When a customer is looking to buy, who do they think of?
The companies that pop into their head will usually have spent a lot of marketing time, effort and budget to be top-of-mind.
How did they achieve this? Typically by one of four ways:
- By achieving a top three ranking on Google for relevant keywords/key phrases that your customers use to search for your market sector's products and services.
- Through media spend - the prospect has heard and seen the company's advertising so many times on radio and television that they want to be associated with their brand, and trust them to give them a competitive price.
- Through 'word-of-mouth' personal connection - for example their brother-in-law uses them and recommends them.
- By location – they sponsor their kid’s football team and the prospect passes their shop front every day on the way to work.
So what happens if you can't afford a media blitz, can't achieve a top three ranking on Google, aren't related to enough people, and have exhausted all of your neighbourhood prospects?
The answer is direct marketing, repetition and perseverance. With these three things, you too can remain the first choice in your prospects' minds.
Consider these statistics:
- It requires thirteen exposures before the average person can recall your business name.
- 80% of prospects buy sometime after the fifth interaction with a business.
- The average person is exposed to more than 300 ads every day. So it's no wonder that most ads are instantly forgotten.
Unfortunately, most people don't make a purchase when they see an advertisement. They buy a service when they need a service. If they think of you when the need arises, BINGO, you're in business. It's all about timing.
So how do you make sure you are in front of prospects at the right time?
You have to be in front of them ALL THE TIME, not with a sales pitch, but with positive, helpful information, that makes their lives easier.
When selling to businesses, the easiest way to stay in front of prospects every month is through direct mail and/or email (ideally using an auto-responder) that directs them to high value, relevant and useful content on your website.
Direct mail is particularly effective when paired with telemarketing to verify decision-makers' names and to gauge interest levels.