marketing
HOW PERSONAL CAN
YOU GET?
we all respond to a personal touch !
STEPHANIE DALE
Managing Partner
DMC Advertising Group
C
ommunicating with your customers
and prospects with a message that is
individually personalised is the most
under-utilised marketing tool.
One of the first questions I ask a new client
is, “Do you have a database?” They often
say yes. But with a little bit of probing we
discover that it is actually their invoicing
database, which is ‘locked’ within their
accounts system, and does not provide them
with the relevant data the y need to develop
a personalised direct marketing strategy to
maintain customer contact.
So how do you create a marketing database
of customers and prospects?
Whether your general advertising consists of
a press release, radio, press advertisement,
flyer, web banner, social media or letterbox
drop, you need to enable it to capture
information which will give you the tools to
continue to communicate with them, with
relevance and in a personalised manner.
This information is crucial to the success
of your ongoing communications. It is
imperative that you get to know your
customers and prospects intimately. Make
sure you can enter this information in a
manageable fashion on your database and
you will have a gold mine of opportunity
for future marketing successes. And
that extends after the sale as well. Past
customers are the best advertising you can
acquire if you can make them raving fans.
And you do this by staying in touch and
staying relevant to them.
With today’s technology, you are able to
personalise the images that you include in
your message and use multiple media to
convey your message to the individual.
Imagine receiving a printed invitation to test
drive the new release of your current brand
of motor vehicle. Nothing special you say...
BUT, the invitation is personalised. It has an
image of the new model of vehicle in the
same colour as your current model and the
number plates on the image in the invitation
are your number plates.
The week before the test drive you receive a
personalised email with a ‘Licence to Drive’
certificate. This has your licence number
already imprinted on it and the details of
your test drive time and place (which of
course you have to bring with you on the
day).
The day before your test drive you receive
an SMS reminding you.
This is emotive marketing. And that’s what
you need to cut through all the other
marketing and advertising information that
people receive every day.
A qualified database is such a valuable
commodity that people pay thousands for
qualified lists. You don’t necessarily have to
do this. With a bit of forward planning and
discipline, you can create your own list that
will be even more valuable because it will
have been purpose built.
Your database needs to be stored on your
computer (I’ve lost count of the number of
companies who have mail bags full of coupon
responses that they have not entered into a
database. What a ludicrous waste of money
having gone to all that trouble to not put the
information into a database – something as
simple as Excel is a great start).
Make sure information is held in separate
fields so that you can analyse and extract it
as needed. And please keep it up to date.
Use it regularly and if you receive ‘dead mail’,
mark it on the database so that you don’t
waste money mailing it again.
Use the information you gather wisely,
weave it into your communication message
and reach out to your customer with a
personalised dialogue that proves that you
have taken the time to get to know them.
DMC Advertising Group specialises in the creation, design and production of effective marketing
tools. Contact us on 02 9680 8666 to discuss your specific needs.
For more information, contact Stephanie Dale on 02 9912 4400, email sdale@dmcadvertisinggroup.
com.au or visit www.dmcadvertisinggroup.com.au
20 Australian Window Association