Author: Liz

Why One List Won’t Do

Why One List Won’t Do

A common complaint that clients come to me with is that they say they are in touch with their customers but are not seeing results. When I start working with them, I will always review their existing content. Generally, I will discover the following points:

  • Many have an excel list which they have uploaded onto a platform such as MailChimp.
  • They are mailing their customers frequently.
  • They are including lots of valuable information in the mailings.

Of course, these are all the right things to be doing. However, to be effective further elements need to be expanded upon or looked at in further detail. Let us look at what else can be done:

  • Has the mailing list been segmented?
  • Are they sending targeted messages to each of those segments?
  • Is the communication consistent in tone and value?
  • Have they included a clear call to action?

These are just some points that could enhance the experience for the customer. Covering these in more detail can help their potential customers feel that the company is the right brand for them to be working with. Segmenting a mailing list provides the opportunity to make the messaging clearer to customers at different stages in a lead funnel and/or in different geographic regions or age groups. For example, there is nothing worse than telling a customer how good you are and what special deals you have on if you have just bought from them. This group of customers need to hear about what other products/services will work well with what they have bought already.

Other marketing activities to consider developing on are mentioned in my social media blog.

If you feel you are in this situation and would like an independent, no obligation review of your marketing activities please get in touch hello@boss.agency.

I’m doing social media, therefore I’m doing marketing…

I’m doing social media, therefore I’m doing marketing…

I find these days that when asked what I do, most people connect marketing with social media. With 20 years of experience in marketing it still astonishes me that some companies have lost the objective of marketing (if they ever knew it in the first place). Depending on the stage of the business, whether it is a start up or an established firm looking to generate a new customer base, there are different approaches using the same touch point.

Marketing is about bringing together elements such as branding, pricing and positioning to name a few, to create the message for the organisation’s prospect/customer base. The different touch points employed to deliver that message are driven by the stage at which the customer is in their journey to purchase the product or service. Touch points can include email, advertising, events, press releases, collateral, and of course social media.

If we look at social media and the reason for its popularity, it could well be because it is possibly the most versatile of the touch points. Social media can be used to raise brand awareness, communicate about an event, have conversations with customers or even promote testimonials. Not only that it is the most interactive by allowing video, the ability to tag and provide a link to naturally take a customer forward. It can cover all elements of the customer journey depending on the messaging used.

Surely there is therefore no negative to being on social media? Not per se but your target audience might not be on social media. This is a keen consideration if your product is designed for pre-schoolers or for an elderly audience who might shy away from new technology. In this instance having alternative touch points with these audiences is necessary to reach them e.g. advertising, but you may use social media to reach their influencers such family members in a different generation.

So yes, by doing social media you are doing marketing. However, marketing is most effective when a strategy is created to include multiple touch points, increasing the reach for your product or service.