From a direct mailer from a cable company: “Dear Customer…”
“How personal,” I thought to myself. “Greetings, faceless nameless source of our income.”Do you know why I was addressed as “customer” and not by my name or nickname? I received the same mass-produced message as thousands, possibly millions of other people. Instead of personalizing the message to each person, the company opted for the cheaper, less caring route. Same greeting, same message. Oh, and add a live stamp and print the envelope in cursive to “feel” more personal. Breaking news: it’s not personal. If everyone has different needs and yet they all received the same letter, it wasn’t personal.
A few thoughts on marketing.
1. Different needs= different messages. No business is one-size-fits-all. And here is the clincher- the way that you feel when you receive a generic plea for your disposable income is the same way other people feel when they receive it from your business. The message is loud and clear- “we may have something truly good to offer, but our need for income is more apparent than our willingness to know you.” Personalized doesn’t mean printing someone’s name on a letter- it means proving that you want to understand and meet their needs. Broadcasts messages only get attention, not develop relationships. It says “It’s all about me, not you.” How are you demostrating that you want to know your customers?
2. Megaphones are not designed for two-way conversations, telephones are. And aren’t you glad- imagine every 10 year old at camp talking back to you with a megaphone. Yikes.
The shift we are seeing as a culture is that people are 1) making buying decisions based on recommendations from people they trust and 2) buying more from brands that show they value relationships with their customers. Who are they less likely to listen to? People with megaphones, bull horns, magazine ads, and anything “in your face”.
Why would I buy anything from the phone company that shouts at me with a megaphone (aka sends me a generic letter) when I know I will get a personal call from Verizon Wireless telling me they think my bill is too high for the minutes I am using and would I like to scale down to a smaller package? Excuse me for a second- WOW! In this economy, Verizon valued me enough to find out who was paying too much, call me from that list, and ask me to spend less for the same great service. Do you know that I can’t bring myself to buy an iPhone because I would have to switch to at&t? That is good marketing, even to an existing customer, and that story could likely influence more buyers that trust my opinion.
My point is that megaphones are still fun and still have their uses, but relationships are where the real marketing happens. Who is spreading the word about your camp and how are you encouraging them? How are you reaching out to people that don’t know you and starting relationships?
3. Stop and Read.
Hearing about social media as “the new way to develop relationships”? Don’t jump into it as a business until you have read Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. Jumping on the wrong trend can take you 2 steps back instead of two steps forward. Figure out what you want to accomplish as a camp, what social media tool matches that, THEN go.
Happy relating, “Customer”!
