E-MAIL
How can I use e-mail most effectively to launch a new brand within my company?
“It depends on several factors,” replies Ben Ardito, VP of professional services at e-mail service provider e-Dialog. “These factors include your audience demographics, and the method by which you introduce the new brand.”
First, update your customer preference center and add an option to sign up to hear about new products or brands. “You should also add a module to your current e-mail template, announcing the new brand and directing recipients to your Web site for more information,” he adds.
“One tactic you shouldn’t use is sending e-mails promoting only your new brand, but using the ‘from’ address of your current brand’s promotional mailings,” Ardito warns. “For some recipients, it can come across as a violation of their trust. At the very least, it dilutes the reputation of your brand in the recipients’ eyes, leaving them wondering about the content of future messages.”
INTERNET MARKETING
What is the best way for marketers to reach the 20- to 45-year-old demographic?
Kevin Swanepoel, president of The One Club, responds, “Web 2.0, portable media players and smart phones have fragmented the media, making it increasingly difficult to reach that sweet spot of 20-45 year olds. Their lives revolve around these advanced technologies. They decide where, when and how they consume their daily dose of information, and they are in charge of the advertising they view.”
He continues, “The industry needs to become more creative across all channels and start producing compelling content so that it might be sought out or passed along by consumers.”
Swanepoel says that word of mouth has always been a powerful marketing tool; “However, technology and social networking sites [are] like word of mouth on steroids. An individual can mobilize masses with the click of a button.”
MARKET RESEARCH
What’s the best approach to product development?
“Knowing what your clients and prospects want is more than half the battle when developing new products and services. The best way to find out what they want is to ask them,” says Meredith Liepelt, president of Rich Life Marketing.
Liepelt says there are many ways to reach out to customers, such as inviting people in your target market to attend a focus group and asking open-ended questions or providing a written survey. She also suggests, “Call your best clients — select at least 10 — and ask them each the same series of questions. Offer a small thank-you gift for their time. You can do the same with prospects.”
An online survey, which can be done for a small fee, is another way to learn about customers.
