Be Good and, Above All, Be Frequent
ProAg’s multi-channel
communications system
spans social media, direct
mail, print and digital
advertising.
MULTI-CHANNEL APPROACH
Frequency can be created in two ways—repeating the same
strong message many times, and utilizing multiple channels so
the same message is received in different ways. ProAg uses both
to multiply message effectiveness and reach diverse audience
segments.
Hypothetically, let’s assume you represent a very
reputable company with an excellent product to sell.
You have a competitor, also a solid company, with a
product that is (almost, of course) as good as yours.
Bright and early one morning, you’re in the office of
a top prospect pitching your product. The customer
is interested, but not ready to make a decision that
day. You thank them for their time, leave detailed
material explaining your offering, and make a note
in your calendar to follow up with another visit in
exactly one month. Your competition also makes a
visit on the same day.
One month passes and you return to close the deal.
It’s a very short visit. Turns out the competition
has been there every week since the initial visit—
always with something of value to add to the initial
proposal. “To be honest, we sort of forgot about
you,” your prospect admits.
That’s the value of frequency.
The reality is, your product may be fantastic, your
message may be golden, but you’ll lose the race
if you’re not in front of your prospects (and your
current customers) frequently.
PAGE
16
FREQUENCY BUILDS BRANDS
One VistaComm client who clearly understands
this concept is ProAg®, a leading national crop
insurance provider. Setting the ProAg brand apart
from considerable competition in the insurance
marketplace is a top priority for Richard Stinson, the
company’s communications and media manager.
“One of our major communication program goals
is top-of-mind brand awareness,” Richard states.
“When they think of crop insurance, we want them
to think of ProAg. Message frequency is a key part
of building that awareness.”
In the crop insurance business, the product offered
does not necessarily distinguish the company
brand, because all Approved Insurance Providers—
of which ProAg is one—offer, for the most part, the
same government-approved insurance products.
Consequently, the “product” ProAg actively
promotes is their knowledgeable, experienced, and
service-focused people.
“We believe our force in the field, and the team
supporting them in our offices, truly give us the
edge,” Stinson stresses. “That’s the brand story we
work hard to promote.”
To facilitate their communication goals, VistaComm works
with ProAg to produce a versioned, quarterly print newsletter.
ProAg is also utilizing a second-generation SmartSite SM
website from VistaComm in concert with The Content HubSM.
The website puts a sharp focus on current industry news and
places ProAg’s active social media presence front and center.
The single common theme and key to success across all the
platforms, according to Richard, is quality content created and
sourced by VistaComm.
“Content for us has been one of the most important pieces of
driving traffic to our website,” Stinson states. “The Content
Hub allows us to pull from various content sources, so we’ve
become the one-stop shop to learn about risk management
and all the news associated with it. It’s easy for us to quickly
send this news through our social media channels. Our content
works hard for us.”
Are you speaking to your customers and prospects as frequently
as you should be? Is your message consistent and properly
targeted? Is your content current, and is it working as hard as it
should be for you? The answer to all of these can be yes, and we
would love to tell you how to get there. Contact VistaComm at
866-752-7707 or [email protected].
Rule 1 – Not all channels are created
equal. To reach a diverse set of
demographics, you need to be on
multiple channels. Your business base
is diverse, and you need to be as well.
Rule 2 – Match your message to your
medium. Your brand story should be
consistent, but your storytelling style will
vary by channel.
Rule 3 – Timing is everything. Not
everyone keeps your business hours.
Sometimes the best times to communicate are when others are quiet.
Rule 4 – Moderation, please. When you
drink out of a hose, you don’t want it to
be hooked up to a fire hydrant! This is
particularly true with multi-channel
communication. Some channels require
a large volume of information to be
heard, while other channels value
smaller volumes of quality content.
Know your brand, know your audience,
and know your channels.
▲
By Burke Perry,
®
VistaComm
Senior Journalist
“The two key aspects of a successful business—first gaining,
then retaining, customers—present every market with different
challenges,” Stinson notes. “New and potential customers first
need to be made aware of your brand to build authenticity and
excitement. But once customers are passionate about your
brand, they have different needs. They don’t need to be sold to,
but instead need to feel rewarded and a part of the brand. The
only way to achieve these often conflicting marketing goals is to
communicate frequently, and through different channels.”
Basic Rules of
Multi-Channel
Mastery
VistaComm • Building Brands. Strengthening Relationships.
PAGE
17