Marketing is a weird world to tap into. It has lots of jargon, stats, and acronyms that most people aren’t going to interact with often. Fear not, we’re here to make sense of the nonsense and have your marketing literacy up to snuff for the sake of your product.
Approximately 63% of businesses agree that generating traffic and leads is their top marketing challenge.
Your company has a website and from that website, you want to sell your products to people looking to make their lives easier, right?
The goal of a business is to get people to know and see what you’re selling, then getting them to buy it. So, it’s not hard to understand why this is one of the top marketing challenges businesses face, it’s the mystery of successful business.
Leads are consumers interested in potentially buying what you’re selling.
Traffic is the amount of potential consumers who are poking around your website, exploring what you have to offer.
Almost two-thirds of companies want to improve their ad personalization, marketing automation, and segmentation.
Personalization
We’re inundated with advertising every moment of the day. The most effective advertisements are tailored to the personal interests of a potential customer. It can be pretty tough getting inside the head of all your users, so this can be challenging.
Automation
You’ve probably reasoned this one out. Repetitive tasks (think newsletter, social media posts, email campaigns, etc.) are automated by software. Takes the penchant for human error and forgetfulness out of the picture while maintaining a consistent flow of content.
Segmentation
Think of potential buyers as a line. Segments are just parts of that line. Specifically, segmentation allows your business to group those potential buyers into segments based on their needs with your product. Buyer A is looking for use B: they’re in segment 1. Buyer B is looking for use C: they’re in segment 2. And so forth.
According to a Microsoft Corp. study, the average consumer has an attention span of 8 seconds -- 1 second less than a goldfish.
This information speaks for itself. How it relates to your business is pretty important. If your website doesn’t easily convey the purpose of your business or product within that eight second window, you’ve lost a customer. Catch them fast, there are lots of other nets out there.
An estimated 72% of consumers expect companies to understand and meet their personal needs in a product or service.
If a customer has found your product, in most cases it means they went looking for it intentionally. You’re surely not the only company who offers a sole solution to consumer needs. Here’s where doing your homework pays off. You have to look for what customers are looking for. Reviews, FAQs, forums, social media, customer service, anything that’s a consumer based insight into what they’re looking to get out of your product (or any product). Build your products around what the people are looking for.
Adobe's 2016 State of Create report revealed that almost 7 in 10 U.S. adults would be more loyal to a brand that employs good design.
Simply put, like the goldfish comparison above, we’re attracted to shiny things. Good products are even better when they’re wrapped in sparkly trappings and a aesthetically pleasing website is entrancing.
An estimated 8 out of 10 consumers report that quality is the most important aspect of branded marketing.
Branded marketing only goes as far as the amount of work you’re willing to put into it. A half-baked brand voice will lose to strong ones. Your brand voice represents your products, mission, goals, and, in the end, you. Put in the work. Candide sums it up well, “we must cultivate our garden.”
DMA research has revealed that roughly 56% of Americans enjoy receiving mail.
People like getting mail! Just because we’re operating in a predominantly digital world doesn’t mean you should abandon traditional marketing practices. They’re far from obsolete.
The 20% in the 40/40/20 rule is based on factors such as quality and presentation of marketing materials.
40% audience. Know who your product is trying to reach and build that audience of people.
40% offer. Give your audience a tangible reason to buy what you’re selling and employ tactics to attract them to what you’re offering. What makes you special?
20% creativity. You have an audience and you’re giving them something they’re interested in. Now wrap it in gold, put a bow on it, and show it off. Creativity magnetizes customers, don’t short change yourself by neglecting it.
Research shows that adding a person’s name and full color in a direct mail ad can increase response by almost 135%.
It’s simple, we’re more likely to keep and read something with our name on it than a piece of mail that displays another thing for sale addressed to “valued customer”. It’s pretty much the original ad personalization.
Almost 98% of consumers check their physical mail daily and 77% of consumers sort through their physical mail as soon as they receive it.
Piggybacking off the previous note, physical mail gets checked habitually, every day. If you’re leaving this statistic out of your marketing reach, you’re intentionally allowing 98% of consumers miss a chance to see your product. Tsk tsk tsk.
The direct mail response rate in 2016 was 5.3% per household.
Yes, it’s a low number. Direct mail may not gain an overwhelming response via direct mail, but it certainly contributes to a potential internet search in the future. Don’t rule it out.
Almost 30% of millennials believe direct mail is more effective at convincing them to take action compared to email.
This is as humorous as it is real. Millenials get hundreds, sometimes thousands, of emails every day. They don’t get as much physical mail anymore. When you receive five pieces of physical mail and 500 emails, which group is easier to sift through while you still have the patience to pay any sort of attention? Exactly.
Over 100.7 million adults in the U.S. made a catalog purchase in 2016.
Those who say print marketing is dead are foolish. If you can put your product in consumer hands via paper and cloud, you’re doing it right.
Almost 23% of direct mail recipients actually visit the sender's physical store location.
Contact information is important. Whether direct mailing or building a contact page on your website, the location and contact information of your business should be immediately accessible.
Direct mail remains the number one influencer of seniors who switch to medicare.
As we’ve seen with millenials, direct mail affects different generations in diverse ways. Many elderly people will never access your website, but you better be certain they’ll see it in their mail, newspaper, catalogs, and magazines.
An estimated 48% of people keep their direct mail for future reference.
The bulletin board still exists and your direct mailing efforts should be worthy of second, third, and fourth glances. From bulletin board to buyer.
Whatever your business does, whatever product you’re selling, proper marketing converts it from inventory to capital. It’s up to you make sure you’re taking advantage of every marketing opportunity you can. After all, it’s your livelihood. Get out there and get people interested.
