lists at designated intervals.

What makes this so powerful is the ability to let these campaigns run by themselves. Further, with some extra work, you can separate, qualify, and bring your targets closer to doing business with you by following multiple communication paths.

Scooby Doo, where are you?

For example, say you want to reach customers that are interested in collecting old lunchboxes. (I had Scooby Doo in 2nd grade.) Some of these babies go for thousands of dollars. (Mine got thrown out, along with my baseball cards. Thanks mom.)

So you set up a landing page showing off examples of some boxes you have for sale. It also explains that you have a real nose for locating those hard to find boxes that make a collector drool.

Then your targeted communication program brings you visitors to your site who sign up to receive more information. Now here’s where the autoresponders get to work.

You’ve written a series of messages that goes to every new person who signs onto your list. Out goes a welcome message immediately. Next day, you send them a little biography about yourself, and the big finds you’ve made in the past and how you’ve seen some of your clients make lots of money on their lunch box investment.

Lead them to water

One week later, you send out a testimonial letter with a story from one of your customers. It says that you helped him relive his childhood and connect with his son by finding him the exact box he had when he was 8 – the Rocky and Bullwinkle one with a bright blue background. It made him cry.

Two days later, you send an email asking your reader to let you know what kind of interested party he is…a real collector looking for that hard to find, expensive treasure or someone just interested in the topic. You can now create two lists from those who respond – qualified buyers and tirekickers.

Now separate them into two lists, and send each their own set of email messages. For the qualified list, it may pay off to make them personalized. All the while, you’re bringing the qualified prospects closer and closer – without ever picking up the phone.

It takes thought, creativity, intuition, hard work, and a little bit of talent. But once you’ve got your process, it’s all automatic.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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You’re Not Paranoid

May 25, 2009

Tags: 1 to 1 marketing, albany lead generation, Albany marketing, personalized marketing
Categories: Business Development, Customer Focus, Lead Nurturing, Strategy

That’s right, people really are following you.

As the world continues to shrink, the number of things competing for our attention has gotten way out of whack. That’s been a big problem for media outlets – TV, Newspapers and Magazines in particular.

So marketers have been keeping a closer eye on you.

Don’t be surprised. You used to be able to simply buy a list of “high net worth investors” or “dog lovers” or “golfers” or “cooking enthusiasts.” But now, those categories are way too big to be cost effective.

“Dog lover” is too broad. You need to drill all the way down to “Labradoodle lovers in Upstate NY.”

The era of 1 to 1 marketing is finally maturing. Mass advertising is inefficient. Enter “on-demand” TV. Direct mail needs more fine tuning. So add a personalized URL (PURL, landing page) to further qualify your list.

Finding your target is a tricky thing. Creating a virtual marketing “GPS” is the way to go. Surround your target and triangulate their coordinates. Then fire off your rounds of communication.

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In appreciation

As a father raising a growing boy, I don’t like that at all times, war wages somewhere on the globe…and that all too often our nation is caught in its grip.

Today, however, is Memorial Day. A day to put aside ideology and honor those who have followed their convictions to serve our country. I want to offer my sincere gratitude to all our veterans and to the memory of those who passed in service. My dad is a Holocaust survivor and neither he nor I nor my son would be here without the sacrifice of those in our armed forces.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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A World Disturbance

May 17, 2009

Tags: Albany marketing, Banis Marketing, business change, marketing trends, saratoga marketing
Categories: Courage, Decision Making, Management, Strategy

I start nearly every day by checking email. You may hop in the shower or choke down a breakfast bar.

Some finish dressing with sock-shoe-sock-shoe. I’m a sock-sock-shoe-shoe man.

Habits. We are all creatures of habit.

These rituals provide consistency and comfort. They help us deal with a complex world.

Customers are creatures of habit. Companies are creatures of habit too. And old habits die hard. Problem is, if some habits aren’t broken – the results can be devastating.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about habits. What changes them, where things might be going, opportunities, and threats. And the potential actions we may want to consider as a result.

There’s something life changing going on. I can’t quite put my finger on it and I need to – we all need to.

