How To Reach Out To Your Target Customers

by Paul Simister on May 20, 2013

in 4 – Lead Generation

This is the fifth marketing tip in a series based on

>>> Being Good At Marketing Isn’t A Nice-If But A Must Have

Marketing Tip 5 – Outreach Marketing – Reach Out To Your Target Customers

If you have done your market research,

>>> Understand The Customers In Your Market And Find Unexploited Opportunities

you should be in a good position to start a proactive outreach marketing campaign to contact your target customers.

The two main direct response methods that small businesses can easily use are:

Direct mail and email

Telemarketing

You may not like receiving either of these because they waste your time but don’t rule out the two options too quickly.

Large numbers of businesses, large and small, use them for one simple reason – they work. They consistently generate more profitable business than the cost incurred generating the leads when they are done right.

In both cases you can have a general campaign (perhaps subcontracted to a virtual assistant or telemarketer) or a personalised campaign.

In a general campaign, you are catering for your generic target markets without knowing the people in detail. You are trying to hit the emotional emotional trigger points to get a positive response.
I covered the importance of your headline (or opening statement if on the telephone) and the copy (or script) when talking about search advertising.

>>> How To Help Prospective Customers Find Your Business

It’s the same principle again with direct outreach marketing.

A common guide to creating effective marketing is the acronym AIDA.

A = Attention – make sure that you attract attention

I = Interest – raise their interest – they are busy so tell them what’s in it for them.

D = Desire – create desire – make them really want your product or service or to at least want to do something about their problem that you can solve.

A = Action – include a call for action. Give them a reason to do something now (a special offer, limited supplies) and make sure that you tell them what to do.

Tests show that by saying the equivalent of “Ring 0121 554 4057 now to arrange a 30 minute business coaching test-drive to find at least £5,000 of profit opportunities you haven’t seen in your business”, it is much more successful than hoping for any interested recipient to find your telephone number or email address on your stationery and make contact without being prompted.

Your marketing needs to be selling the next action you want the potential customer to do more than selling the main product or service. You might want to put in a hurdle to help qualify customers and reduce the number of free-loaders who may respond.

Make sure you plan a sequence of contacts to show you are serious and you have something important to share.

In a personalised campaign you are making contact with someone you already know. If you call them, your conversation will be unique but the same can apply to your personal letter. Think about how you can show that this letter is written to them and only to them.

I would encourage you to look at the marketing efforts people make to try to persuade you to buy.

What works on you?

I bet it’s not “I am great and I can do this and this and this…” but you will see that type of letter sent to you. It goes straight into the waste paper bin and if you send that type of letter, your prospective customers will respond in the same way.

You are not going to make that mistake because you are going to talk about your prospective customers about their problems, how you can help provide a solution and then provide social proof through testimonials.

In your direct marketing campaign you need to be clear on what it is that you want people to do.
Mail order focuses on people buying when they’ve read the copy. They give you all the information needed to make a decision and then it’s a simple “Yes I want it. Here’s my money, send me the product.” or “No thanks.”

But many businesses offer services and may have a two or three step selling process.

Finally on direct marketing, think follow up.

How often have you received something when you have been busy, thought that you’d get in contact, desperately needed help but because you are rushing around, just not done anything.

It’s the same with your prospective clients. Some aren’t interested but others will start thinking about what you could do but they need a few more prompts to take action.

The same follow up applies if your customer comes back and you have an initial meeting. Don’t leave the initiative to the customer because you’re the one who wants to make the sale.

If you do it too quickly, too aggressively, it can make you look pushy but if you don’t do it, the prospective customer has the impression you don’t care and you’re not interested.

I recommend that for every campaign or use of marketing media, you prepare a short, quick marketing plan.

>>> The Guerrilla Marketing Plan – 7 Sentences To Marketing Clarity