Embracing New Media Without Losing Relevance or Sales
My piece of the new media landscape mainly involves mobile, so it is limited but definitely offers insight into something everyone is at least beginning to think about and many have started. I agree with a lot of the articles I’ve been reading toward embracing the rush to all these new emerging channels, but I’m concerned that something could get lost in the shuffle: the relevance to the customer. I’ll paraphrase a quote from a newsletter I get every week. The quote was about marketing to the customer as if you were the customer—i.e., “Let’s think, what entices us to buy?” It’s so simple, yet actually quite brilliant and extremely relevant, as we rush into these new media platforms.
What entices me to buy is different than what entices my kids to ask me to buy for them, and it is also different than what entices my wife to buy. Instead of breaking these enticements by offers, let’s look at them in regards to what actually cuts through the clutter and reaches us (offering the chance of enticing them to buy).
I have given up checking my personal e-mail. I know if someone needs me or if I want to hear from people, they have my cell or work e-mail. My wife, on the other hand, funnels all of her e-mails accounts into one master account and at least sees all of them. Unless I get home early, our direct mail is already in the recycle bin. That’s just my house as an example. Every house is different, which is what’s making our jobs increasingly tricky.
From my perspective on the front lines working with retailers embracing mobile marketing, I am finding with more marketing options offered to the consumer that the inclusion of these new media communication channels are imperative to keep up with our high-dollar, on-the-go consumers in ways that work for each of them. The only solution I see is not in sending more of the same (the old spaghetti theory), but including new options and allowing them to choose. Let your customers put themselves in the driver’s seat in regards to how you communicate with them. Yes, I know that’s scary at first, but the clients I have seen do this do not regret it and have never looked back.
This options idea solves 50 percent of the relevance concern, and with more advanced techniques we can ensure we are sending not only the right type of communications, but also the right content. More to come from me on this, but let that sink in for a few weeks and I’ll be back with another post. All the best!
Jonathan Starets is director of mobile services at SmartReply
Tags: jonathan starets, mobile marketing, multichannel, smartreply