There’s a world disturbance upon us. It’s the sum of many factors.

Here are just a few:

- 24 x 7 communication and the Internet

- World trade and shifts in global economic power

- An unfocused effort towards alternative energy

- Heightened fears from all sorts of stuff; too many to name

- An aging population in the industrialized world and a younger one in the Third World

Did you know that of the 6.7 billion people on the earth, China and India account for over 37%. The U.S. has 4.5%.

Think these things aren’t about marketing? Your business? Your family?

It all plays a part. Old habits and expectations are going to change. It takes a world disturbance. A series of cataclysmic events. That’s what forces them to change.

And you know what? It can be a good thing. A very good thing.

As long as you recognize where it’s all going.

When I need to get a handle on something, I usually think it through out loud. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m gonna think out loud right here.

Feel free to add your thoughts.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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How About This Customer Service

May 10, 2009

Tags: mom
Categories: Family/Quality of Life

You can look over hill and dale and you’ll never find customer service like this.

A complete “irrational obsession” with your happiness.

Arranging events and handling all the details

Personal shopping

Providing and obtaining all sorts of help for your projects

Ensuring you look your best and are well fed

Provides words of encouragement…and valuable constructive criticism

Evaluates potential partners and offers an honest opinion

Picks up your dry cleaning, does your laundry, and drives you where you need to go

Carries you around for up to 9 months or more when you can’t take care of yourself

Is elated with your victories and devastated by your defeats

Knows you better than you do

Loves you unconditionally

Thanks mom.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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Phone…Part II

May 3, 2009

Tags: albany advertising, albany lead generation, Albany marketing, albany telemarketing, banis, Banis Marketing
Categories: Business Development, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Message, Marketing ROI, Strategy

Consumer telemarketing has achieved the unfortunate reputation achieved by used car salesman, carnival game operators, and Bernie Madoff.

However, to reach the communities you’ve built over time – your customers, prospects and other contacts – using voice to deliver your message can be both courteous and extremely effective.

The people on your lists expect that you will engage in ongoing communication with them by virtue of your relationship. So you’ve already received their permission to contact them. That makes you compliant with CAN-SPAM and perfectly OK to pick up the phone.

Boston College did just that. Well, sort of.

Kickoff

The Boston College football team had a strong 2007 season, eventually going on to its first ever Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title game. The game was set to take place on December 4, 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Great news. Except that the Eagles clinched their spot only two weeks before the ACC Championship game. BC had just two weeks to sell as many tickets as possible and ensure solid support for a game taking place 1,160 miles away.

They needed to drum up support from alumni and get fans to travel down . And they needed to do it quickly and cost-effectively.

Nothing like the spoken word

Boston College used an automated voice-messaging solution to target more than 115,000 season ticket holders and alumni.

They had their star quarterback Matt Ryan record the message, explaining the historic event and the sense of urgency to participate – and then offered up a call to action. Even if fans couldn’t come, they asked them to donate their tickets to a Jacksonville-area charity to help fill the stands.

The response was immediate, with ticket sales flying through the roof on the day of and the day following the message’s release. In all, close to 5,000 tickets were sold, with more than 400 purchased and given to charity.

In the end, Boston College was able to ensure it was well represented in Florida and managed to profit $200,000 from a campaign that cost $10,000 to launch.

The phone is alive and well my friends – it’s just living a different existence in your marketing mix. It’s extremely cost effective. And it can work very well when delivering a timely message.

Have a particularly important piece of news to deliver? A once in a lifetime sale? A special event you don’t want people to miss?

Use voice. But don’t use it too often. Like endless jabbering from the person seated next to you on the plane – it loses its charm quickly. Then it’s just annoying.

[case study was reported on Marketingprofs.com]

Posted by: Steve Banis

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Burst Marketing

Lead Them to Water…Automatically

Scooby Doo, where are you?

Lead them to water

You’re Not Paranoid

A World Disturbance

Habits. We are all creatures of habit.

Here are just a few:

How About This Customer Service

Phone…Part II

Kickoff

Nothing like the spoken word