Every business needs customers to survive and for most businesses gaining new customers is the primary objective of its marketing program.
But given that every business is doing it, how do you get the jump on competitors?
1 – Segment strategically
The broader the net you cast the harder it is to deploy campaigns that really connect. Develop segment profiles for your highest value customers and invest the time to understand what triggers them to buy. Use these profiles to develop targeted EDM campaigns, monitor campaign performance and use the results to further refine the profiles – rinse and repeat. If you don’t have in-house expertise in campaign strategy and EDM campaign development then specialised customer acquisition agencies like Conversify can assist.
2 – Invest in high-quality leads
When it comes to acquiring new clients not all leads are equal. Before purchasing a list make sure the vendor can customise the list based on your ideal customer profile. Check how frequently the lists are updated to avoid wasting money on stale contacts. Conversify refreshes data sources daily.
3 – Experiment with alternative channels
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. It’s easy to get locked in to a pattern of using the same channels in the same way, especially when that’s what your competitors are doing. But sometimes approaching prospects via a different channel, or in a novel way in an existing channel, is just the disruption needed to get their attention.
A great example of this is direct mail, a channel that took a backseat during the transition to digital marketing but which has been rediscovered as a powerful tool for customer engagement and re-engagement. It works well as a stand-alone channel but really comes into its own when integrated with digital marketing. Conversify has experience developing customer acquisition campaigns that integrate email, interactive print and social media retargetting. Learn more about Conversify’s omni-channel customer acquisition strategies here.
4 – Design for success
Campaign and communication design are critical success factors for customer acquisition and there are a number of elements to consider including:
- The sequence of messages across touchpoints and their interdependencies. It is crucial to have a campaign roadmap with clear goals for each piece of communication that maps on to your acquisition strategy.
- The visual and aesthetic qualities of communications – the location and styling of calls to action, for example, can be optimised to drive conversions. Care must be taken to maintain brand identity across touchpoints
- The inclusion of interactive elements such as augmented reality or personalised URLs to increase engagement.
- Direct mail specifications – small changes to format can deliver big savings in production and postage. Working with an agency like Conversify that specialises in direct mail will help you maximise cut-through and minimise costs.
5 – Test, learn, adapt
The market never stands still and neither should your customer acquisition program. Even highly successful programs can be improved. Having clear strategic objectives provides a framework for monitoring and evaluating your efforts to gain new customers. Sometimes it can be helpful to get outside experts to review your program and offer suggestions for improvements. New approaches can be tested with subsets of your audiences and different messages and calls to action can be evaluated by split testing to see which, if any, increase conversions. The key is to not become complacent. Celebrate your successes but never stop looking for improvements because you can be sure your competitors won’t.
General Manager
Conversify are experts in contemporary, digitally integrated direct mail and we would love to talk with you about how this under-utilised channel can supercharge your existing marketing program. You can reach us on 1300 963 342 or hello@conversify.com.au