If your life were a work of fiction, a novel or a television show or a film, which character would you be?
Would you be the main character, the protagonist whose eyes we see the story through, and who we feel is the central anchor point for all that happens around them? Or would you be a secondary character on the outskirts or periphery of your own story?
It might be a bit of an non-question (and understandably answered with a groan of ‘obviously, I’m the main character’), but it’s a painfully simple way to illustrate the importance of nurturing your customer database.
Your customers need to feel special and unique
The Internet is often an incredibly personal experience. If you don’t believe us, just ask one of your friends if you can spend an hour scrolling through their search history. This isn’t to say we all have lurid search histories, but more that we seek out answers and solutions on a remarkable spectrum of both depth and embarrassment.
To illustrate this point, you’ll find two recent searches on this web browser to be ‘what is the name of the square that divides itself evenly into a spiral’ (The Fibonacci Sequence) and ‘how to know if I look bad in a crew neck t-shirt’ (Use a mirror and common sense).
The majority of us are perfectly aware of how the Internet and advertising works. We know that websites collect certain types of data about our activities online, and that ultimately it’s designed to market products and services that match our unique or niche desire and not to create a digital blueprint of our genetic code.
The dilemma many face is balancing advertising with annoyance, and the key is to remember that your customers are as unique as you are. Most crucial is trust, the trust that the information your customers are giving to you is sacred, and won’t be used with disregard to their privacy.
Reaching your customers through customised, direct marketing campaigns
To make the most of your EDM campaigns to customers, it’s worth taking the time to get it absolutely perfect. Direct marketing has been around long enough that it requires more than seeing your own name in a subject line to open an email from Domino’s advertising half-price pizzas, but we still welcome the attention because we want to feel special.
This isn’t a criticism of you, me, or the human race, it’s just a basic fact. The majority of us like to feel important, special, or unique. We like to feel noticed, that we’re making an impact on the people and places around us. The difference now, as opposed to a few years ago, is that a business can easily collect valuable data on their customers through many different channels.
You can see how your customers engage on various social platforms, the actions they take when receiving a personalised email (Do they delete it? Open it? Click a banner? Click a deal button?) and all sorts of information about how long they stayed on your website and the pathway they took to making – or not making – a purchase. We’re now in a better place than ever to offer customers exactly what they want, and to make the most of their generosity in allowing us access to their thoughts and questions (I’m still waiting for a decent crew-neck t-shirt).
The time spent on your customers will lead to a rewarding future
Nurturing your customer base requires a constant understanding of their turn-ons and turn-offs, and a subsequent correlation with your website design and user or customer experience.
If the tone of your website is relaxed, there’s a chance you’ll do better referring to your customers by their first name or a nominated preferred nickname (Check out our awesome deals chosen just for you, Jimmy!). If the tone is geared toward a highly professional and masterfully eloquent audience, you’ll likely do better addressing your customers by their honorific title (Mr. Jones, a selection of our finest products for your consideration).
At Media Giant, one of our specialities is creating direct marketing campaigns for our clients, and we go beyond the normal notion of ‘just add a name’ because we know your customers deserve better. We strive to understand your business, the customers who engage with it, and how we can best use our knowledge of language and digital marketing to create an authentic, genuine marketing campaign for real, lasting results.
To learn more about how we can assist you, get in contact with the Media Giant team today, and discover how we can help you reach customers in a way you never thought possible.
