Dialogue Gets Data Flowing
Caught in a perfect storm of junk mail downpours, tidal waves of e-mail spam and thunderheads of mass-market advertising, your customers are looking to you for marketing seamanship. Unless you practice dialogue marketing, you may just go down with the ship.
This isn’t about pushing out information through call centers, direct mail and your Web site. Dialogue marketing is about the give and take of information — a two-way flow, in which you receive information from a member and respond with relevant information in return. The key is value exchange — you provide value-added information to your customers, and they respond by telling you more about themselves. You record this information in your database, analyze it and use the results to further fine-tune your messages and make them more personally compelling. The feedback loop builds brand loyalty and creates that safe harbor your customers so desperately seek.
Before you set sail with an ambitious dialogue marketing strategy, arm yourself with some best practices to ensure continued good relationships with your customers.
Get your hands on the data: Which comes first, the dialogue or the data? You may already have a large vat of data on customers at hand and just need to dig a little with your IT and analytics departments. Use the available data to personalize your communications by gender, location, buying history. Begin a dialogue with your customers with the next piece of communications you send out.
Start off slow: We’ve all received surveys that ask for a few precious minutes to complete — only to get to the second page of questions and realize the end is nowhere in sight. Practice the “drip” method instead: ask a few questions at a time, then feed them into your database to formulate additional questions. Gradually, the answers you receive will turn into a steady flow of valuable customer data.
Show you’re listening: Don’t waste your customers’ time by asking for info you’re not going to use. Ask only for relevant information — then show you were listening by providing your customers with pertinent information in return. Pay close attention when a customer tells you he wants to opt out of your communications stream. There’s no better way to tick off a good customer than by sending unwanted e-mails to an already full inbox.
Offer value in return: If a customer takes the time to complete a survey, be sure to give them information they can use. For instance, when the NFL signs up fans for their e-mail communications, it asks for the identity of a favorite team. It then sends weekly updates during the season with current stats, injury updates and previews of upcoming opponents. Sure, it sells team merchandise — but the sales pitch comes wrapped in a package of valuable, relevant information.
Not everyone wants dialogue: As wonderful as your company may be, some customers have no interest in engaging you in dialogue. They may purchase your products and enjoy your services, but just want to be left alone, thank you very much. Ask their permission by sending only opt-in messages, then test their response. Be prepared to back off if they ask.
Don’t misuse the trust: If a customer volunteers personal information, use it wisely and ethically. We heard from a customer who joined a loyalty program from a major credit card company and opted in for e-mail messages she expected would be program-related. No such luck. She was soon bombarded by messages for unrelated products and services from the company, an example of a loyalty program actually having a negative impact on a customer’s satisfaction. Don’t fall into the trap.
Tom Rapsas is a creative consultant for Frequency Marketing, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (www.frequencymarketing.com). He can be reached at [email protected].
